Dua Lipa, the 28-year-old pop sensation, has left fans buzzing with anticipation for her new era. On October 31, she posted a cryptic teaser video on her Instagram, marking a significant departure from her previous social media posts. The video hints at long-awaited new music, featuring Dua with bright red hair and a gold necklace adorned with a key-shaped pendant. In a split-second flash, a stack of Polaroids is revealed, followed by a series of seemingly random numbers: 4, 8, 9, 9, 14, 15, and 21.
The teaser is set to what appears to be a snippet of her upcoming music. Against a backdrop of descending piano notes, Dua can be heard singing, “Tell me all the ways you need me,” before a groovy bass line kicks in.
Meanwhile, Dua’s official website has fans intrigued with an invitation to “Sign Up” for an experience filled with “happiness, passion, love, joy, optimism, energy,” and “fun.” Visitors can provide their phone numbers and expect a welcoming message into “Dua’s text community.”
This enigmatic teaser arrives more than three years after the release of Dua Lipa’s last album, “Future Nostalgia,” a massively successful sophomore effort that gave us the hit single “Levitating.” While the singer has been busy with acting projects, her contributions to the “Barbie” soundtrack, particularly the track “Dance The Night,” and various musical collaborations (such as “Cold Heart” with Elton John and “Sweetest Pie” with Megan Thee Stallion), have kept her in the spotlight. Nevertheless, fans have been eagerly awaiting a new album for quite some time.
Fans have wasted no time deciphering the mysterious numbers featured in Dua’s teaser. Some have speculated that they may spell out the name “Houdini.” Notably, the famous magician Harry Houdini passed away on Halloween, the very day Dua’s teaser made its debut. Additionally, the key pendant in Dua’s mouth may be a reference to Harry Houdini’s wife, Bess, who would often pass him the key to his handcuffs through a kiss during his public stunts. This imagery may also draw inspiration from the cover of Kate Bush’s 1982 album “The Dreaming,” which portrays the art rocker kissing a chained man with a key in her mouth, paying homage to Houdini.