Dua Lipa says new “psychedelic-pop-infused” album is inspired by Primal Scream and Massive Attack

Dua Lipa has shared that her upcoming “psychedelic-pop-infused” album was inspired by the likes of Primal Scream and Massive Attack.

The pop singer previously opened up about the album’s sound in an interview with iHeartRadio, and said that the new record will have a “psychedelic throughline”.

“All other songs on the album are quite different, but they do have a very psychedelic throughline overall,” she said. “‘Houdini’ has so much electronic variety, but at same time it has a lot of interesting instrumentation and feels very organic as well…that’s something I really wanted to convey on the album.”

Now, in a new profile with Rolling Stone, the ‘Dance The Night Away’ singer revealed more of the influences for her LP.

In the profile, journalist Brittany Spanos wrote that Lipa referred to the album as a “psychedelic-pop-infused tribute to U.K. rave culture,” with heavy inspiration from Primal Scream’s 1991 LP ‘Screamadelica’ and Massive Attack. Other inspirations for the album include Britpop legends like Oasis and Blur, as well as ’90s rock and electronic acts like Moby and Gorillaz.

“This record feels a bit more raw. I want to capture the essence of youth and freedom and having fun and just letting things happen, whether it’s good or bad. You can’t change it. You just have to roll with the punches of whatever’s happening in your life,” Lipa told the publication.

Elsewhere in the interview, Lipa spoke about meeting Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker back in July 2022.  “I was so nervous because I’m just such a fan of Kevin’s,” she said, adding that Parker was “quite shy in the beginning.”

From there, the two teamed up with Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle (Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX), and Tobias Jesso Jr. (Adele, Niall Horan) and created eight of the 11 tracks on the album. “I remember thinking it was a genius move to get that combination of people together,” Parker told the outlet.

Lipa also spoke about how challenging it was to open up and bring new people into her creative world. “As things get bigger, you get more scared to open up and be vulnerable and sit down in a room and just speak from the heart,” she said.

In other news, Lipa is on the 2024 Academy Awards shortlist for Best Original Song for ‘Dance The Night’ in Barbie. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have also made the shortlist.

She is also set to perform at the 2024 Grammys alongside Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.