Dua Lipa releases ‘Radical Optimism,’ says she’s working on “putting the meaning back into pop”Dua Lipa releases ‘Radical Optimism,’ says she’s working on “putting the meaning back into pop”

Tyrone Lebon

The spring of the pop girlies continues. Dua Lipa has released her long-awaited third album, Radical Optimism, hot on the heels of blockbuster releases by Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift — with Billie Eilish waiting in the wings. But Dua loves the fact that so many women are crushing it simultaneously.

“We’re in a moment in time where there’s so much camaraderie and I think it’s working in our favor,” she tells the BBC. “It’s amazing to see so many women putting out albums at the same time. And everyone is so different, with such different stories to tell, so why isn’t there room for everyone?”

That extends to live performances, as well: Dua and SZA are both headlining this year’s Glastonbury Festival in England, marking the first time there are two female headliners.

“I feel so lucky to be a part of that shift,” says Dua. “It’s important to have more female headliners. We’ve just got to keep applying the pressure and making that change happen.”

The BBC describes Dua’s new album as “11 tight, summer holiday-ready pop bangers” — but notes that the lyrics have depth.

“As a pop artist, there’s always the stigma of not being taken seriously,” she says. “Pop music makes you feel good, so it can’t be deep, or honest, or real. But it’s a challenge I’m willing to take on: Putting the meaning back into pop.”

As for the meaning of Radical Optimism, Dua told TIME on the red carpet at the Time100 gala in New York City in April, “To me it’s about resilience, it’s about rolling with the punches … when you’re outside of your comfort zone, that’s where you do most of your emotional growing. And so you have to be uncomfortable a little bit before things get good.”

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