Grammys 2025: Looking on the bright side of Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’
Dua Lipa is back this year with her new record, “Radical Optimism,” her third full-length studio album. It follows the wildly successful “Future Nostalgia,” which took Lipa from casual fame to international superstar status. “Future Nostalgia” received six Grammy nominations, ultimately winning Best Pop Vocal Album. Before that she had won two Grammys, for Best New Artist and Best Dance/Electronic Recording, so she’s currently two-for-two when it comes to Grammy-winning eras. Will this new one extend Lipa’s streak, or would that be way too optimistic?
“Radical Optimism” hasn’t gotten the reception its predecessor had. It scored 73 on Metacritic, which certainly isn’t bad, but is 15 points lower than “Future Nostalgia.” So while the album is considered good, it might not live up to the high bar her previous attempt set for her. That said, the reviews are still mostly positive, so expect awards voters to enjoy the album quite a bit as well. And on the bright side, the album debuted at number-two on the Billboard 200 with Lipa’s best numbers yet, achieving 83,000 equivalent album units in its first week. The album also features three Hot 100 hits already: “Houdini” (number-11 peak), “Training Season” (number-27 peak), and “Illusion” (number-43 peak, so far). While none of the singles have been as big as “Don’t Start Now” or “Levitating,” they are still popular enough to keep Lipa’s name in the conversation for a while. So, while it could’ve been more substantial, “Radical Optimism” is still a success, and respected enough to be a Grammy player.
The album’s best chances at Grammys are in the pop field. Lipa is almost guaranteed a spot for Best Pop Vocal Album at this point, being a previous winner with three hit songs. The album will likely not win there, since that’s looking like a battle between Ariana Grande (“Eternal Sunshine“), Billie Eilish (“Hit Me Hard and Soft“), and Taylor Swift (“The Tortured Poets Department“), but it is a sure bet for a nomination at least. Best Pop Dance Recording might be Lipa’s ticket to maintaining her winning record, though. The category has a lot of potential contenders this year, but the race for the win could be between Lipa and Ariana Grande’s “Yes, And?” “Radical Optimism” has two singles that could technically fit here. “Houdini” is her biggest hit, and as such could be the more competitive, but it might end up in Best Pop Solo Performance instead. Her other bet for Pop Dance is “Illusion,” which could also be competitive. The song’s a classic banger, and the production being more dance-oriented than “Houdini” might also be a plus, although it admittedly hasn’t charted as well. Still, even in the worst case scenario, Lipa is probably getting a nomination or two in the field.
Outside of pop, there might be enough love for Lipa to launch her into the general field. The album could get into Album of the Year especially, since that category tends to include a lot of pop albums and “Radical Optimism” is still a solid choice for a pop voter. “Houdini” could also sneak into Record or Song of the Year, in particular the former due to its amazing production, courtesy of Danny L. Harle (Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX) and Kevin Parker (of Tame Impala fame). And speaking of Parker and Harle, those high-profile producers might also help it get a Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical nomination; Harle himself was just nominated in that category thanks to his work on Polachek’s “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.”
Overall, “Radical Optimism” might turn out to be a more muted era for Lipa, but there’s still hope for a couple of nominations and even a win. But even if she doesn’t take home any big prizes, that’s not always a bad thing: sometimes it’s good not to overwhelm the Recording Academy so much that fatigue sets in. So even if awards don’t come through for Lipa in this era, be sure that “DL4” could be more than capable of retaking her crown.
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