A year ago, the world changed for everyone. A global pandemic changed everyone’s lives, with “normal” never being the same. Some were stricken with hardships, but one individual, in particular, came out on top during this crisis. And it was well deserved.
Dua Lipa released “Future Nostalgia” nearly a year ago when the pandemic had commenced. Like the virus, her music spread farther and further, giving some folks that optimism needed for the future.
Lipa’s album kicked off with a new reinvented sound for pop. This mixture of funk, pop, rock beats to the hearts of fans around the world.
Two songs I picked, in particular, are “Cool” and “Physical,” which are just the tipping point for Lipa’s potential, talent, vision and poetic articulation.
“Physical,” this upbeat rollercoaster of sexual build-up, leads into a chorus that resembles what most could have seen in any rock song—a sensual yet loving testament to the one you love. With lyrics involving love and sex, creating this mishmash of tectonic sounds with the raw sexual passion of a love sonnet from Shakespeare with beats of an 808 blasting anyone’s cartilage within earshot, an explosive sound that reminds you of pastels, passion, and sweat.
The music video alone, even without sound, you could tell this woman radiates a storm that could tear down any city within its sights. The words flow well with the visible images, including hints of pop culture references, anime characterizations and dance extras with a choreography that only elevates Lipa and even themselves around her. She spins on a platform situated in the middle with a sea of people and colors of all spectrums dancing on top in a black dress, leading her subjects like Cleopatra was a pop sensation instead of a God.
“Cool,” is right on after “Physical.” However, do not think that these two are her best and only ones to listen. I recommend the entire album, but these two are the ones that show her talents as an artist and what’s to come.
This heart-stopping hit, which is only three chords in total but has so much meat, could be roasted and fed to a family of six. Out of the two songs, this one has the best build-up and chorus. The chorus mimics the sounds she’s putting into her words. For example, “Got me losing all my cool” is followed by a bass thwomp that could set an avalanche rolling.
The music feels as out of control as her words and this, which I wish I could describe better, but these words cannot give justice alone to this hit. Lipa could make any man, woman, or child want to get their freak flag on anywhere, regardless of whether there is a camera, alone in a dorm, at family dinner, or a presidential inauguration. Those hips, for no other reason, would move on their own, and they should not care, and neither should you. This song rocks, and it is only the tipping point for her.
This extraordinary young artist has only dipped her toe into what she will accomplish in sounds, lyrics and visuals. She could leave the industry tonight and still have something to offer this rock hurtling through time and space.
Do not listen to just these two songs, do not be that guy, listen to the whole album and fall in love with her, yourself, the feeling and the passion. She has given us something honest, and you better take it because it is a feeling most do not get the luxury of experiencing.
