The real reason Dua Lipa forgot her lyrics on stage

For Dua Lipa, the show must go on, even if it means performing with a concussion.

The “Houdini” singer stopped RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s Trixie Mattel‘s neck of the woods on Trixie Cosmetics TV to chat about her upcoming album Radical Optimism. What better way to talk about a new album by channeling famed painter Bob Ross, as Trixie challenged the two to paint Dua’s album cover while they chat. If all else fails, maybe Trixie and Dua could take on the visual art world together?

The two entertainers dished on musical instruments, how “life is way more fun with the gays,” and the inspirations behind her new album. In case you were wondering, the term describes a “philosophy that argues for looking at the good in every part of life, based on reason and evidence” and inspired Dua’s own journey of self-discovery.

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“A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term Radical Optimism,” Dua said in a statement. “It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life. It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm.”

We love a self-reflecting queen. Speaking of, Dua reflected on a particularly embarrassing (and potentially traumatic) performance. Trixie asked the British pop star if she ever experienced any performance fails (think Beyoncé’s hair being caught in a fan) and Dua had an experience that’s one for the books.

“Okay, so one time I was in Detroit and the first half of the tour I would have like this toaster that would take me up to the top of the stage and would bring me down really quickly so I can go and do a quick change before the next act,” Dua said. “And there was one night in Detroit where the toaster didn’t go all the way down and I was in such a rush and as I opened the door, I smacked my head into the stage.”

Someone bring an ice pack and and some Ibuprofen. Well, like a consummate performer, Dua rushed to the stage to continue her show. But her injury proved to be much more intense than she thought, as she forgot the lyrics to her song “Hallucinate,” an ironic number to perform after a potential concussion.

“And I was like so like discombobulated anyway, I quickly did my outfit change and I ran out, back out onstage, and then I was performing and I’d like forgotten my words ’cause I was so like…concussion,” Dua added. “And then the next day, when I went to Columbus, I was like, ‘I’m going to go and get an MRI ’cause I was feeling bananas.'”

You can check out the experience below.

While that might’ve been the worst performance injury Dua experienced, she dished on falling in the exact same place on stage in Milan, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. Let’s hope her Radical Optimism era is injury free. Trixie feels the same way.

“So, we’re just lucky have you here today, is what you’re saying?,” Trixie asked.

To which Dua responded, “I’m just happy to be alive.”

We’re happy you’re alive too, Dua. Check out the full interview below. Radical Optimism launches on May 3.

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