Dua Lipa says one of the tracks on her new album Future Nostalgia takes on sexual harassment.
According to the pop star, “Boys Will Be Boys” is about “the growing pains of what it’s like to be a girl.” Lipa told Vogue Australia: “For me, that was walking home from school and putting keys through my knuckles.”
She explained: “So much of the human experience for women revolves around men; how they make us feel, whether that is good or bad.
“Girls have to go through so much. You cover up yourself to avoid confrontation from men, avoid sexual harassment, people throwing words or catcalling. We change our ways to fit somebody else’s lifestyle. It’s really sad.”
Lipa said she hopes the song will resonate with young fans. “I want [them] to be able to listen to it and pose questions, and ask their siblings or ask their parents, or try and figure out a way to change that feeling so we don’t have to go through the same thing for so many generations.”
Elsewhere in the Vogue Australia interview, Lipa spoke about the impact social media has on women.
“We need to figure out a way to be kinder to ourselves and each other, instead of [bringing] each other down,” she said. “I’m not even saying like: ‘Oh, I just want people to be nicer to me’, I just think we should be creating safer environments in general for everyone. Words affect people. We’re losing touch with empathy, compassion and kindness.”
Future Nostalgia officially drops on March 27 but leaked online this past weekend. It has already spawned singles “Don’t Start Now” and “Physical,” which will be followed by “Break My Heart.”