base talk Radical Optimism. What went wrong???

[CroNich]

They definitely should've waited until DTN dropped off the charts before starting the era. There was a lack of a hype factor because she already just had one of the biggest songs in the world. 
 

I do feel like the roll-out just felt a lot more frantic and chaotic than FN too, which was so well planned and cohesive. While the singles were good it didn't really tell us anything about the album except that we would likely be getting more dance bops. 
 

Sonically as many have said, there are just no where near as many stand-outs as FN. There is not a bad song on that album (besides the last two), while every song on this album is just… good.

 

Also I second what many others have said, whilst being a big name, she isn't really known for having a big personality or being very connected with her fans. 
 

regardless I like the album and I will continue to stream 

Edited May 8 by CroNich

[Patient Zero]

Not the Normani stan calling another artist faceless

[Letemtalk]

2 hours ago, Homebrand said:

Tbh I had no idea she released an album

 

Houdini made a little noise but then everything else after that was non existent

I don't know how many people knew the album was out. When I checked the Spotify new releases on Saturday, which might have still been Friday in the US, there were some artists I've never listened to, some that I maybe listened to a few times, there were two Taylor Swift albums and no Dua Lipa.

 

 

I don't even know what a Kenny Chesney is.

[Lemon]

Illusion is pretty solid track. Nothing revolutionary, but Dua's style through and through. A highlight on the album. 
End of an Era is also another interesting song. 
 

She should have gone either with full on house/club music a la Shy Girl or something in the vein of Katy B ( UK club scene in particular ). 
 

 

 

Not saying she would be scoring high left and right, but these sounds are natural evolution from Future Nostalgia. 

Edited May 5 by Lemon

[KKKIMO92]

The music is just not it. I agree that the producers are the main problem. Imagine working with those tried and true, they wouldn't give her such unforgettable beats. We are know those big name producers come with a big team with numerous betas and melodies that she can just easily rely on. 
 

it's stupid that they went ahead with this with three flop singles. She can either do a touring to keep the exposure while working on an album on the road or just go back to the studio and release her lead in the next Grammy. Waiting for more a year would kill her career like Katy, Avril, Camila and etc. See how Kelly Clarkson turned it around completely in a years time after the flop My December was.

[dumbsparce]

Haven't had time to listen yet but all these reactions have left me scratching my head. Half say it's a FN rehash and she should experiment more and the other half say that it's too experimental. Which one is it?

 

I did listen to the snippets yesterday and the only one that really stood out was Falling Forever. That's a classic right there.

Edited May 6 by dumbsparce

[Toxic.Latin]

[Ms. Togekiss]

Locals/GP just don't care. My gay friends who are dua fans knew she was dropping an album and they hated it  and then my local friends had no idea she was dropping an album, they only remember her for the Barbie song 

[Pop Art]

It's very simple in my opinion.

 

1. The music isn't as strong as her previous albums.

2. The promo campaign for this album is much more sparse even though she's not at a point in her career where she can do that and still be as successful as usual.

3. The extended wait between Future Nostalgia and now certainly didn't help.

 

I'm confident that if she releases better music for DL4 and has another FN type promo campaign for it, she'll come back swinging. That is, unless there's another 4 year gap.

[Rino]

there were 2 ways to succeed with RO. she either needed to have a massive hit single (which she didn't) or make a very solid album (didn't accomplish this either). 

 

she doesn't even have a loyal fanbase to lift a mediocre album like this one up. 

 

hope she learns from her mistakes and comes back swinging with her next era. 

[LostInStereo100]

Music is not exciting or something I want to listen to

 

And This is coming from someone who enjoyed her music before (not a Stan) 

[tkoivan]

On 5/4/2024 at 4:41 AM, Ethereal said:

 Nothing went wrong, an under-performance was inevitable - simply because she just isn't THAT girl. I don't see anything that makes her different from her peers like Charli XCX, Rita Ora, Ava Max, and Cher Lloyd. Plus, neither her vocals nor her performances are anything special. When you put it all together, she kind of comes across as being faceless.

 

I wish I had your confidence, saying all that with a Normani profile pic 

[Ethereal]

14 minutes ago, tkoivan said:

I wish I had your confidence, saying all that with a Normani profile pic 

 Normani hasn't been dragged across multiple platforms for her singing or stage presence, and she's never been a subject of mockery. The only criticism she's received, which seems unfair considering her personal challenges—like her parents' battles with cancer—is for not releasing new music. Given these circumstances, even that 'drag' is pathetic

 So, I stand by what I said confidently. Dua Lipa could really learn a thing or two about dancing, stage presence and charisma.

 

[tkoivan]

1 hour ago, Ethereal said:

 

 Normani hasn't been dragged across multiple platforms for her singing or stage presence, and she's never been a subject of mockery. The only criticism she's received, which seems unfair considering her personal challenges—like her parents' battles with cancer—is for not releasing new music. Given these circumstances, even that 'drag' is pathetic

 So, I stand by what I said confidently. Dua Lipa could really learn a thing or two about dancing, stage presence and charisma.

 

Normani's numbers are often the subject of mockery. She's not outperforming any of the girls you mentioned aside from maybe Cher Lloyd . 

 

I found it funny is all.
 

 

[Ethereal]

45 minutes ago, tkoivan said:

Normani's numbers are often the subject of mockery. She's not outperforming any of the girls you mentioned aside from maybe Cher Lloyd . 

 

I found it funny is all.
 

 

Numbers? No one brought up numbers; I was only talking about talent, charisma, vocal range, and performance skills. When we take these factors into consideration, she's outperforming these girls by a significant margin. But of course, you're trying to turn this into a sales debate, which wasn't the point I was making. How typical, because you know Dua's performance skills are nowhere near as good as Normani's. I'm done with this conversation. Have a good day.

[Alldeezy]

honestly this album was amazing she thought about arts instead of the charts 

[HRHCOLLECTION]

The songs individually are fine but the album as a whole is just so lacklustre. It's giving the vibe of an EasyJet flight to Benidorm packed with loud Brits, like that's the audience I see enjoying it

[duybeeGAshantiGA]

I listened with my boyfriend in a car and after a number of tracks he told me to turn it off and put Eternal Sunshine on. He said RO is just bad and annoying to listen to. And he is a pop fan who only listens to bops/basic pop music.

[chosensparkles]

31 minutes ago, duybeeGAshantiGA said:

I listened with my boyfriend in a car and after a number of tracks he told me to turn it off and put Eternal Sunshine on. He said RO is just bad and annoying to listen to. And he is a pop fan who only listens to bops/basic pop music.

He didn't lie

[Archetype]

I've been giving it more listens and have come to the conclusion that she could have made a nice EP if she cut half of the tracks.  
 

I was excited because she referenced really amazing music, but none of that comes across in the songs.  I think the melodies are actually the weakest part of the album, not the production.

 

Once again, Danny's work has been consistently great up until this album, so I don't think it's his fault.  I do think it's both Dua and Kevin's fault.  Kevin's work for other artists has been wildly inconsistent and sometimes bad, and Dua needs a lot of help to make hits.

[geminimoon]

Lack of promo certainly effected the impact of the rollout and I think she wanted it to be this way.

 

Houdini was perfect IMO, it was certainly in her lane but with a new and exciting touch on the production. They made a huge mistake releasing it in christmas and then let it fade. 

 

The album is not bad, it is nice, but lacks the vision she has and sounds like many Eurovision entries one after the other.

 

She might end up like Carly Rae Jepsen, cute dance pop albums with the remaining of the dedicated gay fan base.

[G.U.Y_Del_Rey]

On 5/4/2024 at 11:48 AM, AvadaKedavra said:

Tea.

The album was intended to be something psychedelic and more experimental, but then they saw the chart performances of the 2 singles and were like... Nope. The album should focus more on summer and those types of songs. Release "Illusion" with a summery video and save the record.  drop the vertigo concept.

 

Yeah, the singles have a different vibe to the rest of the tracks, they're definitely not as "summery" and even have some psychedelic elements (Houdini's bridge/outro and Training Season's organ instrumental), yet somehow the rest of the tracks don't have any.

[Disconnect]

On 5/4/2024 at 7:32 AM, Mate said:

I think she should have premiered first single (Houdini) at the Grammys and immediately announced the album, release date and pre-orders.

Between the Grammys and the album, being a guest on all the shows where she was a guest, but without being as mysterious about the album name and release date. What's the point of going on prime time talk shows if you're not promoting anything?

On the day of the release of the album, release TS as the second single, but which has a music video that Illusion had. For me, that video works great for TS.

Long story short: timing and a lot of missed opportunities.

You also forgot to mention that the album and singles were mid, which also definitely contributed to this :( 

[Tropical]

Controversial take: I think it's okay that we have some pop girls that aren't at the top top pushing the avant garde and commercial success (not at the same time except for Gaga back in the day hey hey) and are just releasing bops here and there that mightn't reach soaring success. We need the Marina / Kim / Ava / Tinashe / Charlis of the world, they're who actually keep music industry on its toes.

[MatiRod]

There wasn't a powerful narrative attached to the album. I feel like these days that's what it takes to have a big new era that sustains people's interest over multiple singles, gets them to pay attention to the album, etc. All the successful pop girl releases this year have had a narrative attached in some way or form. Whereas 'Radical Optimism' feels like a collection of great bops but there's no grand over-arching concept, or at least it hasn't been effectively communicated to the public.

 

I think "Dance the Night" sounding very similar to Future Nostalgia and "Houdini" (which is grittier but not a huge departure) so soon after made the era feel like just more Dua music as opposed to a new grand statement.