Whether penciled in history books for reasons good, bad, ugly, and/or everything in between, 2020 brought with it some of entertainment’s most memorable moments.
Now, as the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on our favorite moments that rocked – and to some degree maybe even reshaped – the Urban and Pop cultural landscape as we know it.
Next, we look back on the year that catapulted Dua Lipa into superstardom.
Few music stars can boast having a better 2020 than Dua Lipa.
Granted, the GRAMMY winner was already a fairly established name in Pop at the year’s onset thanks to previous Platinum smashes found aboard her self-titled debut album as well as prominent features on the hits of DJs and EDM producers. Little did music lovers know, those modest achievements would be the calm before the storm.
Evidence of this came via ‘Don’t Start Now’ – the blazing lead single from her sophomore effort, ‘Future Nostalgia.’ Not only did the song reach the highest Hot 100 rung of any Lipa single to date, but – at 3x Platinum – it also became her second most RIAA certified hit (following the 5x Platinum status of her 2017 breakout hit, ‘New Rules’).
The popularity of ‘Don’t Start,’ as well as subsequent hit singles ‘Physical,’ ‘Break My Heart,’ and ‘Levitating,’ helped power ‘Future Nostalgia’ to #1 on U.K. charts and #4 on U.S. charts respectively. Both album chart placements are career peaks for the Pop diva.
Beyond premiere positions, ‘Future Nostalgia’ enjoyed buoyancy on both sides of the pond thanks to ‘Club Future Nostalgia’ (a star-studded re-release that featured Queen of Pop Madonna, Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, and more) and an aggressive promo schedule that saw Lipa tackle late nite TV, magazines, Web-based programs, and several music-related award show of the year (American Music Awards, NRJ Music Awards, Los40 Music Awards, and more). It’s arguable the album was easily the most promoted music project of the year.
By the time the year drew to close, she was receiving honors from the likes of Billboard for the major moves she’d made over the year.
Thanks to her enduring efforts, ‘Future Nostalgia’ is certified Gold in both the U.K. and U.S.
And, as far as 2021 and 2022 go, the Queen of Neo-Disco has already informed us she plans to “milk the album” with even more songs and videos via another re-release.