After much teasing, Dua Lipa has officially returned with "Houdini," the lead single for her follow-up to 2020's Future Nostalgia. Dua hasn't exactly gone quiet in the years since, and she's done a pretty solid job of remaining in the public consciousness via remixes, collaborative singles and fashion lines, podcasts, newsletters, a massive tour and endless photos of her on vacation — while we can't technically say we've missed her, it's good to have her in fresh album mode again.
As for the song itself, "Houdini" doesn't exactly flip the script on her shimmery disco-pop calling cards, though it's maybe a little sweatier and grimier than the neon-lit enormity of "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now." Produced by Danny L Harle and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, it was co-written by those two along with Dua, Caroline Ailin and Tobias Jesso Jr. Those four people are credited in a press release as the "core collaborators" of Dua's forthcoming album, though any other details on the project are sparse.
Parker played bass on "Houdini" and contributed backing vocals (and a very familiar-sounding Tame Impala-core descending synth line at the climax), and the song finds Dua challenging a potential lover to prove themselves to her before she "goes Houdini."
"'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," Dua said in a statement. "You never know where something may take you, that's the beauty of being open to whatever life throws your way."
The Manu Coss-directed "Houdini" video finds a red-maned Dua pulling some choreo in a dance studio. Check it out below.
As for the song itself, "Houdini" doesn't exactly flip the script on her shimmery disco-pop calling cards, though it's maybe a little sweatier and grimier than the neon-lit enormity of "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now." Produced by Danny L Harle and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, it was co-written by those two along with Dua, Caroline Ailin and Tobias Jesso Jr. Those four people are credited in a press release as the "core collaborators" of Dua's forthcoming album, though any other details on the project are sparse.
Parker played bass on "Houdini" and contributed backing vocals (and a very familiar-sounding Tame Impala-core descending synth line at the climax), and the song finds Dua challenging a potential lover to prove themselves to her before she "goes Houdini."
"'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," Dua said in a statement. "You never know where something may take you, that's the beauty of being open to whatever life throws your way."
The Manu Coss-directed "Houdini" video finds a red-maned Dua pulling some choreo in a dance studio. Check it out below.
