The song was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards and appeared on year-end lists from publications including Billboard, The Guardian and The New York Times.

As of March 2021[update] it is the most streamed song by a British female in the UK and it broke the record for the most weeks on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart.

"New Rules" was originally written by Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren and its producer Ian Kirkpatrick during a writing camp for English girl band Little Mix.

[5] In January 2017, Dua Lipa announced through her Facebook account that she was postponing the release of her eponymous debut studio album to 2 June of that year in order to record more songs.

[10] Running for 3 minutes and 29 seconds,[11] the EDM production includes a dance-pop beat, a dancehall rhythm, tropical house keyboards and airy drum programming similar to that used in Africa and the Caribbean.

[12][13][14][15] The verses include a falling bass glissando, while a synth melody and pattering drums build up to the chorus drop with bashment elements, glitchy horns and string stabs.

"[20] Warren explained that the track was a self-reminder for people recovering from a break-up to not succumb to a momentary temptation since it is not "a good idea in the long term".

[29] An extended play (EP) featuring remixes by Kream, Freedo, SG Lewis, MRK titled "Club Mix" as well as the one by Wonderland was released 3 November.

[40] A different live version of the song appears as the second track on Lipa's Deezer Sessions EP, released 11 April 2019.

[44] Writing for Clash, Alex Green felt tracks like "New Rules" demonstrate "exactly why critics picked Lipa out as one to watch [the previous year].

[22] 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.

"[19] 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).

[46] Rachael Scarsbrook of Renowned for Sound opined that the song makes "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.

[18] Raisa Bruner of Time wrote 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.

"[52] In a more negative review, DIY's Alim Kheraj stated that the song "is a flat tropically-tinged empowerment track that already sounds dated.

[97][98] In France, the song was awarded a diamond certification from the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for selling 333,333 track-equivalent units.

[22] Hyatt's vice president of global brands, Sandra Micek, stated that the collaboration between the artist and the hotel made sense to her because "[The Confidante's] inspiration and its name came from the notion of being a trusted friend".

After the song's bridge, one of the women makes plans of reuniting with her former boyfriend, but is stopped by Lipa, who gives her the advice she received at the beginning of the visual.

"[45] The video ends with the women standing in front of the pool, with the camera turning upside-down and then showing a group of flamingos at the same location.

"[122] Hafeezah Nazim of Nylon called it "a empowering visual",[123] while New Statesman writer Anna Leszkiewicz described it as a "colourful and acutely choreographed video", as well as considering it one of the best clips released in July 2017.

"[119] The music video also received positive comments from artists like Lorde, Charli XCX and Tegan and Sara through their respective Twitter accounts.

[20] On 12 July 2017, Lipa thanked her fans for the visual's popularity, and recommended them to use the hashtag #DuasNewRules when uploading covers of the track in order to include them on a compilation video.

[109] The next day, Filmmaker Jake Wilson uploaded a gay parody of the music video using the hashtag, which drew the attention of some blogs and the artist herself.

[130] On 4 October 2017, the singer performed "New Rules" on The Jonathan Ross Show, where she was accompanied by a group of dancers with whom she recreated the scenes of the music video.

[133] Days later, Lipa appeared on the fifth season of Spanish musical competition La Voz, where she sang the song alongside the finalists.

[137] Alex Robert Ross of Noisey reviewed positively the performance, calling it "ultimately professional" and praising Lipa for her vocal rendition.

[138] Ten days later, she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she performed "New Rules" accompanied by a group of dancers wearing sleepwear similar to that of the music video.

[141] This led journalist Richard Wilkins, thinking the performance occurred on the air date, to accuse the singer of lying on Nine News.

[143] Lipa performed "New Rules" during the 2018 Brit Awards on a summer-styled stage, moments after winning the British Female Solo Artist accolade.

[148] Six days later, Lipa sang the track as part of a medley of her most successful songs during the opening ceremony of the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final in Kyiv, Ukraine.