The Dua Lipa Allure: From Potential Popstar To Bonafide Superstar
Sometimes it’s easier to build hype than to maintain a career. Dua Lipa had all the markings of a future popstar last year but it’s always difficult to predict whether the hype will translate into something larger or whether it will all fizzle out.
If you need us to tell you which way Lipa’s career went then allow this video of her crowd at Glastonbury to tell the story for you. This year, everything has clicked and Lipa has gone from potential popstar to bonafide superstar in a matter of months. 2017 has been big. At one point she had three songs in the top 10 of the UK charts, she’s collaborated with Major Lazer, Martin Garrix and Sean Paul and her recent video for New Rules has had over 80 million views in a month. Oh, and she released her debut album.
We’ve tracked Lipa’s career from the very beginning so we thought now would be the perfect time to jump on the phone with her and chat about the best moments so far and what comes next.
Where in the world are you today Dua?
I’m in London. I’m at home.
I can imagine you don’t get to spend much time at home anymore?
No. Not much but it’s lovely. You get some chill time and it’s really nice.
You’ve had a mental few months off the back of the record coming out. Does it feel like a blur?
It’s the busiest I’ve ever been in my life but I’d probably be worried if I wasn’t more busy post-first album. It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s been so great.
Is there a moment that stands out to you?
Very soon after the album dropped I did Glastonbury. I guess that’s when I realised it was a major step up in what I was doing because everyone was singing along to songs and I just really felt the energy there.
What you could see from the stage was pretty huge but by all reports, the site from outside the tent was even more amazing with people struggling to get in…
It was insane. I couldn’t believe how many people had showed up. I expected some people to come but not that many people. It was crazy to hear that the tent was overcrowded and that people were trying to get in. It was that energy and excitement that got me. I gave the best performance of my life. It was the best day ever.
Had you had a moment before Glasto that validated everything you were doing?
There have been a lot of things that have been massive milestones. Getting invited to do festivals around the world and doing Fallon and Kimmel. Just so many different things. Seeing the venues grow. Before the album was out I was seeing I was going in the right direction.
In British music at the moment there is a really strong girls club of popstars that are doing amazing things but also banding together and finding strength in that. There’s yourself and Charli XCX, RAYE and people like that. How nice has it been for you to be amongst that?
Me and Charli were texting and I absolutely love the video she did for Boys. It’s such an exciting time in music. This whole new wave that’s happening it’s really, really cool.
The response to New Rules as a song was great but it was unprecedented what happened when the video was released. It’s something I haven’t seen for a long time where the video completely drove the promo and got it out there in such a big way.
It’s never really happened like that. It’s my favourite video I’ve done and I was very proud of it. What it did for the song, it was like rocket fuel. It was just insane. I loved how much they reacted to it. I was very, very proud of it.
Are you someone who is able to put the album out and leave making new music behind for a bit or are you going to just keep working on stuff?
No, I’ve already started my second album.
I was going to ask about you and Flume being together on Instagram the other day. Is that the early workings of new music?
Yeah, we went into the studio and tried to catch a vibe. We’re going to get back in the studio and work on some more stuff. It was more just getting to know each other because we’ve never met. We got on really well and I’d love to work with him some more on the album.
What’s been really exciting to watch with you is your openness to working with all sorts of people from all different genres. How exciting has it been for you to try out so many different styles?
It’s really exciting. I love collaborating with people that others wouldn’t expect me to collaborate with. My album is a pop album but it’s full of so many different genres and I want to keep it that way because I’m able to express myself and love many different types of music. I was listening to my playlist the other day and it’s got stuff from Mac DeMarco to Vince Staples to Lorde to lots of different artists that I really love. It’s all really different and I think why can’t I have all those different things in an album? Why can’t I work with many different people and still make it sound compact and like an album? It’s exciting to get to work with other artists because you get to see what they bring to the table stylistically. I’m looking forward to doing more of that.
I think it can only make your live show more exciting too. Have you found that from your first show to now it feels more diverse?
Yeah absolutely but it still flows really well and it doesn’t feel like anything sticks out like a sore thumb.
I’m excited to see how it’s developed from last year to your Bruno Mars support shows in the country next year. Are you excited to come back here to a bigger stage?
I’m so excited. Getting to share a stage with Bruno is insane because he’s an artist I really love and admire.
Do you like supporting big artists like that in the way that you get to watch how they handle themselves?
Yeah. In general when I go on tour and work with a big artist, I learn something. When I went on tour with Troye [Sivan] his showmanship and...he’s so natural in front of a crowd. It was really good to watch night after night. I also just announced some dates with Coldplay in South America.
Dua Lipa will support Bruno Mars on his Australian tour in 2018. More info here.
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