It’s been a year since Dula Peep Dua Lipa officially ushered in her Radical Optimism era with her infectious Nu-disco hit, “Houdini,” and aside from solidifying a permanent spot on all my party playlists, the track has taken on so many lives since then. Upon the single’s release on November 9, 2023, it debuted at number one on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic chart and stayed at the top for 17 consecutive weeks. Dua even swapped her signature brunette locks for a fiery red tone to match the song’s energy and opened the 2024 Grammys, complete with an instantly iconic dance break.
To celebrate the magic of “Houdini”—which was created alongside Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, and Tobias Jesso Jr.—Dua is reflecting on the song and its inspirations in the latest installment of American Express’s Story of My Song series. “This song is about the act of disappearing when something no longer serves you,” the Grammy winner explains in the video, where she breaks down each verse. “The first lyric was ‘Catch Me or I Go / Houdini,’ and the story was built on the basis of that.”
Dua dished that she was “fed up” with her dating life when she laid down the track in the studio, so naturally, a “little gossip” turned into a “therapy session.” Her complaints ultimately transformed into a sultry song about ghosting, but the pop phenomenon made sure to sprinkle in some optimism too.
“When talking about manifestation or writing things down I think the songs that I like to perform onstage, I always like to make sure there’s a positive twist,” Dua shares. “Because if I’m going to get up onstage and sing that song over and over again, it kind of becomes a mantra. I’ve got to be careful with what I’m saying, because then it starts to ring true.”
As for the motive behind “Houdini”—and the rest of Radical Optimism—Dua wanted to dance. “This song has allowed me to have the dance break of my dreams that I’ve always wanted,” she says. “I guess because I’m always thinking quite visually in terms of what the video is going to be like, I knew that to try to carry this video on my own and do a lot of the dancing on my own, which again is something I probably would never had done in any previous point in my career.”
The singer notably stepped up her choreo skills over the years and had a specific vision for her current album cycle. Dua explained, “Downstairs in my house, I emptied out the gym and decided to start rehearsing. I had also just dyed my hair red, so I didn’t want to leave the house, so I spent a lot of time in the basement...dancing.”
Check out Dua’s full breakdown of “Houdini” (psst...and some never-before-seen footage from her dance rehearsals) in American Express’s Story of My Song series below.
