Levitating

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Lore & Background

The song stemmed from a Roland VP-330 synthesiser sample played by Koz. After figuring out the title of her second studio album, Future Nostalgia, Lipa began working backwards, figuring out the sound she desired. Shortly after, "Levitating" was written, which is the first track recorded that appears on the album's final track listing. Before going into the studio, Kozmeniuk spent a few weeks coming up with ideas, eventually thinking it would be cool to create a "slinky disco track." Lipa sent him some notes and stuff that she was inspired by, which became the idea of blending old with new. Kozmeniuk thought the best way to create this idea was to use old instruments, one of which was a Roland VP-330 synthesizer, which he had been looking for, for seven to eight years. After shipping the synthesizer from Tokyo to Toronto, he immediately plugged it in and began playing. The first thing he played, which he described as a "synthetic choir sound", later turned into the synth line from the song. He looped the sound and began building a song around it, including creating an analog string sound, also using the Roland VP-330. "Levitating" was written and recorded in a one-day studio session at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London between the four writers on 28 August 2018. They started the session by Hudson doing a Tarot card reading in order for the writers to open up about what was happening in their lives. Lipa recalled it "changing the energy in the room." Kozmeniuk then began playing some tracks he had created with Lipa in mind. "Levitating" was one of the first tracks he played, which the collaborators all agreed that it would be the one to write onto. Lipa took out the voice memos app on her phone and began leading the song by singing a melody, making it up on the way with Coffee later elevating it. They had the visuals of being in an Austin Powers movie, with Mike Myers doing a random dance to the song, which helped give them a mood while writing the lyrics. The session ended up with the collaborators ordering doughnuts and 'levitating' from the sugar rush. They decided to include the "sugarboo" lyric as an ode to their friendship as it was something they called one another as a joke. Lipa also decided to add a rap in order to get her British side across, because she often gets mistaken from where she is actually from. After finishing the song, Lipa enlisted the help of Stuart Price for some additional production. He brought more "bounce" to the song and helped with the bass groove. He also incorporated a high drone synth as a disco trope, and a string part in the pre-chorus. Koz later also enlisted the help of Bosko "Electrospit" Kante to play a talk box. "Levitating" helped dictate what the rest of Future Nostalgia would sound like and where Lipa thought everything made sense, where she had both the "future" and "nostalgia" elements. She called it the "starting point" of the album.

In Their Own Story

The neon lights of the space station flickered in rhythm with the bassline. She floated weightless above the dance floor, her heels barely touching the synthetic tiles. Around her, beings from distant galaxies spun under purple lasers, united by the beat that transcended language and gravity. For this moment, there was no past or future, only the music pulling them all upward into the cosmos.

Reader's Guide

A remix of "Levitating" by American DJ the Blessed Madonna featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott was released for digital download and streaming on 13 August 2020 as the lead single from Lipa and the Blessed Madonna's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). It was categorised as an EDM, electro-disco, electro house, future bass, and techno track, with a throwback disco and trance vibe, and an increased tempo from the original. A second remix featuring American rapper DaBaby was released for the same formats on 1 October 2020 as the fifth single of Future Nostalgia, appearing on the bonus edition of the album. The remix impacted contemporary hit radio formats in the United States on 6 October 2020, serving as the album's third single in the country. The remix has the same production used in the original, with DaBaby adding a pop rap verse and intro. "Levitating" reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lipa's seventh top-five single in the UK and second in the US. It also achieved top-five charting in many countries including Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and New Zealand. Despite not reaching number 1 in the United States, "Levitating" was named the top song on the 2021 year-end chart, becoming the fourth single to accomplish this feat and the first single to do so since Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" in 2001. It set new records as the song by a female artist with the most weeks spent in the Top 10 and the longest-charting non-holiday song by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100, spending forty-one weeks in the Top 10 and seventy-seven weeks on the chart overall. It ranks within the Top 40 on the list of the greatest Hot 100 hits of all time. In 2023, the song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On the Billboard Global 200, it peaked at number 2 and was named the top song on the 2021 year-end chart. The song was awarded a triple Platinum certification in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Levitating" was promoted with the release of two music videos, one for each of its respective remixes. The Will Hooper-directed music video for the Blessed Madonna's remix was filmed in London and Atlanta and has a theme of "love conquers all". It sees many people under the influence of a mysterious planet and being obsessed with a maze-like symbol. The DaBaby remix received a music video that was directed by Warren Fu and created in partnership with social media platform TikTok. The video is centred around Lipa and DaBaby dancing in an art deco-styled elevator, with many TikTok users in the cast.

Did You Know?

• The song stemmed from a Roland VP-330 synthesiser sample played by Koz, which he had been looking for for seven to eight years before shipping it from Tokyo to Toronto.
• It was written and recorded in a single one-day studio session at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London on 28 August 2018.
• The session started with Sarah Hudson doing a Tarot card reading to help the writers open up.
• Despite not reaching number 1 in the US, it was named the top song on the 2021 Billboard year-end chart, the first single to do so since Lifehouse's 'Hanging by a Moment' in 2001.
• It spent forty-one weeks in the Top 10 and seventy-seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 overall, setting records for a female artist.