Dua Lipa’s galactic hit “Levitating” survived many storms to become the longest-running Top 10 single by a female artist.
Videos by American Songwriter
Both Austin Powers and Daft Punk inspired Lipa’s cosmic banger. However, a few artists claimed they, too, helped write the song.
While “Levitating” dominated the charts, many lawsuits followed, asserting copyright infringement. But that’s not the only mess surrounding Lipa’s record-breaking hit.
Fun and Bubbly in Outer Space
“Levitating” follows Lipa as she invites a lover to accompany her across the Milky Way while she manifests the spacey funk of Daft Punk.
If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy
And I can take you for a ride
I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm
Where the music don’t stop for life
Lipa explained to Apple Music, “This is the first song I wrote where I really felt I had everyone on board with the concept of the album.”
“This is about me exploring happy songs and doing something that’s not ‘dance crying,’” she continued. “It’s about having fun and meeting someone and falling in love and thinking, ‘You’ve probably met me at the perfect time; let’s just go for it.’”
You want me, I want you, baby
My sugar boo, I’m levitating
The Milky Way, we’re renegading
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I got you, moonlight. You’re my starlight
I need you all night. Come on, dance with me, I’m levitating
The Writers
Clarence Coffee, Jr., Sarah Hudson, and Stephen “Koz” Kozmeniuk co-wrote “Levitating” with Lipa. (DaBaby wrote his rap for the remixed version, which surpassed 2 billion plays on Spotify).
Additionally, Kozmeniuk produced the track with Stuart Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 classic Confessions on a Dance Floor, which inspired Future Nostalgia. Price also produce The Killers’ third studio album, Day & Age.
TikTok Music Video
On TikTok, Lipa created a contest for fans to create visualizer videos for “Levitating.” She encouraged dancing, animation, and makeup. The winners would appear in the remixed video featuring DaBaby.
According to TikTok, the contest received 300 million views and 150,000 submissions, and Lipa chose 16 creators to appear in the video. Three TikTok creators animated Lipa’s galactic dance floor while they helped choreograph dances and designed the space makeup for her dancers.
Warren Fu directed the video, which opens with Lipa watching the stars from the hood of a Barracuda. Suddenly, a white light appears, and her clothing changes from trousers to a Versace mini dress made of crystal.
Next, she enters a portal that takes her to an Art Deco disco with an elevator echoing The Great Gatsby. The video ends with Lipa and her dancers on a belt in the Milky Way.
Controversies and DaBaby
DaBaby performed at Rolling Loud Miami in 2021 and made homophobic and misogynistic comments during his set, as reported by Billboard.
According to the report, he said, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up.” He kept going. “Ladies, if your p–s smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d–k in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”
As a result, outraged Lipa fans urged the singer to remove DaBaby from the “Levitating” remix.
She responded with this statement: “I’m surprised and horrified at DaBaby’s comments. I really don’t recognize this as the person I worked with.” Moreover, she added, “I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100% with the LGTBQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”
Elton John and Questlove joined a chorus of celebrities to also denounce DaBaby’s comments. Lollapalooza immediately removed him from the festival. The fallout continued further with the Governors Ball also dropping DaBaby.
Finally, he apologized, but not before radio programmers removed the remix from their playlists and replaced it with Lipa’s solo version of “Levitating.”
Copyright Lawsuits
In 2022, Florida-based reggae band Artikal Sound System filed a lawsuit against Lipa and Warner Bros. Records, alleging similarities between their song “Live Your Life” and Lipa’s “Levitating.”
Meanwhile, the following week, songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer claimed Lipa’s hit lifted the vocal melody from their 1979 disco song “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and their 1980 song “Don Diablo.” Artikal Sound System eventually dropped its suit against Lipa, and the second case is still pending.
Billboard reported yet another lawsuit from producer Bosko Kante, who claims he created the talk box verse in Lipa’s original version. Kante alleges he cleared his work for the original but not the remix.
Surviving the Pandemic and Much More
“Levitating” spent 77 ubiquitous weeks on the chart, and Dua Lipa’s near-flawless album Future Nostalgia simultaneously made her a leading pop star.
Her second album arrived with the global pandemic in 2020 and against several currents, she floated gracefully above each obstacle—almost like she was levitating.
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Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
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