Is Dua Lipa Still A Main Pop Girl?

Email Me: [e-mail]
Music: Chill - Sakura Hz
-
Dua Lipa opened her twenty-twenty album Future Nostalgia with a very ambitious goal, and she achieved it. Despite having some hit singles from her first album, Future Nostalgia basically single-handedly propelled Dua to global superstardom and established her in most people’s eyes as a main pop girl - a category filled with the likes of Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Dua’s meteoric rise is similar to the sudden overwhelming popularity of singers like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, but what they all have in common is that once they reach that level of success, people assume that its permanent. And this led to major expectations for Dua’s follow-up album Radical Optimism, which by all metrics has somewhat underperformed. Today, I want to talk about what went wrong for Radical Optimism and ask the question, is Dua Lipa in her flop era, and is she still a main-pop girl?

[@cosmos.clothing.13]

Future nostalgia debuted with 20m and radical optimism debuted with 15m. She isn’t flopping and radical optimism is charting higher than future nostalgia ever did 💀. It’s really just the singles that were flops.

[@e_1665]

Finally someone calls everyone out!❤

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

Future nostalgia debuted with 29 million streams and radical optimism debuted with 21 million streams

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

that’s her fans tuning in. it’s not just the singles no other songs have charted or gotten big which means the gp didn’t pick it up. it’s not a flop but it’s not as big in popularity as everyone thought it would be.

[@clairesmithe]

I think it is underrated. It is much better than the TTPD for example. I was listening to whatcha doing and thought it might be the best track. That song has hardly even been mentioned. I don't know. I did think there might be some distortion or something that needs cleaning up. Maybe a rogue sound technician sabotaged something.

[@mickeyjean2895]

Yea, but the album has no staying power. I think a lot of people forget that! The album has to have staying power for it to succeed. A debut it’s nothing if in 3 weeks later your album drops to #89 on the chart. To then fall of completely. I think this is why (Taylor, Ariana, Beyonce) can release an album and focus on other projects. They have staying power and long lasting impact. For some reason Dua is in a place where she needs to find her foot again, I genuinely thought she did but I don’t think so. The album didn’t have Psychedelics influence what’s so ever. Compare to the already psychedelic music out there I’m just not sure if her influence was on the right note. I find the album to be like vault songs that weren’t released on future nostalgia……. No one is going to convince me this is psychedelics…..

[@braaogs6]

for me the reason is quite simple: Dua doesn't have as consolidated fan base as other pop girls (Taylor, Billie, Bey, Ariana). she had the misfortune of releasing in a year that all of these artists were about to drop long waited projects. she couldn't compete to get that stoptlight. maybe if the visuals were a little more cohesive and the rollout was faster, it wouldn't be as bad as it was. also I think that what happened to dua shows that pop music rn relies on personal lore and most of us know nothing about her

[@iamambitious2910]

u hv realy realy good points!

[@W4TSKY]

This is a great analysis. Dua doesn’t have a lot of dedicated fans, she has a ton of casual listeners.

[@picklecauli]

dua is still a main pop girlie I don't think she's flopped, sure radical optimism is not like future nostalgia but I think is still a good album. I agree 100% with what you said about the marketing, was much weaker and I didn't expect radical optimism to be a chill album but more of a dark one. she's a hit maker and I really love training season from this, I'm sure she'll be back in full force

[@repsmila]

i think it's unfair to say her main pop girl status is complicated considering she JUST got it a few years ago. this is her first album since the era that gave her said title and it was doomed to underperform, not only because that tends to happen with most artists after such a huge era, but also cause the album is not giving the star material that fn did. the radical optimism era is also VERY different from the last one considering it had many more singles while with this one i doubt they'll push for that (the songs on fn just give hit material while on ro i would say falling forever and maybe end of an era are the only ones left that could get pushed). dua needs at least one more album to see if her main pop girl status is truly gone

[@Chel.C.B]

I’m not even a particularly big Dua Lipa fan, but Radical Optimism is filled with mostly fantastic bops. I’ve been really enjoying it. And I actually think it’s a great follow up to Future Nostalgia. The reaction to it really confuses me.

[@g-s-m_13]

Good to know that even non-fans are enjoying RO and serving it respect

[@unfazedgeorge]

10:56 Lmao Taylor’s was too big to fit on the chart 🤣

[@rroobbbb]

i like this comment HAHAHAHHA

[@elsiebo.]

lmaooooo I put Taylor in the graph initially but it skewed everything so much. The rest just turned into tiny bars so she had to go lol

[@coryjohnson9702]

I just don't get Taylor Swift she is just so boring.

[@unfazedgeorge]

@@coryjohnson9702 That’s a valid opinion of yours, but the fact that you felt the need to comment that speaks volumes to the magnitude of her current cultural influence.

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

dua makes pop dance music. she makes radio hits. hits you hear at beach clubs and gay bars etc. that’s her lane and she’s incredibly good at it. she’s the #1 at that if anything atm. not everyone has to do the same thing. i don’t see dua next to taylor or ariana but that’s just cus it’s a different kind of pop and she doesn’t write her lyrics. i don’t think the general public go checking a dua album when it drops, they hear it on the radio or in public and like it. also eternal sunshine was not promoted at all. it’s prob the quietest ariana drop after positions. if anything radical optimism had more, i kept getting ads on Instagram for it on reels.

[@Romy2112]

She had a lot of promo for this album but it focused on painting her as a songwriter, which she isn’t. She only co-writes with several experienced writers but for some reason decided to market herself as a singer-songwriter which obviously nobody buys. Girl even brought a notebook to a Talkshow to convince us 😂 Imo she needs to rehire her old team, if they’ll have her.

[@melinatedthinka8210]

Ariana doesn’t write either (or barely does) she’s barely musically inclined you can thank Max Martin for her success. Taylor out of the three is the actual musician/songwriter.

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

@@melinatedthinka8210 not saying you have to be a writer to have good pop music. beyoncé is one of the best artists and doesn’t write her music but her vocals and performance are insane. taylor is a songwriter and her music comes with a lot of lore and like it or not she’s a great performer numbers do not lie. ariana is probably the best vocals on a pop girl (compared w those around her age) and she has a whole bunch of lore in her music too. dua is good in these things but when you are just good and also have no backstory to tune in for and just make dance pop ofc the album isn’t gonna blow up? but people will still tune in just for some fun songs and probably listen in the club or on the radio. she also did write most of if not all of eternal sunshine btw not that it makes a difference.

[@drakehollie414]

Well, on the bright side, RO is her highest charting album on Billboard (debuted at #2)

[@anastasiosmanios8463]

And this is called radical optimism !

[@drakehollie414]

@@anastasiosmanios8463 😂😂

[@sandiamountains123]

And it plummeted to 21 in its second week

[@anastasiosmanios8463]

@@sandiamountains123 that's radical pessimism

[@EnterTheSoundscape]

It went to #2 based on the 4 year wait after Future Nostalgia. The album has already been forgotten. I would have loved to know what it sounded like before Houdini dropped and subsequently got dumbed down.

[@KayBassie]

Why are we analysing first day streams/sales??I thought 1st week sales was the barometer. Music is not like movies. People dont rush to go buy an artist music during its debut. Why arent we giving time for people to discover music? This instant gratification with looking at an artist success is not needed. Dua is not in her 'flop era'. She has hits. When I think of current pop artists she still comes to mind.

[@drakehollie414]

5:43 Training Season peaked at 27 actually

[@Landiiana]

This album has amazing songs and it’s underrated. If y'all think it’s flopping but tough a masterpiece then go and stream it as much as you all can

[@aanyavinod3498]

Another point can be her lack of collaborations with other artists

[@damonchampion823]

Radical optimism is a great name and concept for an album. If we were all more radically optimistic this world would be a better place. Dua has amazing energy. I really don’t think this album can be considered a “flop” just because it didn’t chart as high as her previous album

[@sund0ll4xyra66]

loved her since 2017. i heard new rules, and got hooked on her self titled in 2018. she will always be a great popstar honestly the more commercial the better in my opinion, but unfortunately you have to sacrifice a lot of yourself if you go that route.

[@EnterTheSoundscape]

You don’t have to dumb down music to make it commercially successful.

[@senchumbenipatton2049]

The problem is if an artist makes their fans wait for a long time no matter how good their comeback song is they will still say that its not worth the wait so yeah

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

She's my favourite

[@sander2542]

putting lorde in less succesful artists feels like an insult knowning how big she was

[@kevinrudy]

Cowboy carter had a huge falloff after the first week. I really would not say it's a successful era with how fast it fell completely off. No shade but it's true. Same with the singles for it. People didn't come back to it.

[@amekaoua6006]

she reminds me of Katy Perry and her teenage dream era and after with the same expectations like wtf albums must be different

[@realityscooptv]

This album came and went! I did a deep dive comparing her eras on my channel! Check it out.

[@ronanyomu5967]

Do a vid on zara larson and troye sivan plzzzz

[@delmonto2079]

Dua Lipa is a pop star She makes pop music in an era where the general public became so demanding In terms of all singers has to be versatile like lady gaga or Beyoncé Dua is heavily inspired by Kylie Minogue Who's considered the queen of dance music She said multiple times she wants to make that kind of music and she wants to make people feel good and enjoy themselves and she's doing that But nowdays people are just so easy and quick to judge an album based on few listens of some tracks it's unbelievable, really ! These are the same people that will say pop music is dying Pop music is indeed dying when you don't let talented artists like dua take charge of it fully and develop themselves artistaclly I'm sorry but Taylor Lana Billie all make the same music to me , But sad songs are aesthetic and a vibe so nobody says anything about it There's this stigma around happy music that really frustrates me, Like that's how it's supposed to sound what else she can do It's either you like it or not but don't call her unoriginal or boring Or "she's making the same music" Cause you're favs are doing that too

[@crystalcastillo7575]

I feel like a lot of the songs on this album were growers instead of instant hits Her marketing team should be fired.. I think the rollout was super messy. Like why promote this album as a dark psychedelic album and yet the cover and the majority of the songs are light and summery. This album is the equivalent of what I felt Miley’s endless summer vacation was … the singles being the best songs on the album but the rest of the album was meh. For having a goal of “changing the game “ she shouldn’t have made such an objectively “chill” album. Also what was the point of her wearing all black this era and dying her hair red .. then the album was summer themed …… she can’t be this daft

[@michellep.2693]

It's not about numbers though. Music is music, it's art. It's supposed to be enjoyed, not compared.

[@tylerlet9378]

Radical optimism is a great album. The theme wasn’t as strong as FN but it still was worth the listen and I don’t like that people are calling it a “flop” album it’s not necessarily as commercial as her last album that’s why

[@zeratheswiftie]

Play personally really like Dua and I think she is putting a lot of into what she does

[@g-s-m_13]

It's not complicated if she's the first and currently only artist in Spotify history to have 5 songs cross 2 billion streams... She's still one of the biggest and most iconic artists currently...

[@lucasegea1385]

100% true

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

I think dua could’ve avoided this if she didn’t put too much expectations on this record she said herself this was gonna be a 180 to future nostalgia and that her service96 podcast/newsletter heavily inspired the record she was gonna be more introspective and socially conscious, I feel that was the beginning of this, seeing the recent releases of Billie, Ariana, Taylor, Beyoncé, Olivia, etc it’s always better to keep what the album gonna sound like on mute until the release date is coming, it’s only better to talk about the album’s composition when you are releasing 1 single ahead the album release. Not to mention the 6 month gap between the singles and eventually the album was too wide much better if she did more between 2 months or 4-5 months gap so the rollout and the hype can be fresh on people’s mind. At least for me I do like radical optimism as a whole I like that dua’s personality is presented more on the record but I do agree with criticism that the album feels half baked and an album that’s on the verge of being more interesting but something is holding it back.

[@coryjohnson9702]

Well I really love Dua. I think she is growing up and changing. Her style.

[@j_m12341]

Her choice of the singles for radical optimism were garbage, but other than that raeical optimism did well

[@rickastley5773]

Radical optimism was okay but future nostalgia is her peak prime

[@daisy9650]

she should have released illusion as the first single this year in may, let it smash the charts and do its thing throughout the summer, then release houdini as the second single in late august, with the album release in september and call it DUAlity cuz the album totally has two sides to it, dark and bright. Plus until album release she could flesh out the album more cuz it feels very rushed and not well thought out. With houdini and training season, she gave me dark biker chick vibes but then with illusion she threw me off guard with bright blue soft images and so I was so lost and confused to the point where I knew this era was gonna be a total freaking mess with no clear direction 😅

[@lukem5289kp]

She makes the same song every time and I think that’s why she has 0 #1 hits

[@shayne369]

I still like her but she’s not my favourite

[@RandomStuff-nn5bg]

I'll say it, it's annoying how everything is measured based on how it does in the US.

[@candicebailey-vg3ev]

Simple. She was never a main pop girl. You have to have multiple eras of large commercial success and public discourse. Dua, Billie, Olivia Rodrigo each had a major era that has been followed up with eras that were no where close. They are "B" girls and have yet to achieve the level to be deemed a main pop girl. If that sounds familiar it took Ariana several years to get there. Miley, Selena gomez. Icons but we're never main pop girls

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

She's a real superstar of our generation

[@Zer0PointPlays]

dua lipa more like dula peep

[@diegomatamoros3940]

It’s simple: she’s flopping bc someone who doesn’t have a solid phantom waited more than 4 years to put out an album so it’s understandable and deserved her flop

[@user-jo5bm2gc6m]

hot take: i think she's not working hard enough (at least relating to her music). i think she's been too laid back, going on too many vacations, putting more work into other more "chill" projects (podcast, newsletter, etc.) all the big pop girlies were grinding at her age, especially in terms of number of album releases. i think she needs to work a bit harder now that she's young and shinny. she'll have time to go on vacation and relax and sit back and enjoy her life. otherwise, she might live under regret/stress.

[@cosmos.clothing.13]

That’s a very terrible take like what 💀

[@elektracorpse]

I think you should use that take for yourself

[@user-jo5bm2gc6m]

@@cosmos.clothing.13 i mean, not if u wanna be a big pop girlie, but if she wants a chiller life then she's doing great

[@user-jo5bm2gc6m]

@@elektracorpse what do u know lol

[@therandomname69420]

She can do whatever she wants with her life, who are we to judge?

[@sobhanamini3776]

Stfu please,give her tims,she is a new artist amd needs time

[@melinatedthinka8210]

Right like omg. This is such a conclusionist culture.

[@outofreach714]

She’s not a new artist

[@sobhanamini3776]

@@outofreach714 she debuted at 2006 and released 15 albums up to date

[@snuskpelle564]

Shit analyzes. Dua is the greatest singer. I think all the other singers are boring. Training season is a great song.

[@user-rx2bp7xu6z]

😂😂😂