Dua Lipa tells
THE UK HITMAKER OPENS UP TO WHO ABOUT BEING LOVED-UP AND LIKING LOCKDOWN
Aglobal pandemic won’t keep Dua Lipa down. Her second album, Future Nostalgia, is earning rave reviews for its disco-pop vibe and danceheavy music videos, which have become a saving grace for fans selfisolating at home. “If I could make someone smile or give someone a moment of comfort during this time, then I’ve done my job,” the ‘Physical’ hitmaker tells WHO from the London Airbnb where she and boyfriend Anwar Hadid – younger brother of Gigi and Bella – are holed up.
“We’re all just trying to be safe and stay inside and protect the people around us,” the 24-year-old explains, and it sounds like their mandatory lockdown is going well. For the couple: “It’s been really great – easy and fun and chill,” the star shares. “We’ve been making the most of this because we got all this extra time that we weren’t expecting. It’s been an absolute blast, and we’re learning so much more about each other.” Oh, and if you’re wondering why they’re staying in an AirBnb, the couple were forced to abandon the singer’s flooded apartment just weeks ago – talk about timing!
Just like many right now, Netflix and chill are at the top of the pair’s daily agenda. “We have a big list, and we’re slowly ticking things off,’ Lipa says. “We’ve watched lots of series – Ozark, Tiger King, Unorthodox, The Sinner – and then some older movies like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Snatch.”
But it hasn’t all been couch cuddles and TV binges. Lipa’s had her new album to spruik. Forget a world tour and summer festival performances; the London-born beauty has been using Zoom to get the word out. She even performed on The Late Late Show via the app, complete with back-up dancers Zooming in from their own homes. “It’s about making the most of what you have in a home space and then trying to make that interesting,” she says.
There’s no question Future Nostalgia is the perfect soundtrack for a European summer – but for now, fans will have to close their eyes and dream of being whisked away to Ibiza when they hit play on Spotify. Lipa says it’s “timeless”. “I wanted to touch on memories that I had growing up listening to music my parents loved like Jamiroquai, Blondie and Prince – and recreate them for now. It’s a celebration of being able to be open and vulnerable and to dance and be happy. Dancecrying is very much a thing,” she says. It has already hit No. 1 in 11 countries including the UK and reached No. 4 in the US.
Away from the recording studio, Lipa is a fierce advocate for women’s rights. “I get a lot of backlash for speaking out, but these are things I’m passionate about – and that’s that,” she told the BBC on April 2, recalling the time she used her Best New Artist acceptance speech at the 2019 Grammy Awards to slam former Recording Academy president Neil Portnow for saying women needed to “step up” if they wanted equal representation at the awards.
It’s this bravery that saw her leave her family – who had moved back to Pristina, Kosovo, in 2006 – to pursue a music career in the UK at just 15. Ballsy? Yes. Naïve? Absolutely not. Lipa had a plan. “I didn’t feel there was enough opportunity for me to do this from Kosovo,” she explains. “So when I moved to London, I was still going to school, but I thought, ‘I’m going to use social media to my advantage and I’m going to put some covers online.’ Deep down, I wanted to have that Bieber effect where someone would find me on YouTube!”
By 18, she’d landed a record contract, and in 2017 she released ‘New Rules’ – which went on to be a massive global hit. “On my first record, I was learning everything as it went,” she admitted. “I felt like the first three shows of every tour were my rehearsal days, figuring out what my set list was going to be and how I was going to perform and how I was going to talk to an audience and all that stuff.” And now? “I feel like I’m very much more in touch with who I am now. I have a very clear idea of what I’m doing and what I want to say. Things I’m not afraid of.”
“I wanted to have the Bieber effect”