The Grammy Award for Best New Artist is understood by some to be a kiss of death due to the vast number of one-hit-wonders to receive it. Despite this superstition, Dua Lipa dropped her sophomore full-length LP, “Future Nostalgia,” on March 27 to astounding acclaim.  

Lipa is a force to be reckoned with on “Future Nostalgia.” On this record, she steps outside of the mediocre pop bubble of her debut album, does “a full 180” and gives us an unexpected contemporary R&B twist on her dance-pop signature.

Channeling the likes of Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Blondie and others, Lipa said she challenged herself to make “Future Nostalgia” sit alongside her favorite classic pop records while still being uniquely her own.

Retro elements in modern pop music have had a surge within the last decade, with 1960s R&B and doo-wop being the usual culprit. Lipa’s refreshing take on this exhausted trend brings us a bass-boosted, amalgamated trip back to the hip-hop and synthesized days of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

The lead single “Don’t Start Now” is an ’80s-inspired synth-pop dream, and third single “Break My Heart” displays flamboyant elements of disco. Both tracks are dressed in a vintage outfit while still being the same club hits Lipa is famous for, showing her maturity and growth as a songwriter and visionary. 

In this time of isolation, Lipa has given us an album that makes us all want nothing more than to drive at night with the windows down and music loud, happy to be out of the woods. “Levitating” — a sickeningly catchy, funk-filled, feel-good banger with that perfect throwback flavor we all crave — is this album’s apex, with a certain carefree attitude that makes it nearly impossible to listen to without the volume cranked all the way up.

The album finishes strong with “Good in Bed,” a vintage bubblegum-pop anti-love song that pays respects to British pop stars such as Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, both known for upcycling retro sounds in ways that had never been done before. With “Future Nostalgia,” Lipa joins their hall of fame.

A true creative triumph that impresses and stands out from the rest, “Future Nostalgia” is a candy-coated genre-bender that visits the past without getting stuck there. For those who feel they were born in the wrong decade, “Future Nostalgia” allows us all to play pretend.