" New Rules " received mostly positive reviews from music critics . AllMusic 's Neil Z. Yeung called it a " house-inflected shine " in which Lipa makes " a cautionary list " . Writing for '' Clash '' , Alex Green felt tracks like " New Rules " demonstrate " exactly why critics picked Lipa out as one to watch the previous year . " Dayna Evans of '' The Cut '' labeled it a " breakup anthem " , while Melinda Newman of '' Billboard '' considered it a " female-empowerment anthem " . Anjali Raguraman of '' The Straits Times '' also called the song a " breakup anthem " and an " addictive , horn-laced pop tune " , adding that , " The track , with its slick production and stellar vocals , oozes self-confidence and sass . " Ben Hogwood of '' musicOMH '' stated that the song had themes of " assertiveness and outright feminine power " and that it felt more convincing than " Blow Your Mind ( Mwah ) " ( 2016 ) . Beat Media 's Ryan Cole commended the recording 's lyrics , and considered the production its " most distinctive element " . Rachael Scarsbrook of Renowned for Sound opined that " ' New Rules ' and ' Begging ' make sure the upbeat melodies continue long into the final moments of Lipa 's record , the album may almost be over but the party is just beginning . " Larisha Paul of Baeble Music deemed it as an " absolute banger " and a " timeless song " . On his review of the album , Sebas E. Alonso of Spanish website Jenesaispop noted that " New Rules " had influences of the music of the 1990s . Alonso further included the track on his list of the best songs of 2017 , calling it a " summer hit " . Hannah J Davies of '' The Guardian '' stated that it was " infused with EDM and tropical house without sounding too consciously trend-chasing " , while Luke Holland of the same publication called it the track of the week and praised the lyrical content , though he further stated that " disposable pop is now actually this good " . In a more negative review , '' DIY '' s Alim Kheraj stated that the song " is a flat tropically-tinged empowerment track that already sounds dated . " '' Billboard '' editor Patrick Crowley ranked it at number four on his list of the best gay anthems of 2017 , while Raisa Bruner of '' Time '' selected it as the best song of the year , writing that , " ' New Rules ' works so well because it 's both stylish and layered : As an escapist fantasy of girl-power , it 's a triumph , but as a rallying cry to buck the status quo , it 's even better . " Other publications that included the track among their lists of the best songs of 2017 were '' Entertainment Weekly '' , '' Esquire '' , and '' The New York Times '' . " New Rules " won the Best Single Award at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2017 . It was also nominated for the British Single accolade at the 2018 Brit Awards , but lost to " Human " by Rag 'n' Bone Man
2018 Brit Awards
2018 Brit Awards
New Rules (song)