Dua Lipa is in her happy era, as expressed in her upcoming album, Radical Optimism. Ahead of the release, the pop superstar sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to reflect on how she’s been feeling.
“With this album, I feel like I’ve managed to put so much more honesty out there, and be really open in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to,” she shared. “There’s this one song, which is the last song in the album called ‘Happy for You.’ And I love that song because, to me, it’s about seeing someone who you were with move on, and be really happy for them. And I probably wouldn’t have been able to write that song on my first or second record because I don’t feel like I probably would’ve grown as a person or as an artist to be able to see someone that you loved move on. Or I would’ve found it difficult.”
Lipa also shared how her relationships affected her growth in the past few years, and how she’s now looking for someone who is “loyal and open and honest” to be in a partnership with. “I think with every relationship, with every experience you learn about yourself, you learn about things that are hurtful to you, what you expect, what you should be ready to give as well,” she shared. “I think, again, it goes back to that exchange of vulnerability. I think I’ve had relationships which have been really hurtful, especially earlier on, where I feel like I’ve been made to feel like not good enough or have made me lose my confidence. I’ve had to find that again.”
She continued, “You learn about your own non-negotiables. I think that’s an important thing. It’s of course the right person, but it’s really about the right relationship. And you find that in friendships and in love relationships as well, of your non-negotiables. What are you willing to give up? […] I want someone who’s loyal and open and honest, and that’s what I’m willing to be as well in return. You figure out what those things are for you.”
Radical Optimism is out on May 3. Watch Lipa’s full interview with Zane Lowe below.
