Dua Lipa is going to have the kind of weekend that most would likely love to have. Maybe every weekend is like that for the pop star, but this weekend? Well...it's special.
For one, Lipa released her latest record, Radical Optimism. There should be enough on the album to make her fans happy and potentially entice new fans. She doesn't really break her norm of funky, poppy ear candy - she is not going to cover Tom Waits, for instance - and for her devoted followers that should be just fine.
Reviews of the new album are mostly positive. Something kind The Line of Best Fit did not care for the LP, but that was a rare bad review. The Independent loved the record and gave it a perfect score and even took a slight swipe at Taylor Swift by writing, "Unlike many of her pop peers, Lipa doesn’t offer any diaristic glimpses into her private life."
Dua Lipa fans will get a double dose of the performer this weekend
Of course, while The Independent was trying to be humorous (one might assume), they seemed to forget why some music lovers tilt heavily toward favoring those musical artists who give us a bit of insight into their lives, at least pretending to do so which is more than good enough. If some feel as if they know an artist because they give us glimpses into their dramas and joys then that makes the musical connection appear more real.
Dua Lipa is very unlikely to ever become such an introspective artist. She is here to try to entertain and that is OK too. There can be performers who only want to entertain instead of spew about their personal lives - Frank Sinatra was never going to do more than give you a good time, of course - and there can be performers who need to let you know everything that is happening. Both can be true.
But Lipa will not be done by just releasing new music. She is going to pull double duty on Saturday Night Live this week. She will be the host and the musical guest. If the promo above is any indication of how funny the show could be, SNL fans might have another winner on Saturday. In fact, Dua Lipa's need to give us a wink instead of a push might cause her to be a perfect fit for the skit show.