By Hanna Rantala

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Dua Lipa dropped her new single "Houdini" on Thursday, celebrating the launch with a secretive fan event in London.

The track is the first single from the British-Albanian singer’s third studio album, which is set for release in 2024. It follows her hit "Barbie" soundtrack song "Dance the Night", which came out in May.

"Houdini", named after the famous illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini, is produced by Danny L Harle and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker.

"I'm putting on three surprise launch events for Houdini in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo. The first one's going to be in my hometown, London, this Thursday. I'm going to be inviting down some of my fans from the UK and around Europe, so keep your eyes peeled," the 28-year-old said in a social media post on Monday.

The lucky fans were treated to an early screening of the single’s music video and an on-stage appearance by Lipa at the English National Ballet in London.

Lipa's last studio album, 2020's "Future Nostalgia", was an international chart-topper and gained her a Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy and British Album of the Year Brit Award, among many other accolades.

Past singles released by Lipa include the hit songs "New Rules", "One Kiss", "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now". (Reporting by Hanna Rantala. Editing by Gerry Doyle)