Dua Lipa told Radio 1’s Greg James that her new single is about “ghosting”, so it makes sense that it’s named after Hungarian-American escape artist Harry Houdini, who had a habit of vanishing when people least expected.
Fans noticed that some of the promo artwork for the single showed her with a small key in her mouth – referencing the (presumed) secret behind some of his daring stunts.
Adding another layer, the photo had similarities to Kate Bush’s album The Dreaming, which also featured a song called Houdini.
They aren’t the only ones who’ve mentioned the illusionist in their music – you might remember the track Houdini by KSI in 2020, which also failed to reach top spot.
But who was Houdini?
We asked Harry Nardi, a 24-year-old escapologist who was named after the performer.
“He was a magician, escape artist and he did endurance stunts, so he kind of did every sort of genre of magic as well,” Harry told BBC Newsbeat.
According to Harry – Houdini, who was born in 1872 – did some “crazy, crazy things”, and inspired modern-day magicians like David Blaine and Dynamo.
“He did a lot of chain escapes, and things like that. And the endurance things, I mean, you won’t catch me doing it, but getting hit in the stomach repeatedly.”
Although Dua hasn’t topped the charts this week, Harry says Houdini is long overdue some recognition in popular culture.
“He’s played such a big part in magic and magic is a growing industry.
“It’s good that he still gets the recognition he deserves because magic wouldn’t be what it is without him.”
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