Dua Lipa launched her blockbuster new single Houdini last night in spectacular style, taking over London’s English National Ballet to host a party for eager fans to get an early first listen.
Lipa had promoted the launch party on her social media channels, encouraging fans to sign up on her website for a chance to scoop an exclusive invite.
The party was of course a huge spectacle of hints and mystery, with a massive clock counting down to the second until the music video would be played for the first time - in the exact venue she shot it at.
Lipa had the venue decked out with mirrors and treated fans to a free bar, equipped with wines, beers, cocktails and soft drinks, along with snacks to provide a morale boost for what turned out to be a long, cold and wet wait in queues for many unlucky punters.
Fans reported receiving invitations as early as midday, and as information started to trickle out about the location of the launch, fans travelled from cities in and out of the country to make it in time for the event, which started at 7pm.
Two fans told me they travelled from Manchester to London after receiving the invitation in the afternoon, arriving at the venue around 4pm to ensure they got to hear the track, with a return trip scheduled for 5am the next morning.
Another superfan had travelled all the way from Paris to make it for the event. It proved worth it for her, as the singer grabbed her phone to take a video selfie during the track's first play.
But while fans who got into the venue were treated to an unforgettable night with one of the biggest stars in the world, many others who had received invitations to the event were left disappointed when they arrived at the venue to find a queue that was over two hours long with no guarantee of entry.
Emails sent to fans failed to mention that entry was based on a first come, first serve basis, and with some fans queuing from 4pm for the 7pm start, disappointment for many was inevitable.
One fan, who asked not to be named, received the invite yesterday afternoon, and turned up to find a queue that stretched for hours. The fan shared their invite with the Standard, which reads “This invite admits you and 1 guest. Your name is on the guestlist, please bring photo ID. Event is 18+”.
She said: “We got there at 6.55pm, there was already a massive queue but at no point did anyone say “first come” policy, or that there was a capacity issue”.
““We queued for 2.5 hours - again with no one coming out to talk to us, to tell us what was going on”, she added.
“At 9.15pm, the lucky ones who got in started to leave and said the event was ‘over’. We were shocked! If the event organisers knew we had no chance of getting in, why keep us standing out in the cold?”
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) voiced their frustrations around the organisation of the event, with one user writing: “People were not treated well today at the launch event and young people in tights were waiting for hours in the cold who didn’t get in the end.”
Another wrote: “I feel so let down tonight. Literally queued 2 hours outside in the freezing cold for nothing.”
Despite the issues faced by fans who couldn’t get into the venue, those who did get in were in awe of Lipa, who interacted with the huge crowd from the DJ booth.
“My heart is racing, I’m so excited,” she said, as she was seconds away from her first play, with fans screaming as the video was shown on the big screen.
“How are you feeling, how was it?” she asked, receiving a rapturous response from the audience, who she immediately treated to another play of her record.
Those who did make it in were also given goodie bags at the door, which included a Houdini t-shirt and reusable bag.
Fans have continued to show their support for Houdini, which continues to climb up download and streaming charts, as Lipa eyes a huge debut for the track in the UK next Friday.
Produced by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker and Danny L Harle, it acts as the lead single of Dua Lipa's upcoming third studio album, which is expected to be released next year.
