When Dua Lipa won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist in 2019, she began her speech by acknowledging the "incredible" female artists she was nominated alongside (which included H.E.R. and Bebe Rexha). "I guess this year we've really stepped up," she said.

In the years since — despite a global pandemic causing some unexpected roadblocks — Lipa has certainly stepped up herself. Releasing her second album, Future Nostalgia, just weeks after the COVID-19 quarantine began in 2020, Lipa helped the locked-down world escape to an alternate club-like universe. And now that she's been able to bring that to life, Dua Lipa's star is shining brighter than ever.

The Future Nostalgia Tour, which kicked off in February and will circle the globe until mid-November, puts Lipa's power on full display. The 26-year-old singer carries herself with tangible confidence throughout the 90-minute show, showcasing the work she has put to become one of the most revered acts of her generation.

With artists like Billie Eilish introducing a darker side of pop and Olivia Rodrigo reinventing punk-inspired pop, the term "pop star" can be tricky to define. But Lipa has taken the traditional pop star tour formula — choreography, costume changes, engineered elements — and made it her own with the Future Nostalgia Tour. Dua Lipa's reign is seemingly just beginning.

Below, take a look at some of the ways Lipa's tour proved her pop prowess.

She's Cross-Generational

From one scan of the crowd, it was apparent that Lipa isn't the kind of female pop star that only young girls idolize. Sure, there were plenty of moms with their sequin-clad daughters, but there were also dads and sons donning Lipa's likeness on their shirts.

It seems Dua Lipa appeals to parents regardless of if their kids are in tow. Groups of women and men of all ages were in attendance, some even donning some bedazzled glasses a la Lipa's "Cold Heart" collaborator, Elton John.

Read More: 'Future Nostalgia': How Dua Lipa Rose From Best New Artist To Massive Pop Star

She's As Humble As She Is Badass

Though her stage commentary never really extended beyond "thank you so much for being here," Lipa's expressions of gratitude were nothing but sincere. "Thank you for listening to the music, it means the absolute world to me," she added, "and I'm so honored that I get to be here tonight, sharing this evening with you, and with all these incredible people on the stage as well."

She made sure her touring troupe got the attention they deserved, even using the show's opening to introduce her dancers before herself.

She Makes Simplicity Cool

Okay, "simple" isn't exactly the word to describe Lipa's show. Every detail was clearly thought-out, from the multifaceted staging to the dance breaks during a costume change.

Yet, there was a simplicity to everything. Each production element — whether it was an illusionary set of twinkling lights during "Be The One" or a basket that (appropriately) ascended Lipa over the crowd for "Levitating" — created a spectacle that was more mesmerizing than overwhelming. (In very '90s pop star fashion, Lipa even incorporated a chair-dance routine for "Hallucinate.")

And while most of Lipa's choreography involved hip sways and toe taps, she makes them effortlessly cool. Frankly, she didn't even need to dance — her powerful strut was enough to carry the show.

Her Sex Appeal Isn't Polarizing

As her new single with Megan Thee Stallion, "Sweetest Pie," suggests, Lipa is a master at sexual innuendos and metaphors. They're sprinkled across Future Nostalgia, but never get too carried away — and that's exactly how she presents them in person.

Even when she was grinding on her dancers or sliding down the mic stand, every move Lipa made was more playful than hypersexualized. And even the most forward song of the entire album, "Good In Bed," featured a metaphorical visual — a bowl of cherries — that brought both an innocence for her younger fans and a fun little tease for the older crowd.

She Obviously Loves What She Does

For a show that is so clearly thought out, it was evident that Lipa enjoys every single second. There was hardly a moment when she wasn’t smiling.

Her star power truly shines when she performs "Future Nostalgia" solo, serving up Prince vibes with mic stand tricks and making heads spin with furious hair flips.

Whether she's backed by dancers or on her own, Lipa not only knows how to run the stage, but loves it. And she’s damn good at it, too.

She’s Created Her Own Universe

Lipa already proved this point in 2020, with her remix album Club Future Nostalgia and her livestream concert, Studio 2054. Even so, an arena stage brings her nightclub-inspired, futuristic world to another level.

Her dance hits (Silk City collab "Electricity" and Calvin Harris team-up "One Kiss") turned the place into a rave, complete with a balloon drop. And, of course, there were plenty of space elements, from a moon-shaped backdrop for "Boys Will Be Boys" to stars protruding from the ceiling before the encore.

If there’s one statement the Future Nostalgia Tour makes, it’s that Dua Lipa has paved her own pop star lane — and she’s ready for everyone to join her universe.

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Now that we've absorbed "Houdini" and "Training Season," it's time for a third scoop of pop goodness from Dua Lipa.

On April 11, the three-time GRAMMY winner released "Illusion," the third single from her hotly anticipated new album, Radical Optimism, due out May 3. The percolating, endlessly catchy track arrived with a video where Lipa dances on a pool deck in Barcelona, with swimmers and surfers joining the party — a playful homage to the shark-infested waters of the album's cover.

Lipa first kicked off her Radical Optimism era in November with "Houdini," which she performed alongside the debut of "Training Season" in a head-spinning show opener at the 2024 GRAMMYs. The album follows her GRAMMY-winning second LP, 2020's Future Nostalgia.

"[Releasing the album] feels good. It feels, for lack of a better word, radically optimistic," Lipa told Billboard in March, when she also explained the inspiration for the shark fin cover art. "Throughout the whole record, there's this idea of chaos happening around and me trying to push through it in a way that feels authentic and honest to me."

Now, adding "Illusion" to the mix, Lipa has made it very clear the only way she knows how to cope with chaos is to dance — and Radical Optimism will continue the party that Future Nostalgia ignited. 

Check out the video for "Illusion" above, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more news about Dua Lipa and Radical Optimism!

Everything We Know About Dua Lipa's New Album Radical Optimism

“Who wants moreeeeeee?” With that teasing caption, Dua Lipa sent her more than 88 million Instagram followers into a flurry of anticipation on March 12 as she seemingly primed for a major announcement with a slideshow of behind-the-scenes snaps.

Just one day later, the three-time GRAMMY winner  announced her hotly anticipated third album, Radical Optimism, was officially on its way — complete with a May 3 release date, first look at the cover art, a complete tracklist and more. Lipa couldn’t contain her excitement about the project, punctuating her all-caps caption with a string of more than a dozen exclamation points.

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The album announcement arrives on the heels of a celebratory awards season for Lipa, who was nominated for two golden gramophones (including Song Of The Year) at the 2024 GRAMMYs for “Dance The Night” and opened the telecast with an electrifying medley of her singles “Houdini” and “Training Season.” Additionally, her disco-infused Barbie banger scored a nod for Best Original Song at the 2024 Golden Globes and three separate nominations at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards. 

Below, GRAMMY.com rounded up everything there is to know about Dua Lipa’s upcoming era of Radical Optimism.

The Pop Star Is Nearly Upstaged In Her Wet And Wild Cover Art

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In her announcement, Lipa shared the cover art for her forthcoming studio set and the result is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Shot by Tyrone Lebon, the image depicts the English Albanian pop star out at sea, her dark hair slicked back as she bobs in the ocean wearing a shiny gold ensemble with matching jewelry against a sun-streaked sky. 

However, it’s entirely possible that, upon first glance, the “Dance The Night” singer isn’t the first thing fans will notice when they see the artwork. That’s because she shares the frame with a fearsome co-star: a shark glides past her in the foreground, its fin slicing ominously through the water’s surface. 

The Tracklist Announces The “End Of An Era”

Lipa’s fans, whom she notably refers to as “my loves,” may still be obsessed with her GRAMMY-winning sophomore album Future Nostalgia, but the pop star makes it clear on Radical Optimism’s tracklist that she’s ready to turn the page. 

According to the album’s watery back cover, the 11-track studio set will kick off with opener “End of an Era” before segueing into previously released singles “Houdini” and “Training Season.” Other as-yet-unheard songs on the LP include titles like “French Exit,” “Illusion,” “Falling Forever” and closing number “Happy For You.” And unless Lipa still has a few surprises up her sleeve ahead of the album’s unveiling, it appears that, for the first time in her career, there won’t be a single collaboration or guest artist featured on the tracklist.

She Thinks Radical Optimism Is “Exactly What We Need in the World”

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Just one hour after dropping the cover art and tracklist, Lipa followed the reveal up with a video explaining the important meaning behind the album’s boldly cheery title. “I [can’t] wait for this to be yours,” she promised in the caption, adding a tidal wave emoji to punctuate her point. 

“You know what the world needs is, like, the idea of being endlessly happy,” the singer says in the clip. It’s like an overpowering feeling, I want it.” Later, she hints at the emotional throughline that threads through her upcoming body of work, revealing, “Every song does have that kind of, like, ‘through the struggle you kind of make it something optimistic’...Radical optimism, that’s exactly what we need in the world.”

The Singer’s 2021 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech Inadvertently Sparked the Album’s Ethos

As it turns out, the emotional concept behind Radical Optimism was actually born during Lipa’s acceptance speech at the 2021 GRAMMYs, where she took home the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album for Future Nostalgia. 

“My last GRAMMY speech, I said something just in the midst of panic,” the pop sensation says in the aforementioned video, which flashes to her grinning on the stage outside Staples Center in L.A, clutching her third golden gramophone. “One thing I’ve come to realize is how much happiness is so important,” she said at the time. 

“I felt really jaded at the end of my last album [2017’s Dua Lipa] where I felt like I only had to make sad music to feel like it mattered," she continued. "And I’m just so grateful and so honored because happiness is something that we all deserve, and that’s something that we all need in our lives.” 

Three years later, Lipa is channeling that mindset into her new music in such a bold way that she felt Radical Optimism had to be the album’s title. 

She’s Assembled A Solid Group Of Collaborators

The singer’s latest Instagram post also gave fans a peek at some of Lipa’s most trusted collaborators on Radical Optimism. “Tobias Jesso Jr. Kevin Parker. Caroline Ailin. We have Daniel L Harle,” the GRAMMY winner notes, whirling the camera around to introduce each of her producers and fellow lyricists by name before gleefully exclaiming, “We’re makin’ an album!” 

Gesso Jr, Parker, Ailin and Harle are all listed alongside Lipa in the credits of lead single “Houdini” as well as follow-up “Training Season,” so it’s a safe bet that fans will likely see their names throughout the credits when they hear Radical Optimism in full.

2024 GRAMMYs: Dua Lipa Debuts "Training Season" & Slays "Houdini" In Mesmerizing Opening Performance

Dua Lipa has evaded expectations like "Houdini"; now, she's declaring that "Training Season" is over. The three-time GRAMMY winner and 10-time GRAMMY nominee has released a percolating, questioning new single, "Training Season," the second track from her yet-to-be-announced third album, due out this year. The song’s video opens with Dua Lipa alone and disheartened in a crowded cafe, surrounded by men, but unimpressed by her options.

As the video unfolds, a crowd of hopeful admirers presses against the glass and swirls around her, vying for her attention. She looks on, unimpressed by the multitude of options before her, signaling that the time for "training" has passed. "Training season's over," she declares, underscoring her readiness for something more genuine. "Are you someone that I can give my heart to?” Lipa sings over an effervescent beat. "Or just the poison that I'm drawn to?" Because, in the end, she "Need someone to hold me close / Deeper than I’ve ever known / Whose love feels like a rodeo / Knows just how to take control / When I’m vulnerable."

The song’s release follows her stunning performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs where she opened the show with a mesmerizing medley in which she official debuted “Training Season” and also performed “Houdini.”

Lipa was nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media and Song Of The Year for her Barbie the Album hit, "Dance the Night," at the 2024 GRAMMYs. Though Billie Eilish took home the golden gramophones in both categories — for another Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?” — Lipa has three GRAMMYs to her name, including 2019’s Best New Artist honor.

Listen to “Training Season” above, and check back on GRAMMY.com for more information about Dua Lipa's upcoming album.

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Dua Lipa got the party started at the 2024 GRAMMYs with an electric medley of "Training Season" and "Houdini."

Emerging from a steel cage surrounded by a bevy of muscled male dancers, Lipa declared, "Training season's over" with the live debut of her new single before pivoting into "Houdini" complete with full choreography.

"I come and I go/ Tell me all the ways you need me/ I'm not here for long/ Catch me or I go Houdini," the pop star sang as she writhed with her dancers and nailed the end of the performance by sliding onto her knees. 

"Houdini" and "Training Season" are the first two singles off the British-Albanian superstar's forthcoming follow-up to her GRAMMY-winning 2020 LP Future Nostalgia. The GRAMMYs served as a sneak peek of "Training Season," as the track officially arrives Feb. 15.

Meanwhile, "Dance the Night" — Lipa's sparkling dance floor banger from Barbie, which brought all the Barbies and Kens together in the film for a giant party at Barbie's Dream House — and is nominated for two awards at this year's ceremony: Song Of The Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.

In fact, numerous songs from Barbie the Album packed the latter Category, with Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj's "Barbie World" featuring Aqua, Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" and Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" also in the running alongside Rihanna's soulful Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ballad "Lift Me Up." Ultimately, Eilish's dreamy, introspective ballad took home the trophy ahead of the telecast.

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