Dua Lipa, Illusion | Song Review 🎵

No ‘illusion’ here: Grammy-winning pop singer Dua Lipa ‘brings the heat’ on “Illusion,” the third single from her third LP, Radical Optimism.

“Ibeen known to miss a red flag.” Uh-oh, Dua Lipa – don’t do that! She continues in the first verse of “Illusion”, “I been known to put my lover on a pedestal.” Stop doing that! “In the end, those things just don’t last / And it’s time I take my rose-colored glasses off.” Hell yeah! “Illusion” arrives as the third advanced single from Radical Optimism, the third studio album by the Grammy-winning musician. In the album track listing, “Illusion” slots in as the seventh track.  Penned by Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, and Tobias Jesso Jr., it was produced by Harle and Parker.  Like “Houdini” and “Training Season” that precede, “Illusion” marks another top-notch pop gem.

The backdrop exemplifies the pop aesthetic, with a scintillating, danceable groove and colorful keys and synths.  Dua Lipa, hence, has ample fuel for her musical fire! She performs marvelously.  Her vocals are nuanced, playful, and powerful.  The melodies are memorable and rhythmic, easily catching on. Thematically, the songwriting is relatable – no longer will she fall for the illusion of love! The chorus sums it up best:

“Ooh, what you doin’?

Don’t know who you think that you’re confusin’

I be like, ooh, it’s amusin’

You think I’m gonna fall for an illusion.”

Yeah! After admitting her flaws in the first verse and vowing to stop doing/believing that shit, she acknowledges in the second, “Was a time when that shit might’ve worked,” she’s now “grown” and knows what she deserves. Word! All in all, Dua Lipa brings the heat once again on “Illusion”. No illusion here – it’s a great single!

Dua Lipa // Radical Optimism // Warner // 5.3.24

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Warner; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]