Dua Lipa’s “Illusion” was inspired by her dating life

Tyrone Lebon/Warner Records; Sabrina: Island/UMG

Dua Lipa shares the process behind the making of her latest single, “Illusion,” in a new How it Went Down video for Billboard, revealing the song was inspired by her dating life at the time.

Dua says the idea for the track came from a chat she was having with her songwriting partner where she was talking about what was going on in her life.

“I was in, I guess, the milkshake of singledom. This crazy rollercoaster of just funny stories and I think it just makes for really good writing,” Dua says.

It sounds like “Illusion” was written about someone who didn’t turn out to be dating material.

“It’s funny when someone thinks that they can trick you or they can be an illusion of some sort and you see right through it, but you choose to like play along because it’s just more funny,” she says. “I guess it’s part of the dating thing where you’re kinda just texting because you’re bored but you could just see right through the bullsh** and so that’s really what ‘Illusion’ is about.”

Dua also shares the meaning behind the song’s lyric, “I can dance all night to this,” explaining it’s her way of saying, “there’s nothing that stops me from being able to see through this illusion. Like, I can play you at your own game.”

Dua Lipa was just named as one of TIME100’s most influential people in the world for 2024, and she’s been announced as one of the performers for the annual TIME100 Gala, happening Thursday, April 25, in New York City. ABC will give fans a peek inside the Gala with TIME100: The World’s Most Influential People, airing Sunday, May 12, at 10 p.m. ET.