If pandemic counter culture existed, it was fully embodied in Dua Lipa’s stratospheric, disco-influenced ‘Future Nostalgia'. Much more cohesive sonically than her first solo album, ‘Future Nostalgia' pushed Lipa to new artistic heights. Instead of following the trends like her contemporaries, and making a subdued, bedroom pop style record, Lipa chose to go big, harkening back to maximalist pop and disco sounds that dominated during her formative years. Released, quite frankly, at the worst time possible for a record full of dance floor bangers, Lipa’s engaging hooks and vocal presence shone through and became one of the most successful pop albums in recent memory. She establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with on the opening title track and delivers an unrelenting string of bangers after that. Lead single, ‘Don’t Start Now', is a stronger, fearless update on her breakthrough hit, ‘New Rules’. Here, instead of holding herself back to avoid getting hurt again, she's letting her ex know she's going to have fun and live her life, regardless of how he'll feel. The album's legacy, however, lies in the dance floor smash ‘Levitating’. Its slow burn success through 2021 turned it into Lipa’s signature hit, with her irresistible chorus begging you to ‘come on, dance with me’.
KEY TRACK: ‘Levitating’ - Even before its remix gave it a second and third life, this euphoric, joyful track stood out as one of her best to date. Offering a much needed escape from the mundane life of lockdown, with a call to fly away from all that's holding you down, it topped Billboard’s Year End chart in 2021, despite never reaching #1 on the Hot 100.