Dua Lipa, AKA the dancefloor princess, has just released her third studio album today, called Radical Optimism. Fair warning to those who haven’t listened to the LP yet, don’t go in expecting a similar sound to Lipa’s previous acclaimed disco-driven album, Future Nostalgia. Radical Optimism sees Lipa escaping the disco scene and embracing psychedelia, trip-hop, and Britpop genres instead. A welcome change after four years of donning sky-high disco shoes!
In honour of Radical Optimism‘s release, we’ve compiled a list of the most underrated Dua Lipa songs that we believe deserved more hype. Sure, Miss Lipa has a long roster of hits to her name, including New Rules, Don’t Start Now, Levitating, and Houdini, but not every song an artist puts out can top the charts. Despite this, we believe that these five Dua Lipa tracks deserved to do just that.
The Most Underrated Songs By Dua Lipa
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1. UN DIA (ONE DAY) by Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, J Balvin, Tainy
Un Día, which means One Day in Spanish, is a house, Latin pop, and reggaeton song fused with dream pop melodies and dancehall elements. If you think that a song featuring pop superstar Dua Lipa alongside major reggaeton figures like J Balvin and Bad Bunny would sound slightly strange, we get where you’re coming from, but we disagree. After all, Un Día‘s seamless fusion of each participating artist’s unique musical styles has been praised by critics. The song was even nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
2. Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa
If you weren’t aware that Lipa collaborated with Disney star turned pop diva Miley Cyrus in 2020, well, now you know! Their track Prisoner is everything a disco-punk addict would want in a song: dark with a hint of rock while still being catchy enough to make you want to dance. Prisoner might be their only released collaboration to date, but according to Cyrus, it’s far from the first song they worked on together. Lipa was insistent on finding the perfect “Dua-Miley song” to complement both artists. This iconic duo truly hit the mark with Prisoner, if only the song received the flowers it deserved.
3. Real Groove (Studio 2054 Remix) by Kylie Minogue and Dua Lipa
Speaking of an underrated gem released by legends, the Studio 2054 Remix of pop princess Kylie Minogue’s track Real Groove is a definite inclusion on the list. In fact, Minogue’s 2020 album Disco is criminally underappreciated as a whole, but that’s a topic for a different time. Real Groove (Studio 2054 Remix) is the third single from the album and features subtle vocals from Lipa, mainly found on the song’s chorus. The blend of Minogue’s high, lilting voice with Lipa’s deeper, huskier tone sets this track apart from the original version.
4. Physical
You may be wondering how Physical is on this list considering the song received numerous award nominations and appeared on various 2020 year-end lists. In our opinion, this powerful disco-meets-techno track may be Lipa’s eighth top ten UK single, but it deserves to be just as popular as the other Future Nostalgia standouts like Levitating and Don’t Start Now. If the hook to this song rings a bell, Physical pays homage to fellow British popstar Olivia Newton-John’s iconic song with the same title. Together, they make a strong case for adding the phrase “let’s get physical” to the Oxford dictionary!
5. Pretty Please
Lipa’s second album, Future Nostalgia, is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Case in point: our favourite track from the album, Pretty Please, was never released as a single. However, plenty of Lipa’s fans hailed it as the best song the LP had to offer. In an album filled with upbeat disco tunes, Pretty Please sat comfortably in the middle of Future Nostalgia to slow things down while still keeping the vibes funky and danceable to a fault. Can we all agree that Pretty Please deserved to go just as viral as Lipa’s sensual choreography that went with it?
Listen to Dua Lipa’s new album, Radical Optimism, down below!
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