In 2013, Lipa signed a contract with Tap Management, directed by Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, while working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. Lipa was introduced to Mawson by her lawyer, who discouraged her from signing another publishing deal that was offered to her. Subsequently, they offered her a monthly salary to leave her job and focus on recording music.[29] During one of the sessions, Lipa co-wrote the song "Hotter than Hell",[29] which would eventually lead to her signing a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014.[30][31] Millett retrospectively elaborated: "Dua was really smart – she signed to Warner Bros. partly because they didn't have a big female pop artist and they needed one. They really wanted her, so she had the focus of the team from day one."[29] In August 2015, Lipa released her first single "New Love",[32] produced by Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt.[33] Her second single, "Be the One", was issued to European success in October 2015,[34][35] reaching number one in Belgium,[36] Poland and Slovakia, as well as charting within the top ten in over eleven European territories. In Australia and New Zealand, the song became an airplay success, reaching numbers 6 and 20 respectively.[37] In November 2015, she was revealed as one of the acts on the BBCSound of... 2016 long list.[38] Her first tour in the UK and Europe began in January 2016,[39] and concluded in November 2016.[40]
We've seen artists who might get half a good song out of 10 writing sessions; with Dua, one in five or one in four is a banger. She gets results out of other people as well, because her personality is so engaging and she is so charismatic. She definitely has that special something.
On 18 February 2016, Lipa released her third single "Last Dance", followed by "Hotter than Hell" on 6 May. The latter reached success, particularly in the UK, where it peaked at number 15.[42] On 26 August, her fifth overall single "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" was released, peaking at number 30 in the UK.[42] It became the singer's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 72.[43] The song also topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart[44] and reached number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart.[45] Lipa was featured on Sean Paul's single "No Lie", released in November 2016,[46] which reached number ten in the UK.[47] The following month, a documentary about Lipa named See in Blue was commissioned by The Fader magazine.[48] In January 2017, Lipa won the EBBA Public Choice Award,[49] and released the single "Scared to Be Lonely", a collaboration with Martin Garrix, reaching number 14 in the UK.[50] In May 2017, she performed at the anniversary of Indonesian television channel SCTV and was awarded as Young and Promising International Artist at the SCTV Music Awards.[51][52]
Lipa's self-titled debut studio album was released on 2 June 2017.[53] Its sixth single, "New Rules", released in the following month, became Lipa's first number one in the UK,[42] and the first by a female solo artist to reach the top in the UK since Adele's "Hello" in 2015.[54] Her best-selling single to date, the song also charted in the top ten of other countries, including number two in Australia, number six in the US, and number seven in Canada.[55] Lipa performed at the Glastonbury Festival in June.[56] The following month, Lipa performed at the We the Fest, an Indonesian music festival in Jakarta.[57] She performed on BBC's Later... with Jools Holland in October.[58] In December, Lipa was named the most streamed woman of 2017 in the UK by Spotify.[59] She had four singles reach the UK top 10 in 2017, with "Be the One", "New Rules", "No Lie", and "Bridge over Troubled Water", a charity single for the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London.[60] In January 2018, Lipa received nominations in five categories at the Brit Awards, more nominations than any other artist that year. She was nominated for MasterCard British Album of the Year for Dua Lipa, British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year for "New Rules", British Female Solo Artist, and British Breakthrough Act, winning the latter two.[61] This was the first time that a female artist had received five nominations.[62][63]
2018–present: Future Nostalgia
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Lipa performed at the awards ceremony held on 21 February at the O2 Arena in London.[61] The singer collaborated with American DJ Whethan on the song "High" for the Fifty Shades Freedsoundtrack, released in February 2018.[64] She started working on new material for her second album in March 2018.[65] On 6 April, Lipa and Calvin Harris released the single "One Kiss",[66] which topped the UK Singles Chart on 20 April, making it Lipa's second number one in the chart;[67] Lipa provided the vocals and is also credited as a writer. The single went on to become the biggest selling song in the UK of 2018 and topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks.[68] She performed in the opening ceremony of the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final in Kyiv on 26 May.[69] It was reported that Lipa would be releasing collaborations with other artists coming out later in 2018, such as one with Mark Ronson and Diplo's newly formed superduo Silk City.[70] Ronson later confirmed the song's title would be "Electricity".[71] The song was released on 9 September. Lipa was also featured in "If Only", a song from Italian singer Andrea Bocelli's sixteenth studio album Sì.[72]
Lipa performed at F1 Singapore Grand Prix in September.[73] In the same month, Lipa indorsed British car brand Jaguar's new electric car, I-PACE. The brand created a remix of Lipa's song "Want To", and launched a service where fans could create their own version of Dua Lipa x Jaguar's song on the Join the Pace website, based on their own driving behaviour or the music they listen to, and share it on social media. According to Lipa's team, Jaguar and Lipa set the world record for the "most remixed song ever."[74] In October, the singer released Dua Lipa: The Complete Edition, an expanded version of her debut album that includes three new songs, including the aforementioned "Want To", and her previous collaborations with other artists.[75] This included a collaboration with South Korean girl groupBlackpink called "Kiss and Make Up".[76] In January 2019, Lipa released the single "Swan Song" as part of the soundtrack to the 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel.[77][78] That same month, Lipa stated that she spent the preceding year in the writing process for her second studio album.[79] Lipa commented that the album's sound would be a "nostalgic" pop record that "feels like a dancercise class".[80] In August 2019, Lipa partnered with brand Yves Saint Laurent to indorse their fragrance Libre.[81]
Following the release of its lead single "Don't Start Now", Lipa's second album, Future Nostalgia, and its accompanying tour were announced in December 2019.[82][83][84] "Don't Start Now" peaked at number two on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100.[47][43][85] It also peaked at number one on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart.[86] Lipa's second single leading up to the release of the album was "Physical".[87] It was released on 30 January 2020 and the song's music video was released a day later.[87] "Physical" debuted at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[88]Future Nostalgia was released on 27 March to widespread critical acclaim,[89] following the release of the record's third single "Break My Heart" on 25 March.[90] The album debuted at number two on the Official UK Albums Chart, 5550 copies behind 5 Seconds of Summer's Calm.[91]Future Nostalgia peaked at number one on the Official UK Albums Chart the following week in April 2020, while four of the album's singles entered the top ten of the Official Singles Chart.[92] The album holds the record for having the lowest one-week sales while at the top of the chart in the modern era; when it was number one––the week beginning 15 May 2020––the album accumulated a mere 7,317 sales.[93] At the time of the album's release, Lipa became the first British female artist since Vera Lynn to have three top-ten singles in a single calendar year, with Lynn having three in 1952.[94] Lipa eventually overrode this record with the single "Levitating", which also peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her third top-ten in the US overall. Lipa's music video for "Physical" was nominated for Best Art Director at the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2020. The art director of the music video is Anna Colomer Nogué.[95]
On 11 August 2020, she was named global ambassador of the French mineral water brand Évian. Lipa made the announcement on social media, where she stated that "it had been an honor" working with the brand.[96] On 13 August, Lipa released a remix of "Levitating" featuring American artists Madonna and Missy Elliott.[97] It served as the lead single from Club Future Nostalgia, a remix collection of Future Nostalgia tracks by The Blessed Madonna and Mark Ronson, which was released on 28 August.[98] On 2 October 2020, Lipa released the second remix of "Levitating" featuring American rapper DaBaby; on the same day, Lipa released the music video for the second remix.[99] On 14 October 2020, Lipa and Belgian singer Angèle were photographed on the set of a music video.[100] Later in the month, the singers announced the release of their collaboration, "Fever"; it was released on 30 October 2020.[101] It is included on the French re-release of Future Nostalgia.[102] Lipa was featured on "Prisoner", a song from Miley Cyrus' seventh studio album Plastic Hearts. The single was released on 19 November 2020 alongside the music video.[103] In November it was announced that Lipa would be the musical guest on 19 December episode of Saturday Night Live.[104] On 27 November, Lipa performed in a livestream concert titled Studio 2054, where she sang various songs from Future Nostalgia, a new unreleased track with FKA Twigs, as well as some previous singles such as "New Rules", "One Kiss" and "Electricity". The event featured many special guests like The Blessed Madonna, Angèle, Kylie Minogue and Elton John, among others.[105]Future Nostalgia was the most streamed album by a woman (and fifth most streamed album overall) on Spotify in 2020.[106]
On 11 February 2021, Lipa released a single titled "We're Good", along with Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition.[107][108] In April, the Berlin Music Video Awards published a list of nominees for 2021 and Lipa received a nomination for her music video "We're Good". The video is nominated among other nine applicants in the Best Visual Effects category. The VFX artists behind "We're Good" are Vania Heymann and Tal Baltuch.[109] Lipa released the song "Can They Hear Us" from the soundtrack of the film Gully on 4 June 2021.[110]
Fashion ventures
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Lipa has been the cover girl of several magazines.[112] She signed with Next Models.[113][114][115] She was in the cover of "Boom Boom Thick" editorial for Elle's January 2016 issue.[116][117] In April 2016 she was again in an editorial of Elle.[3][118] She was in a supplement cover of British Vogue in November 2016.[119][120] She starred an editorial for the January 2017 issue of V.[121] In the same month, she was in the cover for issue 102 of Clash.[122][123] In March 2017, she became a global ambassador for the American shoe company, Foot Locker, to present women's collections offered by the brand.[124][125] She was in an editorial for Interview released in April 2017.[126][127] She modelled for an editorial of Paper, published on 6 June 2017.[128][129] She was featured in the summer 2017 issue of Teen Vogue in an editorial titled "Fine Tuned".[130][131] She was in an editorial for June 2017 issue of InStyle.[132][133] She was in an editorial called "Game Changers" for Fall 2017 issue of V.[134][135] She was the protagonist of the Fall/Winter 2017-18 advertizing campaign of the Italian brand Patrizia Pepe,[136][137] as well as recorded a cover of the song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (1966) as a soundtrack for the commercial for the said campaign.[138] She was in the cover and an editorial for November 2017 issue of Evening Standard.[139][140] In the same month, she released her second collaboration with the brand Foot Locker for autumn/winter collection.[141][142] In January 2018, she was part of a promotional clip for an Adidas Originals campaign called "Original Is Never Finished".[143] She starred the cover of April 2018 issue of Teen Vogue.[144] She was one of the covers for issue 113 of V entitled "The Music Issue", published in May 2018 as a limited edition.[145][146] She partnered with the fashion brand Nyden on a project to create four clothing collections, but it subsequently failed and Lipa "discontinued" her work with the brand.[147][148]
She was in the cover of British GQ for May 2018 issue.[149][150] She was in the cover for May 2018 issue of Turkish edition of Vogue.[151][152] She was in the cover for June 2018 issue of British edition of Elle.[153][154] In October 2018, she was part of an Adidas campaign called "Here to Create" in which she wore brand clothes.[155] She appeared in a Billboard editorial called "Grammy Preview" alongside Post Malone and Ella Mai.[156][157] She starred the cover for January 2019 issue of British Vogue and an editorial called "Youth Quake".[158][159] She was the image for the Pepe Jeans London spring/summer 2019 collection campaign, settling down as the first musician to be global ambassador for the brand.[160][161] Months later, she launched her first-ever capsule with the same brand for the autumn/winter collection where she designed clothing inspired by the fashion of the 90s and early 2000s and whose decades she spent part of her childhood in London and remembered her mother talking to her in a Pepe Jeans store in Portobello Road;[162] the collection included chain mail dresses, "casual" denim outfits and garments based on Lipa's "style" released in September 2019.[162][163]
Lipa was in the cover for May 2019 issue of Elle.[21][164] She starred one of the four covers in the first issue and an editorial of the re-launch of The Face released in September 2019.[165][166] She was the cover girl of the October 2019 issue and an editorial for the Spanish edition of Vogue.[167][168] She starred in a Voguesitcom clip set in the 90s titled "Dua's World" where she wore the "best" collections of New York Fashion Week.[169][170] She released her second design collaboration with Pepe Jeans London for spring/summer 2020 collection inspired by the fashion of late 1980s and early 1990s whose collection included "oversized" blazers, cropped knitwear, bodycon dresses and "metallic" miniskirts.[171][172] She was in the cover and an editorial called "True to form" for April 2020 issue of Vogue Australia.[173][174][175]
She appeared in a Rolling Stone editorial published in April 2020 to discuss about her second studio album Future Nostalgia (2020).[176][177] She starred the cover of Elle May 2020 issue and an editorial titled "Dua Lipa Gets Physical",[178][179][180] and months later she was in the cover for its Canadian and British edition.[181][182] She was the cover girl for June 2020 issue of GQ on its British edition.[183][184] She starred one of two covers for W magazine's "The Music Issue" published in September 2020.[185][186] Lipa released her third design collaboration with Pepe Jeans London for autumn/winter 2020 collection and she stated that it would be her last collaboration with the brand called "Denim decades", which was inspired by every decade since Pepe Jeans started selling denim.[187][188] In November 2020, she signed a multi-year partnership with Puma becoming the global ambassador of the brand.[189][190] She was in the cover for December 2020 issue of Attitude.[191] She starred the cover for February 2021 issue of British Vogue.[192][193] In the same month, she was protagonist of the cover for issue 1348 of Rolling Stone.[24][194] She was the cover image for March 2021 issue of Time, representing the 100 Next list about the "future 100 most influential people in the world".[195][196] In the same month, she starred on the cover of The New York Times "Music Issue".[197] She designed her outfit at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards red carpet featuring a dress in collaboration with the brand Versace inspired by the Aurora Borealis.[198][199] She protagonised a Puma brand campaign called "She Moves Us" in which she designed a shoe called "Mayze" released in April 2021.[200]
A study conducted by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people born with the name “Dua” in England and Wales was 63 in 2017, the year Lipa earned her first UK number one song with "New Rules"; this amount increased to 126 in 2019.[219][220] In May 2018, she was listed on British Vogue inaugural list of the 25 most influential British women of 2018 with Lipa being the youngest on the list at the age of 22, in its review praising her 2017 song "New Rules" as an "anthem of female empowerment [and] laid out a blueprint for modern sex lives", in addition to described her as a "culture definer".[221][222]
Lyndsey Havens from Billboard credited Lipa as the protagonist on disco's revival in 2020 by her song "Don't Start Now" (2019).[226] She inspired the French photographer, Hugo Comte, in his first photo-book.[227] She was included in Time's 100 Next list on future 100 world's most influential people by Australian singer Kylie Minogue who in her review called Lipa a "shining star".[195][196] Mark Sutherland and Jem Aswad from Variety rated Lipa as one of the most impactful women in the global entertainment industry.[228]
She released a limited edition lip gloss called "Cremesheen Glass" in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics for its campaign called "Future Forward".[260][261][262] She became the face of a perfume called "Libre" for a Yves Saint Laurent campaign launched in September 2019 for which she recorded a promo cover of the song "I'm Free" (1965) featured in advertisements for Lipa's campaigns with the brand.[263][264][265] Later she was the face of a new version of the same perfume called "Libre Intense".[266] She became an ambassador for the mineral water brand Évian in July 2020.[267] In March 2021 she performed an a cappella of her song "Levitating" (2020) for an advertisement for the "Drink True" campaign of the brand Évian.[268]
Philanthropy
Together with her father Dukagjin, she co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation in 2016 to raise funds to help people in Kosovo experiencing financial difficulties. In August 2018, she organised a festival to raise money for that foundation, called the Sunny Hill Festival. The then-Mayor of Pristina, Shpend Ahmeti, awarded her the Pristina Key, the first time one had been awarded.[269] Lipa went on to host the festival for the second year in 2019, with Miley Cyrus included as part of the performer line-up.[270] In mid-November 2018, Lipa was part of a campaign organised by UNICEF called "Go Blue" in support of children's rights, on the occasion of World Children's Day (20 November).[271] Her contribution consisted of a short video about dressing in blue or displaying the colour blue, with her in a studio re-recording the lyrics of her song "Be the One" (2015). She changed the word "red" to "blue" in the song for the occasion.[272][273] In December 2018, Lipa participated in a benefit concert for the Ellie Goulding's "Streets of London" annual charity event at Wembley Arena, which "funds specialist support for people who are homeless in London and raises awareness about homelessness."[274][275] In April 2019, she became an UNICEF supporter during a three-day visit to a camp for refugee children and youth in Beirut, Lebanon.[276] The camp included many uprooted by the conflict in Syria who did not have "adequate" health care or education and Lipa also visited young Palestinians and Syrians in Bourj el-Barajneh refugee camp.[277] She subsequently supported a campaign by her management company with a plan to raise £100,000 to help raise awareness of charities such as The Black Dog and CALM.[278]
She asked for a better mental health care for artists in creative industries, as she was "shocked" to read that "suicide rates amongst women working in the arts are almost 70% higher than in the world population". Lipa described mental health as the "issue of our generation".[279] On 26 November 2019, following the 2019 Albania earthquake, Lipa asked fans for donations and support for victims.[280][281] To raise funds she co-released a limited edition line of t-shirts called "Pray for Albania" in collaboration with Albanian fashion designers. All proceeds went to families and victims affected by the seismic event.[282][283] On 15 March 2020, she asked her fans to make donations to the UNHCR agency to deal with COVID-19 pandemic because refugees are "the most vulnerable on this planet" and they "often live in crowded places" with "limited health services."[284][285] In the same month, she was part of a television special called "Home Fest" on The Late Late Show with James Corden From His Garage with the goal of raising money for CDC and Feed the Children where she performed her song, "Don't Start Now" (2019), from an apartment in London.[286] On 16 May 2020, she did a live performance of her song "Break My Heart" (2020) on the television special Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 aimed at the high school students whose graduation ceremonies and proms were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[287] At the end of May 2020, she participated in a digital event called "Dream With Us" with the aim of raising funds,[288] whose event consisted of a streaming concert at which a portion of proceeds would go to organisations that help fight the disease of COVID-19.[289]
She was part of a charitable project organised for BBC Radio 1 for a cover of the song "Times Like These" released on 23 April 2020 in the segment Live Lounge.[290] She was part of the charity supergroup Live Lounge Allstars in which each member recorded and filmed their contribution to the song from their respective households in order to encourage social distancing in which profits from the single would primarily go to Children in Need and Comic Relief, as well as COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[291] She used social media to promove Lebanese citizens to donate blood to victims affected by the 2020 Beirut explosion.[292] She donated 5,000 euros to the Theatre of Dodona so that the venue could have its own ticket system and website.[293] She was part of an initiative organised by Belgian singer Angèle and KickCancer Foundation to fund research against childhood cancer, and it was about a charity raffle in which Lipa offered a manuscript of her song "Don't Start Now" (2019) as a prise.[294][295] She performed at 2021 Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party virtually to benefit the AIDS Foundation to combat HIV disease, whose event raised US$3 million.[296]
Political views and advocacy
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Lipa identifies as a feminist.[297] She has spoken out against sexism within the music industry, using social media to raise awareness of women's problems.[297][173] Lipa has advocated for the social equality amongst the LGBT community.[298] On 12 February 2018, she raised a rainbow flag while performing her song "Be the One" in a presentation at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles as part of The Self-Titled tour.[299] On the 2018 Brit Awards red carpet she wore a white rose dress in support of Time's Up movement.[300][301] Additionally, at the same event, she stated in her acceptance speech for an award her delight of having "women present in these stages" and more "women winning awards."[302] She explained that her perception of feminism is not about misandry but demanding the same opportunities.[303]
In September 2018, some fans were removed by security from a Lipa concert in the National Exhibition and Convention Center of Shanghai for allegedly waving rainbow flags, despite homosexuality being decriminalised in China in 1997.[305] In response, Lipa said she was "proud" of and "grateful" to the people who showed their pride at the show.[306] She participated in a short film for an initiative called "Global Feminism", directed by The Circle of Annie Lennox in association with Apple Music and released on 7 March 2019 ahead of International Women's Day. The clip intended to raise awareness of misogyny, rape, and violence against women.[307] In April 2019, she showed her support for LGBT rights in Brunei by calling for the boycott against the hotel industries of the then Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, after a penal code that punishes homosexuality with death came into force in Brunei.[308] During the Billboard Women in Music she used her Powerhouse Award acceptance speech to highlight that women "still have a lot to do for real equality" in which she also complained about the "lack of diversity" amongst the artists of the Billboard Hot 100 and asked the continued encouragement to "all the young girls out there to be the powerhouses of the future."[302]
In November 2018, Lipa expressed dissatisfaction over the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union due to Brexit because according to her personal experience "no refugee leaves their country without having to".[309] In June 2019, she made public her support for the ongoing Sudanese transition to democracy on social media by sharing a blue image that showed the phrase "Stand with Sudan" where she detailed her rejection of Khartoum massacre writing about all "women, men and children fighting for a peaceful transition to democracy".[310] She also described the event as: an attempt to "brutal murder and rape" by government forces those who try to call for democracy, a "violation of the freedom rights" of Sudanese citizens for blocking their internet and a "violation of human rights."[310] In December of the same year, Lipa endorsed the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 United Kingdom general election, comparing the policies of both Labour and Conservatives on various issues on social media and affirming that it was "the most important election in a generation".[311] She characterised Boris Johnson's victory in the election as a "total disaster".[312]
In 2013, Lipa began an on-again, off-again relationship with English chef Isaac Carew, from whom she first split in February 2017.[336] She dated the then-lead singer of the American band LANY, Paul Jason Klein, from August 2017 to January 2018.[337][338] Later she resumed her relationship with Carew, whom she then dated from January 2018 to June 2019.[339] Since 14 June 2019, she has been in a relationship with Anwar Hadid.[1]
^Denizer, Neslihan (2 June 2018). "Dua Lipa: Kim Bu Kız?". Vogue (in Turkish). Turkey. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.