Kristina Roberts
Dua Lipa gave her fans something different on Tuesday, hosting a night at the London’s Royal Albert Hall. With a 53-strong orchestra along with a 14-piece choir behind her, she went for something far from the usual concerts to celebrate, choosing to play the latest album, Radical Optimism, over the hits. This was a bold play in a hall of heroes where music legends like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix performed. But Lipa is an entertainer, so she jokingly reduced the historical value of the hall by comparing her Gaultier dress to some members of the tripartite: Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, and Albert Einstein. “But I bet none of them had a dress as nice as this.”.
A crimson, floor-length evening gown and a sweeping train befitted the showiness of the evening, in preparation for what Lipa termed “a show unlike any I’ve done before.” The program was being taped for a TV special, which raised the stakes. She could work with the orchestra to really elevate dance-pop, because the genre’s heritage lies in disco-frequently loud, ostentatious productions. And, for the most part, her voice stood out, keeping step with the sweeping richness of the orchestra.
But the orchestral accompaniment wasn’t always a positive addition. At times, the arrangements seemed to add a drama that perhaps was expected—that being said, as with the song Whatcha Doing, the musicians came alive with the energy of those classic disco orchestras by MFSB. Yet sometimes the added sounds were overkill, forcing the songs upwards in weight, like when the added sounds were a bit too puffy and nostalgic, like that daytime Top of the Pops session of the 1970s when disco artists were reduced to fitting themselves into the work of the BBC in-house orchestra. Lipa’s sound really comes alive best with the orchestral ensembles with her ballads, like an incredible version of Cleo Sol’s Sunshine, which just let her voice pour into those simple yet heartfelt lyrics. And then there were tracks like These Walls, which had more of the string section called upon and did seem to blend in a tad too much into that overly old-school Eurovision style.
The setlist was both daring and slightly unconventional. Many of Lipa’s biggest hits were excluded—no New Rules, IDGAF, One Kiss, or Break My Heart. She would sing every one of the songs from the Radical Optimism, her new album, which, at best, received a mixed reaction when it was released. Plainly and simply, she wanted cameras to watch her for this, to give the album an oversized push. Despite being musically flush and radio-friendly, the album Radical Optimism had to compete with bolder, more raw pop installments from Charli XCX and Chappell Roan. Tonight was something of an exercise in reminding everyone of the quality and importance of this album.
In this live format, of course, some of the album’s tracks gave birth to a new being. The subtlety of the biting Happy for You was a surprise when it turned out to be surprisingly emotive, especially after the input that Lipa had added herself within the recording, and more so than in the studio version. More electric, though, was the audience when she sang some of her earlier hits. Levitating incited palpable excitement, but the evening reached its peak when Lipa invited Elton John on stage for their collaborative hit Cold Heart. The crowd grew frenzy and exploded with this moment-dubbing it the night’s loudest moment as this duet would progressively blend in the styles of both artists.
The encore was a reminder of why Lipa has been such a dominant force in pop music. A string of fan favorites—the likes of Be the One, Don’t Start Now, and the irresistible Dance the Night from the Barbie soundtrack—transcended the venue and educated the room that although Lipa may indeed be exploring new artistic directions, she still has it in her to assert command over the pop landscape.
It was, in the end, a little bit of a gamble. What with such an iconic venue, focusing Lipa’s performance around Radical Optimism was certainly something of a statement: bold though sometimes a little shaky. At times, the grandeur of the orchestra and choir overtook the songs themselves, and Eurovision is probably going to be pretty hard to avoid. However, the night was filled with enough triumphant moments, especially with Elton John’s surprise appearance and Lipa’s reminder that she’s just one smash hit away from cementing her place back on top of the pop world.
