New Love (Dua Lipa song)


"New Love" is the debut single by English singer Dua Lipa, included on the deluxe edition of her 2017 self-titled debut studio album. It was written by Lipa and its producers Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt about the singer's struggle to find her place in the music industry. The song is a soul-tinged, synth-pop ballad with R&B inflections and a stomping, tribal drum beat throughout.
Despite receiving limited attention upon its independent release on 21 August 2015, "New Love" became popular among music tastemakers and helped Lipa receive a longlisting in BBC's Sound of... critics poll for 2016. Photographer Nicole Nodland directed the music video which is a montage of filtered footage of Lipa in Los Angeles doing activities she enjoys. The song was performed during three of the singer's concert tours, the most recent being The Self-Titled Tour in 2017 and 2018.

Background and composition

Lipa co-wrote "New Love" with Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt. At the time, Lipa went into many failed writing sessions trying to recreate her track "Hotter than Hell" and it was only after this transpired that she wrote "New Love". She wrote the song about being undecided on her sound and message in a music industry that "often seems to neither want nor need you." According to Lipa, the track is about "facing the fear of losing the only thing that matters to you." The song was written in New York and recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 in London.
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "New Love" is composed in time and the key of A-flat major, with a syncopated pop tempo of 90 beats per minute. The verses have a Dmaj7–E chord progression, while the chorus follows an Amaj7–Dmaj7–Bm–E sequence. "New Love" is a soul-tinged, synth-pop ballad with R&B inflections. The song has a stomping, tribal drum beat throughout and Lipa's deep, full-throated vocal is stretched in the production to feintly echo. The verses build to a climax before cutting to a simpler chorus. The singer cascades around the track's two-word title and uses melisma in the chorus. Her vocal range spans from E3 to C5.

Release and critical reception

"New Love" was premiered online by New York City magazine The Fader on 20 August 2015. It was released the following day for streaming and digital download by the singer's independent record label, Dua Lipa Limited, as her debut single. In contrast to her later singles, "New Love" received limited attention. However, it proved popular among music tastemakers and helped Lipa receive a longlisting in BBC's Sound of... critics poll for 2016. Recalling her decision to release the single, Lipa said: "When I showed 'New Love' to people, they'd say, 'Oh, I didn't expect that'. I loved that reaction, so I went with it."
The 405 named it "a contender for the strongest debut of 2015." Courtney Buck, a reviewer from the publication, found the production "strangely haunting", but cited Lipa's vocals as "the star of the show". Chris Martins of Spin felt the production was "wisely restrained enough to cede the stage to Lipa's incredible pipes, capable of belting hooks and seeping seduction in equal measure." Caroline Sullivan wrote in The Guardian that the singer showcased a "smoke-darkened voice older and more disillusioned than her years." Jocasta Jones of The Independent on Sunday called her vocals "beautiful". Gigwises Catherine Elliott deemed it an "absolute blinding pop song" and "a welcomed relief to all of the over styled, plastic tackiness of mainstream pop."

Music video

Production and release

The music video for "New Love" was directed by photographer Nicole Nodland, who also shot the single's cover art. It was edited by Jackson Ducasse and filmed in Super 8 film format. The video was filmed in one day in Los Angeles. After Lipa expressed disappointment for a different track's postponed music video shoot, Nodland suggested to direct the clip for "New Love" during a dinner with the singer. As the video was a low-budget production, Lipa wrote her own treatment for it. Her styling was inspired by 1990s fashion and vintage clothing. According to the singer, the concept involved activities she enjoys doing and alludes to "a life in the day of Dua Lipa".
Some scenes were entirely improvised while Nodland and Lipa were driving through Los Angeles. Among these were the inflatable slide on Melrose Avenue which Lipa slid down before being charged to use it, and the white-suited men who were spontaneously asked to dance after Lipa spotted them taking pictures at Hollywood Hills. The music video premiered alongside the song on 20 August 2015 on The Faders website. It was released on YouTube the following day.
format music video that makes heavy use of colour and effect filters in the style of psychedelic art.

Synopsis and reception

The music video uses many colour and effect filters in the style of psychedelic art. The video speed adapts to the tempo of the song with slow motion sequences playing during the chorus. Lipa is shown wandering carefree through a street and eating sweets that turn her mouth blue. At Tattoo Mania in Los Angeles, Keith Haring drawings are tattooed on Lipa's thumbs as a tribute to New York City, her "favourite place in the world after London." In another scene, Lipa lights a cigarette from a candle on a birthday cake and swigs a jug of milk while shopping in a supermarket in a silk kimono. During other segments she is shown cycling in a red dress, blowing bubbles between two men, strolling with heart balloons, and twirling with sparklers.
Writing for DIY, Jamie Milton said the video "felt like a celebration in colourful, dynamic pop". Eoin Butler of The Irish Times described it as "like The Big Lebowski, just a little sexier." The music video has received over 40 million views on YouTube.

Live performances

Lipa gave her first live performance of "New Love" at Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands on 13 January 2016. It was included in the set lists for Lipa's 2016 UK Tour and Hotter than Hell Tour, accompanied by two keyboardists and a drummer. She also performed the track at Lollapalooza on 30 July 2016, her Mother Teresa Square concert in Albania on 10 August 2016, and at the SWR3 New Pop Festival in Germany on 16 September 2016. During The Self-Titled Tour in 2017 and 2018, Lipa performed the song backed only by a guitarist.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes of Dua Lipa.

Release history