"Houdini" kickstarts the narrative thread that weaves its way through Dua’s upcoming project. Dua notes that “Houdini,” “embodies that 4 a.m. feeling when the night is coming to a close and you're a bit sweaty, but you just don't want the party to end.”
The official music video, directed by Manu Cossu with cinematographer André Chemetoff, sees Dua post-rehearsal in a dance hall, revising her choreography under fluorescent lights. The lights reflect in the room’s mirrors, creating an optical illusion as the energy begins to swell.
“This track represents the most light and freeing parts of my singledom,” says Dua. “’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.”
"Houdini" was written by Lipa, along with Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, a group who served as core collaborators throughout the project, and was produced by Parker and Harle.
“A lot of this album was written in those joyous moments of absolute chaos and how I moved through the world with lightness and optimism of whatever the outcome may be,” says Dua.
3x GRAMMY and 6x Brit Award-winning international pop powerhouse Dua Lipa closed out 2022 as one of the top performers of the year, with both Variety and Billboard naming her Future Nostalgia World Tour among the best live shows of the year. The tour’s namesake album solidified Dua’s position as both a critical success and top radio performer. Future Nostalgia is certified platinum in the US and UK, was the longest running top 10 album by a female artist on the Billboard 200 in 2021, and has spawned multiple worldwide hit singles, with “Levitating” earning certified diamond status and the title of Billboard’s No. 1 Hot 100 Song of 2021. In addition to breaking solo records, Dua proved to be a formidable collaborator, with Elton John’s “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” landing them the honor of Variety’s 2022 Hitmakers of the Year.
Dua has found superstar status on stage and off, thanks to her many passions outside the world of music. 2022 saw Dua launch Service95, a global style, culture, and society editorial platform inspired by her lifelong habit of curating extensive recommendations lists. The accompanying podcast, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, features thoughtful conversations with high-profile guests from fellow performers and artists to authors and activists, and has been lauded in publications including The Sunday Times, Vogue, The Guardian and was named one of the Best Podcasts of 2022 by Spotify. Dua’s passion for reading and affinity for storytelling led her to launch the third and latest branch of the platform, the Service95 Book Club.
As a fashion icon, Dua has graced the cover of every major fashion magazine worldwide from Vogue and Elle to W and Dazed. Most recently, Dua co-designed Versace’s “La Vacanza” collection, alongside the iconic Donatella Versace herself. The womenswear collection debuted at a fashion show in Cannes in May 2023 which Vogue called, “the hottest collaboration of the summer” while Vogue Runway’s review of the show hailed it “an instantly desirable, flattering summer wardrobe.”
Dua’s eponymous 2017 debut album is certified platinum, spawned six platinum tracks, and made her the first female artist in Brit Awards history to pick up five nominations in a single year. Dua has a total of 8 Grammy nominations, with three wins for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording. Across platforms globally, she has amassed over 38 billion streams and holds the record for having the top two most streamed albums by a female artist of all time on Spotify.