For as long as there's been music, heartbreak has been a source of musical inspiration. This summer, British pop singer Dua Lipa took her crack at the theme with her tune "New Rules."
The track comes from Dua Lipa's self-titled debut album, which came out in June. Its chorus lays out three post-breakup rules: Don't pick up the phone; don't let him in; don't be his friend.
"They're not necessarily rules I've been able to stick by," Lipa admits. "But [they're] rules that I feel like it's important to be able to tell yourself, to tell your friends... There's a reason people break up, and it's probably the same reason why you shouldn't get back together."
The colorful, all-female video for "New Rules" went viral when it was released in early July, garnering praise from fellow musicians Lorde, Charli XCX and Tegan and Sara, among others. Since then, it's gained 67 million views.
The video depicts Lipa and her girlfriends hanging out at a sleepover. In a series of dance routines, they brush each other's hair, apply lipstick for each other and — most importantly — intervene when any of the girls considers reuniting with an ex.
"What I wanted to convey in this video is the unity and togetherness of women supporting each other, helping each other and looking after each other in a situation," Lipa says.
If there's one message she'd like to send to heartbroken or single women trying to find love, she says, it's simple: Be yourself.
"Everyone is so special in their own way," she says, "and someone is going to fall in love with them just the way they are, and they shouldn't change a single thing about it."
Web intern Karen Gwee contributed to this story.
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