Dua Lipa’s New Song ‘Houdini’ Captures the ‘Most Freeing Parts’ of Her Singledom

For her next trick, Dua Lipa will make a bop appear out of thin air. Such is the case for her latest single, “Houdini,” a surefire hit about being proudly single and noncommittal. “I’m not here for long / catch me or I go—Houdini,” she sings in the chorus, referencing the famous magician.

“This track represents the most light and freeing parts of my singledom,” Lipa said in a press release. (The pop star is currently dating French director Romain Gavras.) “‘Houdini’ is very tongue in cheek, exploring the idea of whether someone is really worth my while or if I’ll ghost them in the end. You never know where something may take you, that’s the beauty of being open to whatever life throws your way. I’m looking forward to sharing that feeling of defiant bliss with my fans.”

This marks the first taste of Lipa’s much-anticipated new era of music following 2020’s Future Nostalgia, her no-skips album of pop gems that had us dancing in the middle of COVID lockdown. (It’s almost remarkable that tracks like “Cool” or “Pretty Please” have gone this far without becoming singles or receiving radio play, but I digress.) “Houdini” still carries some of that sparkly dance floor appeal (which colored her Barbie track “Dance the Night” from this summer), but it leans more toward ’80s synths than ’70s disco influences.

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Lipa previously teased that she would dabble with psychedelic sounds on the next album, especially with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker producing. Other core collaborators on this song, and the project as a whole, are Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, and Tobias Jesso Jr. “A lot of this album was written in those joyous moments of absolute chaos and how I moved through the world with lightness and optimism of whatever the outcome may be,” she added.

The singer also released a music video for the track, directed by Manu Cossu with cinematographer André Chemetoff. Lipa dances in front of a mirror, thrashing her luscious, newly-dyed red hair in a rehearsal room. She’s come such a long way from that hip-twisting meme.

Watch the visuals, and read the full lyrics to “Houdini” below, courtesy of Genius.

[Chorus]
I come and I go
Tell me all the ways you need me
I’m not here for long
Catch me or I go Houdini
I come and I go
Prove you got the right to please me
Everybody knows
Catch me or I go Houdini

[Verse 1]
Time is passin’ like a solar eclipse
See you watchin’ and you blow me a kiss
It’s your moment, baby, don’t let it slip
Come in closer, are you readin’ my lips?

[Chorus]
They say I come and I go
Tell me all the ways you need me
I’m not here for long
Catch me or I go Houdini
I come and I go
Prove you got the right to please me
Everybody knows
Catch me or I go Houdini

[Post-Chorus]
If you’re good enough, you’ll find a way
Maybe you could cause a girl to change her ways
Do you think about it night and day?
Maybe you could be the one to make me stay

[Verse 2]
Everything you say is soundin’ so sweet (Ah-ah)
But do you practice everything that you preach? (Ah-ah)
I need something that’ll make me believe (Ah-ah)
If you got it, baby, give it to me

[Chorus]
They say I come and I go
Tell me all the ways you need me
I’m not here for long
Catch me or I go Houdini
I come and I go (I come and I go)
Prove you got the right to please me
Everybody knows (I’m not here for long)
Catch me or I go Houdini

[Post-Chorus]
If you’re good enough, you’ll find a way
Maybe you could cause a girl to change her ways
Do you think about it night and day?
Maybe you could be the one to make me stay
[Bridge]
Oh-oh
Ooh

[Chorus]
I come and I go
Tell me all the ways you need me (Ooh)
I’m not here for long
Catch me or I go Houdini
I come and I go (I come and I go)
Prove you got the right to please me
Everybody knows (I’m not here for long)
Catch me or I go Houdini

[Outro]
Houdini
Catch me or I go Houdini

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.