Dua Lipa Turns Her Radical Optimism Tour Into a Global Celebration of Music

Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism world tour is by far the most musically innovative pop tour of the year, with the singer performing a new cover song every night over the course of more than fifty shows in sixteen countries. Not only did this allow every night to be its own unique experience, but it also presented the singer's sleek pop sensibilities alongside classics from the rock, disco, and global pop canon.

Back in March, during the kickoff to the latest leg of her Radical Optimism tour in Melbourne, Dua Lipa told the crowd she had a crazy idea. “To make my life a little bit harder, I thought, ‘Why don't I do a new song every night?'” she said, according to Rolling Stone. “Let's do a local artist in every place we're in.” She then dove into one fiery take on AC/DC's “Highway to Hell.”

From there, her cover choices spanned decades and continents. In Australia, she celebrated her connection to the region with Natalie Imbruglia's “Torn” in Melbourne and INXS's “Never Tear Us Apart” in Sydney. In Madrid, she performed Enrique Iglesias's “Hero” entirely in Spanish, while in Hamburg she delivered a powerful version of Scorpions' “Wind of Change.”

Her U.S. stops also paid homage to local legends. In Boston, she took on Aerosmith's “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing” and Donna Summer's “Bad Girls.” In Florida, she honored pop and Latin icons with Gloria Estefan's “Conga” and Ariana Grande's “One Last Time.”

At New York's Madison Square Garden, she wove tributes to Blondie, Chic, and Lenny Kravitz, joined by surprise guests such as Nile Rodgers and Lionel Richie. Lipa also revisited her own musical roots with Alicia Keys' “No One,” a song she performed as a child.

Her nightly covers — from Nena's “99 Luftballoons” to OutKast's “Hey Ya!” — spanned continents as her vocal skill, broad musical palette, and profound respect for the artists who inspired her came shining through. Each performance added to the understanding of Lipa's power to transcend genre and generation through music, building her Radical Optimism tour into an international celebration of music in and of itself.