After debuting part of the track live at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, Dua Lipa has officially released her new single, “Training Season,” in full. Stream it below.
Elle Woods (one of our great philosophers) once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy,” but this high-energy single was created from a place of frustration for Dua Lipa. In a statement, she recalled the day the concept for the song appeared to her, sharing, “I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw.” She brought that sentiment into the studio and declared training season officially over.
The disco-pop sound on “Training Season” feels in line with Lipa’s previous single, “Houdini,” and with her Grammy-winning album, Future Nostalgia, while the focused, self-assured lyrics recall her breakthrough hit, “New Rules.” “Need someone to hold me close, deeper than I’ve ever known/ Whose love feels like a rodeo and knows just how to take control,” she sings. The song reunites Lipa with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala on production, who was also credited on “Houdini.”
While Dua Lipa didn’t take home any gold at this year’s Grammys, she’s still up for an Oscar for her contribution to the Barbie soundtrack, the similarly sparkling “Dance the Night.” The ceremony will be taking place on March 10th.
There’s still no word on a release date for Lipa’s hotly anticipated third studio album, with the project still being teased as arriving some time “later this year.” It’s already a busy spring for female vocalists, with Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Maggie Rogers all rolling out albums in the next few months alone, but perhaps Dua Lipa has her sights set on summer.