Step aside, Beyoncé and Cowboy Carter. Dua Lipa and her version of yee-haw fashion have entered the chat. In her newest Instagram post, the pop star — who has her new album, Radical Optimism, set to come out on May 3 — posted a carousel of images that showed off a new side of the Dua we know and love. Just slightly different from the strappy, red carpet-siren Versace number that she wore to the 2024 BRIT Awards and the slinky looks that appear in her “Houdini” music video, the new shots show her clad in a pair of black cowboy boots and a plunging, polka-dot dress embellished with a sweet red ribbon.
Lipa’s new shots also feature a horse, caviar, tacos, a tranquil-looking stable, and bright pink architecture, but it was tough to compete with her saloon-ready look. Her boots featured white embroidery detailing and her dress also had tiny white details alongside the deep-V bodice. She wore her now-signature red hair down and flowing and thanks to her caption, we all know that the globetrotting superstar is currently in Mexico City.
“Cdmx para siempreeeee,” she wrote alongside the images.
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Speaking about Radical Optimism, Lipa explained that her new tracks were inspired by the freedom of Britpop, citing bands like Oasis and Massive Attack.
“Well, for me, I think the Britpop element that really came to me was the influences of Oasis and Massive Attack and Portishead and Primal Scream, and the freedom and the energy those records had,” she told Variety. ” I love the experimentation behind it. And of course, it’s a pop record. I’m a pop artist, that’s what I do. But I think overall, the different sounds that are being used, the different breaks in the music, the use of musical samples, whether that’s with Kevin’s [Parker, of Tame Impala] voice or with the different instruments that we used, overall it was me going completely out of what I knew, and exploring something different. And that’s what I got from my inspiration.”
And anyone wondering why she decided to name her album Radical Optimism can rest easy: she explained that, too. The major vibe she wanted to send out into the world with the new music is a message of perseverance, she said, and how she always believes that things can get better, even when they seem bleak.
“I think for me, the importance of understanding that when things are bad, there’s always some light at the end of the tunnel. I always think about it like, when I’m in the midst of a mess of turmoil or everything’s going wrong, I always tell myself, in a couple months, I’m gonna look back on that moment, and be like, thank God I walked through it,” she said. “I didn’t decide to hide or not deal with the problem at hand, whatever it is, but actually choose to go through it. And that’s how I grew. And I feel like that just overall, especially in the world right now, I think it’s important that we just learn to walk through the fire and not hide away from it, or shy away from it. That’s just optimism. It’s probably the most daring thing we can do. Sometimes.”
