Hugo Comte/Warner RecordsAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some artists felt it was the wrong time to release new music. Dua Lipa felt the opposite — and ended up with one of the biggest albums of the year. Looking back now on the release of Future Nostalgia, she says, "I'm really happy that I went with my gut."
Speaking to Music Week, Dua admits that ahead of the March 27 release of her album, "I was definitely scared…it was a very confusing time."
However, she notes, "The thing that made me want to put it out at this time is that I made this record as a form of escapism, to get away from any pressures or words from other people. It was the reason why this album was created so, if there was any time to put it out, it should be now.”
"I’m really happy that I went with my gut…" she adds. "I’d been holding on to these songs for a while and they needed to come out."
And while Future Nostalgia didn't debut at number-one, she knew right away she'd made the right decision.
"People’s responses made it feel like it was Christmas morning. Honestly, I was just so happy and excited," she recalls. "Everybodywas sending such nice messages…Once things started opening up again, I would bump into people and they’d say, ‘Your music was soundtracking all my workouts at home’ -– all of that was amazing…that’s all I could ever hope for.”
Now, Future Nostalgia has scored Dua six Grammy nominations.
"When I look back on it, I really wouldn’t have changed it for the world," she concludes, adding, "I’ll always look back on this time, and this record in particular, fondly. It was the album that taught me the ropes.”
By Andrea Dresdale
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