Dua Lipa’s Producer Said ‘Radical Optimism’ Is Designed Not to Be ‘Algorithmic Pop’

So much of modern music feels like it was created by a computer algorithm to appeal to as many people as possible while having little artistic value. Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism is the antithesis of that. The album’s producer discussed his history of working with avant-garde musicians and why he brought the same energy to working with the “Levitating” singer.

The connection between Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ and Charli XCX

Danny L Harle is a songwriter and producer who has worked with artists such as Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama. More recently, he was one of the producers of Lipa’s Radical Optimism. During a 2024 interview with Grammy.com, he was asked if he approached Radical Optimism differently than his work with underground singers.

“Not at all,” he replied. “My approach to this stuff, especially these days, is that I can just do my thing. I’m very honored to work with the people I’ve been working with. Very early on in my career when I was trying to make pop music in that way, it would always go horribly wrong. Whereas now I just try to make good music.”

‘Radical Optimism’ refuses to go the easy route

While Harle has contributed a lot to modern pop music, he doesn’t just make a certain genre on cue. “Some people can just make a pop song and I can’t do that,” he explained. “I’m like, ‘Let’s make a good song.’ 

“I personally believe that there is good pop music and more algorithmic pop music, pop music which is more guaranteed to work and is less interesting,” he added. “I just really like good pop music, and that, for me, always seems to start from my research with people just trying to make the best music.” Harle has the attitude that all musicians should have toward their craft.

A reporter noted that many of the songs from Radical Optimism eschew the typical pop song chords, instead opting for minor keys. “It’s not as simple as happy song, happy chords,” Harle replied. “It adds richness to the emotional landscape of the song, and that was a key element in that.”

Dua Lipa wants to stay a pop singer without being too pop

Lipa’s feelings about Radical Optimism mirror Harle’s. They both want to do something different. During a 2023 interview with Sleek, the “New Rules” singer said she loves pop music; however, she wants to evolve as an artist. Her idea was to combine pop with other genres in order to push boundaries. She also wanted Radical Optimism to sound more organic than her previous offerings.

Lipa was very proud of her work on Radical Optimism. The “Cold Heart” singer felt that the album’s songs worked on their own and they worked as a part of a larger whole. She hoped that listeners would love it as much as she did.

So far, Radical Optimism has produced three singles: “Houdini,” “Training Season,” and “Illusion.” Each one of them proves that Lipa is willing to experiment with her sound while still staying true to her love of pop music. Radical Optimism is the sort of record that gives fans radical optimism about the direction of an artist’s career.

At a time when the algorithms seem to control everything, Lipa has the courage to be a musical anomaly.