Live From The Royal Albert Hall

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2024 was a year of milestones for Dua Lipa. The British pop star released her third album <i>Radical Optimism</i>—on which she realized her long-held dream of working with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker—and headlined Glastonbury Festival, something else she’d been “manifesting” since the start of her career. Then, in October, she ticked off another major moment: this performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Here, alongside the 53-piece Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Ben Foster, and a 14-person-strong choir, Lipa performs <i>Radical Optimism</i> start to finish, followed by some of her best moments—from “Be the One” and her 2023 <i>Barbie</i> smash “Dance the Night” to <i>Future Nostalgia</i>’s excellent “Love Again” (its “My Woman” sample performed by horns) and “Levitating.” Plus, there’s a Cleo Sol cover (“Sunshine”) and an appearance from actual Elton John, who joins her on stage for their 2021 megahit “Cold Heart.” <i>Radical Optimism</i> was an album of golden, breezy, and psychedelia-inspired pop, yet here, its songs take on a grand, cinematic quality, with an almost Bond-theme edge to “Houdini” or “Training Season.” As the album’s songs are bolstered with strings and horns, Lipa delivers performances both towering (on the galloping earworm “Falling Forever,” for example) and intimate, as on the stripped-back “Anything for Love.” Then Lipa switches gear, intent on getting the party started (and it works; just listen to the crowd reaction as “Dance the Night” opens, complete with live disco strings). By the time Lipa ends her set with “Don’t Start Now,” accompanied by the choir <i>and</i> an audience sing-along, this Royal Albert Hall performance feels like a joyous celebration for a British pop star who spent 2024 achieving her dreams. “An unforgettable night” indeed, as Lipa puts it herself as this show closes out.

via Apple Music

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