Dua Lipa explains hair color change, talks “psychedelic” new album

Dua Lipa is heading into her new era with a new song, “Houdini,” and a new look: She’s dyed her hair red. It turns out, she’s got an unusual reason for switching up her hair color.

Speaking to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, Dua explained, “When I was working on my new album, a lot of the songs I just saw in the color red — there was just a feeling I had. And I was like ‘Oh I think I could do that change.’ And also I felt like it wouldn’t be as horrible on my hair as the blonde was! That was a little bit traumatic for me, the bleach, it was all just fizzling away.”

She added, “This is a little bit more manageable and I feel like it’s a change … it just gives you like a little bit of something different, and a fresh start.”

Dua also told Ball that fans were correct in thinking the smashed mirror ball in the video for her hit “Dance the Night” was her way of saying bye to disco as she moves into her next era.

“It’s definitely more psychedelic-leaning,” she said of her new album’s feel. It also seems to have a concept: While speaking about “Houdini,” Dua told Ball, “It’s the first story in a chronological series of stories of the fun parts of singledom, essentially.”