Lost in Your Light

"Lost in Your Light" was written by Lipa, Miguel, and Rick Nowels, and produced by Miguel and Stephen Kozmeniuk.[1] Lipa was a fan of Miguel, and with her management reached out to Miguel for a studio session.[2] They ended up writing the song in Los Angeles, as one of the last songs for Lipa's eponymous debut album.[3] Lipa described it as "one of the happiest" songs from the album while also commenting on its meaning saying "it's about that feeling you get at the beginning of a relationship and those crazy emotions and getting lost in the middle of it all."[2] The song was recorded at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, while vocals were recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 in London.[1]

"Lost in Your Light" is a retro[6] dance-pop,[7] electropop,[8] power pop,[9] R&B-pop,[10] and synth-pop song.[11] The song is composed in ⁴
₄ time and the key of D major, with a tempo of 118 beats per minute. The verses, choruses and middle eight follow a chord progression of G–G/A–A–A/B–Bm/D–D/F♯–Em7, while the bridges follow a F♯–Bm–Em–A sequence.[12] The R&B production[6] includes electro rhythms,[13] percussion-heavy techno beats,[5][14] strutting grooves,[15] a disco-tinged sway,[16] throbbing synths, and funky drum kit flourishes.[8] The chorus contains dreamy harmonies, punchy percussion and hazy synths.[4] The hip hop bridge unexpectedly changes the song, with the singers nearly rapping triplet rhythms over programmed beats.[8][11] Lipa and Miguel harmonize with soulful vocals, spanning from A₃ to F♯₅.[8][12][17] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH labelled its meaning a "mutual declaration of love", while The Fader's Olivia Craighead stated it is about "complete infatuation".[9][5]

"Lost in Your Light" was released for digital download and streaming on 21 April 2017 in various countries by Warner Bros. Records as the sixth single from Lipa's debut album.[8] It was later included as the second track on the album, released 2 June 2017.[1] The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom and Italy on 4 May and 2 June 2017, respectively.[18][19] Remixes by B-Case and DJ Rasimcan were released on 1 June 2017.[20] Lipa was joined by Miguel to perform the song in the BBC Radio 1 live lounge, released 2 June 2017.[21] She also performed the song at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival and BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, on 23 June and 28 May, respectively.[22][23]

"Lost in Your Light" was met with acclaim from music critics.[24] Craighead of The Fader labelled "Lost in Your Light" as a "pop banger," and praised its chorus as "catchy."[5] Rap-Up commended the track for being a "feel-good jam", while praising Lipa and Miguel for their vocal performances.[25] Tyler Schmitt of Variance and Idolator's Mike Wass both called the song "starry", with the latter complimenting the production and vocals.[26][27] Stereogum's Tom Breihan had mixed feelings about Miguel's guest appearance, writing "he gives it his all", but said his voice "sounds better making smoky soul music".[7] For The Line of Best Fit, Laurence Day called the song "a super-smooth, late-night duet with passionate pleas", and likened its "sensual side" for being different from Lipa's previous releases.[28] Bianca Gracie of Fuse appreciated the singers' "smooth-as-velvet" vocals and labelled the song "vibrant" and "lustful".[4] DIY's Alim Kheraj criticized the song, writing that it is missing some of Lipa's personality.[29] Sebas E. Alonso of Jenesaispop viewed that Robyn could have sung the song in Glee (2009–2015).[13] The staff for The Singles Jukebox gave an average rating of 6.50. Maxwell Cavaseno praised Lipa's aim for the "Laura Branigan of 21st-century dance-rock."[6] Ryan Reed from Rolling Stone regarded the song as "seductive" and Miguel's appearance as "passionate."[8] The song was also placed at number 34 on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Songs of 2017" list, with the publication writing that it is "a starlit rollerskating jam about love's all-consuming joys," as well as saying the song "gets its kicks from its depths-plumbing groove and the crazy-in-love vocals of its two principals."[30]

"Lost in Your Light" debuted and peaked at number 86 on the UK Singles Chart issue dated 28 April 2017.[31] The song departed the chart the following week, re-entering at number 98 after the release of its parent album on the issue dated 9 June 2017, lasting two non-consecutive weeks.[32][33] The song reached number 41 and 97 in Scotland and Ireland, respectively.[34][35] In February 2020, it was awarded a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units.[36]

Lipa and Miguel levitating above the parking lot in the music video.

The music video for "Lost in Your Light" premiered via Lipa's YouTube channel on 26 May 2017.[37] The video was directed by Henry Schofield and filmed in Los Angeles.[38] The visual opens with Lipa walking down a street, where she turns a corner and walks into a parking lot. In the following scene, she begins to kick up her legs when three people join her performing spasmodic choreography. Lipa then stops at a Jeep, where she suddenly begins to levitate. She lands on a building where Miguel joins her. The singers later levitate off the building, before it becomes midnight and they land in the parking lot. A group of dancers join them, snapping their fingers. Lipa and Miguel are then seen walking towards each other on a ledge, before Lipa off falls backwards. The video closes with Lipa and Miguel dancing in daylight inside the parking lot, with the back up dancers.[11][39]

Reed of Rolling Stone viewed the visual as "minimalist," while DIY called it "cinematic and romantic."[11][38] Katrina Rees of CelebMix labelled it "magical" and compared it to La La Land (2016).[40] In V, Carolyn Hanson praised the visual's surreality and wrote about the "otherworldly quality to both the auditory and visual experience."[41] Popjustice complimented Lipa's wirework, writing that it looks as though she is actually flying, while also writing that she did a better job than Harry Styles in "Sign of the Times" (2017).[42] For Vibe, Mark Braboy called the visual "alluring" and stated that it captures "pure dreamy romance" while also commending Lipa and Miguel's onscreen chemistry.[43]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dua Lipa.[1]

Recording

• Vocals recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 (London)
• Recorded at Paramount Studios (Los Angeles)
• Mixed at Larrabee Studios (North Hollywood, California)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

• Audio on YouTube
• Live Lounge Performance on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics