Dua Lipa

British-Albanian singer, model, and entrepreneur

Dua Lipa (born August 22, 1995, London, England) is a British-Albanian singer, model, and entrepreneur. The Grammy Award-winning artist rose to prominence with her distinctively husky voice and songs that mix 1970s disco, ’80s pop, and ’90s club music.

Early life and career

Dua Lipa was born in London to parents Anesa and Dukagjin Lipa, who had fled Kosovo in 1992 at the start of the Bosnian War. Dua Lipa is the eldest of their children; she has a younger sister, Rina, and a younger brother, Gjin. The family returned to Kosovo when Lipa was 11 years old, but she moved back to London on her own at age 15. She attended the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School there and began pursuing a career in music.

In between waiting tables and working as a model, Lipa posted original songs and covers to YouTube and the music streaming service SoundCloud. She signed with an agent in 2013 and the following year signed a record deal with Warner Brothers. Lipa’s music career gained traction in Europe with 2015 singles such as “New Love” and “Be the One.”

Debut album

In 2017 Lipa released her self-titled debut studio album, which is characterized by a combination of pop, dance, and R&B music. The single “New Rules” reached number one on the U.K. charts, while the song “IDGAF” earned her the Grammy Award for best new artist. At the BRIT Awards, Lipa won best British female solo artist and British breakthrough act.

Future Nostalgia and Radical Optimism

In 2020 Lipa released her second studio album, Future Nostalgia. The singles “Levitating” and “Don’t Start Now” broke onto the U.S. charts, both peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021 the album took home the Grammy for best pop vocal album and the BRIT Award for British album of the year.

Lipa planned to tour in 2020 to promote Future Nostalgia, but she postponed her concerts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead she offered a live-streamed concert she called Studio 2054. The performance included guest appearances by Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, and Bukayo Saka of Arsenal Football Club. The show was a huge success, with some five million viewers.

In 2024 Lipa released her third studio album, Radical Optimism. Later that year she was scheduled to headline Glastonbury Festival in England.

Collaborations

In addition to contributing vocals to Silk City’s “Electricity” in 2018, Lipa has frequently collaborated with other acts on such songs as “Prisoner” (2020) with Miley Cyrus; “Un Día (One Day)” (2020) with J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Tainy; and “Sweetest Pie” (2022) with Megan Thee Stallion. She collaborated with Elton John on “Cold Heart” (2021), which remixes a few of his hits, including “Rocket Man” (1972) and “Sacrifice” (1989). The single reached number one on Billboard’s adult contemporary radio airplay chart.

Other projects: Sunny Hill music festival, Service95, and Barbie

After the success of her first album, Lipa returned to Kosovo in 2018 and cofounded the Sunny Hill music festival with her father. Lipa, Action Bronson, and Martin Garrix headlined the inaugural event, and local musicians, including her father’s band, ODA, performed. Lipa planned for the festival to become an annual event, and in 2019 it featured sets by Miley Cyrus and Calvin Harris. After being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival returned in 2022 in both Pristina, Kosovo, and Tirana, Albania. The 2023 festival was canceled, although the event was scheduled to return in 2024.

In 2022 Lipa launched Service95, a platform comprising not only a website but also a weekly newsletter, the podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service, and a book club. All four offer advice, recommendations, stories, and other forms of conversations.

Lipa made her film debut in 2023 playing Mermaid Barbie in the hit Barbie movie. She also released the single “Dance the Night” as a part of the film’s soundtrack; the single was nominated for two Grammys, including song of the year. That same year Lipa collaborated with Donatella Versace on a women’s summer collection called “La Vacanza.”