Dua Lipa | Arturo Holmes/WireImage
It’s been four years since Dua Lipa released her smash sophomore album Future Nostalgia, and in recent months, the Grammy-winning singer has been laying the groundwork for her next era. In November, she released “Houdini,” the lead single to her forthcoming third LP, and the latest taste of the album, “Training Season,” is out today.
Lipa first teased “Training Season” during her performance at the Grammys earlier this month. The track, like “Houdini,” was produced by Danny L Harle and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. The song and accompanying video are inspired by the pitfalls of dating as Lipa sings about wanting a partner who uplifts her more than she’s ever felt before. “Need someone to hold me close / Deeper than I've ever known / Whose love feels like a rodeo / Knows just how to take control,” she sings on the chorus.
The song actually came about after some real-life troubles. “I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw,” Dua reflected in a statement on the track. “The next morning I arrived to the studio to [co-writers] Caroline [Ailin] and Tobias [Jesso] asking me how it all went and I immediately declared ‘Training season is over,’ and like the best ‘day after’ debriefs with your mates, we had a lot of laughs and it all quickly came together from there.
“While it is obviously about that feeling when you are just absolutely done telling people…men specifically in this case, how to date you right, it is also about my training season being over and me growing with every experience,” she added. “I have never felt more confident, clear or empowered. And while it may be that training season is never over for any of us, you start to see the beauty in finding that person to experience it with. You stop looking for the trainees and become more interested in having someone where you are and someone to grow with.”
