On October 12, 2023, Dua Lipa took to Instagram—after having deleted all her old posts—to post a selfie captioned “miss me?,” showcasing her new red hair. She posted teaser photos and videos promoting her new era. Finally, on Nov. 1, she announced the title and release date of her third album’s lead single.
On Nov. 9, 2023, Lipa released the lead single, “Houdini,” from her upcoming third studio album. A reference to illusionist Harry Houdini, the song became Lipa’s second number one hit single on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Its accompanying music video, set in a dance studio, has over 85 million views to date and brings to life the message of the song. Lipa says, “‘Houdini’ is very tongue in cheek, exploring the idea of whether someone is really worth my while or if I’ll ghost them in the end. You never know where something may take you, that’s the beauty of being open to whatever life throws your way. I’m looking forward to sharing that feeling of defiant bliss with my fans.” With “Houdini,” Lipa marked the beginning of her new album, set to release sometime this year.
At the end of January, Lipa announced that her second—and most recent—single, called “Training Season,” would be released on Feb. 15. Along with the announcement, she teased its release during her live performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Feb. 4. Its music video features a similar aesthetic as “Houdini,” but takes place in a completely different setting. Set in a small café, the video starts with overlapping voicemails from various men. The song begins, and Lipa is seen sitting at a table with a cup of tea. As she lip syncs the lyrics of the song, several men bang on the window from the outside as she remains calmly seated. She maintains a look of disappointment as the men try to get her attention. As with “Houdini,” “Training Season” brings the pitfalls of dating to life.
2024 is set to be a big year for Dua Lipa. After the hit success of her Barbie single, “Dance the Night,” she landed an opening role in “Argylle” as LaGrange, the villain to the titular secret agent character. Regarding her filming experience, she explains, “I just had the best time on-set, it was amazing and working with Henry [Cavill] was amazing.” “Argylle” is in theaters.
Lipa has revealed little about her third album, apart from confirming its genre: pop.She also confirmed her collaboration with Kevin Parker from the Australian psychedelic band Tame Impala. The new album is said to have 11 tracks and takes inspiration from British club culture and Lipa’s experiences during nights out with her friends. Until the official name is revealed, the album is dubbed as “DL3.” A follow-up to Future Nostalgia, “DL3” promotes a new sound and hit songs to dance along to. With the release of “Training Season,” Dua Lipa signals the start of a new era in her career.
“Houdini” and “Training Season” are available now on all streaming platforms.