The Year in Music 2023: Dua Lipa danced the night before she went “Houdini”

This Barbie released a hit song on the soundtrack for the highest-grossing film of the year, dropped the first single from her upcoming album and made her feature film acting debut — all in 2023. Let’s dance the night away as we look at some of the highlights from Dua Lipa’s year:

— On May 1, Dua served as co-chair of the Met Gala. Alongside other co-chairs Penélope Cruz, Roger Federer and Michaela Coel, Dua attended fashion’s biggest night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She dressed in a white tweed ball gown and wore over $10 million worth of diamonds to fit the theme of Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.

— On May 26, “Dance the Night,” Dua’s disco-inspired track featured in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, was released. An accompanying music video dropped simultaneously. It was the first single released from the film’s soundtrack and marked Dua’s first musical output after the conclusion of her Future Nostalgia era.

— On July 21, Barbie The Album was released, the same day Barbie opened in movie theaters. It spawned five singles and earned 11 Grammy nominations on November 10. “Dance the Night” was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media, while the album was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

— On September 28, Universal Pictures released the trailer for Argylle, the Matthew Vaughn-directed film that will feature Dua in her first major acting role. The film releases on February 2 and will serve as Dua’s second film appearance, after her cameo as Mermaid Barbie in Barbie.

— On November 9, Dua’s song “Houdini” and its accompanying music video arrived. It’s the lead single off her upcoming third album, which will be released in 2024. To build hype for the track, Dua deleted all photos from her Instagram before posting a close-up photo of a key between her teeth on October 31. “catch me or I go,” she wrote in the caption, referencing lyrics from the song.

— On December 11, Dua scored her first Golden Globe nomination. She was recognized for her work on “Dance the Night,” which was nominated for Best Original Song, Motion Picture. “wow waking up a Golden Globe nomineeeeeee!!!” Dua wrote on Instagram. “this barbie is so grateful!” On December 21, she learned that “Dance the Night” had made the shortlist of possible nominees for the Best Original Song Oscar.