British pop queen Dua Lipa is about to land on Australian shores for the ARIA Awards next week so we saw it only fitting to celebrate by sharing 24 killer facts about Dua.
With only a debut self-titled album under her belt, Dua's record is already multi-Platinum in several countries around the world, thanks to bangers like IDGAF, New Rules and collabs with heavyweights like Diplo and Mark Ronson (Silk City) like Electricity.
Just recently she dropped the insanely groovy Don't Start Now and she's been performing it around the world, and soon she'll be hitting up Sydney's annual Mardi Gras in 2020 to bring her good vibes to the LGBTQI+ community of Australia.
1. Dua Lipa isn't a stage name
Yep, Dua Lipa is the name she was born with (it's pronounced 'Doer Leaper'). She says she didn't love it when she was growing up, but later realised it saved her from finding a stage name!
2. Her first name means 'love' in Albanian
Dua is born to Albanian parents from Kosovo (though she was born in London), and returned to live there in 2008.
3. Her dad's a singer too
Dua’s father, Dukagjin Lipa, runs in the music industry too as a musician and founder of a festival called Sunny Hill Festival in Kosovo. Judging by his Instagram feed, we reckon he's Dua's biggest fan.
4. Her choir teacher told her she couldn't sing
When Dua was 11, her choir teacher told her she couldn't sing as her voice was too low. If only they could see her now!
5. She's supported some huge acts on tour
If you're a Bruno Mars, Troye Sivan or Coldplay fan, you may have caught Dua on tour with them as a supporting act. Speaking of Coldplay...
6. Chris Martin wrote on her album
Last year, Dua met up with the Coldplay frontman in Miami to work on a song together. It ended up on her self-titled album as the last track, Homesick, which features Chris on uncredited guest vocals. "At first, it was just meant to be me [singing], but then I begged him to sing too. I was like, ‘You have to be on this song!’ And he agreed. It’s the most beautiful song on the album. I think it really brings everyone in for a little cry," she told NME. He's also credited as a co-writer.
7. She moved out of home at 15
Wanting to make a career out of music, Dua moved back from Kosovo to London and shared a flat with some friends. “The cooking and the cleaning… that was tough. I mean, the realisation that no one was going to clean up after me was tough!” Dua told NME last year. “Stuff like that really made me grow up before my time. My mum came to visit once, opened my wardrobe and said, ‘What are all these clothes?’ I was like, ‘Those are all the dirty clothes that I’ve never washed!’”
8. Like many artists, she has uploaded YouTube covers
"When I was 15 I was posting covers online but it was never one of those things that went viral, it was more of a way for me to use it as a portfolio," Dua says. She covered Etta James' I Would Rather Go Blind and Alessia Cara's Here.
9. She worked on the door of a club in Mayfair
Dua had to hustle in non-music jobs like every artist trying to make it. She worked the door at a nightclub and often had to deny her own friends entry for wearing sneakers.
10. She got signed at the age of 18
Dua was signed by Warner Bros just three years after she moved back to London to pursue music full-time. "I remember calling my parents in Kosovo and telling them to catch a flight to London so they could come to the signing," she remembers.
11. The video for New Rules has a loooot of YouTube views
Dua's famous break-up anthem New Rules has racked up 1.9 billion YouTube views since the video's release in July 2017. Aussie partystarter Alison Wonderland also remixed the track shortly after its release.
12. She was one of the most streamed female artists on Spotify
At one point she was the top most streamed female until recently Camila Cabello took the crown. She has 37 million monthly listeners! Ed Sheeran is the most streamed artist with almost 64 million monthly listeners.
13. She's the first female artist to receive five Brit Award nominations
In 2018, Dua was nominated for British Female Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act, MasterCard British Album Of The Year (Dua Lipa), British Single Of The Year (New Rules) and British Video Of The Year (New Rules), making it the first time a female artist had scored five nominations at the Brits. She ended up taking home two - British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act.
14. She was given a key to her hometown in Kosovo
In 2018, Dua returned to the city of Prishtina, Kosovo to be awarded the first key to the city from the mayor.
15. She has a bit of a crush on Robbie Williams
The resident bad boy of British pop Robbie Williams has stolen a little piece of Dua's heart. She says in a recent interview, "My mum had a crush on him when I was really young and I saw him at the iTunes festival and I was life yeah, he’s pretty fit."
16. She also loves Tupac
Apparently if you ever take Dua out to karaoke, she'll rip out a killer rendition of Tupac's Changes.
17. She's got a few tats
In an interview, she explained she has a palm tree, the word 'Sunny Hill' which is her town in Kosovo, the sentence 'this means nothing', the word 'angel', two Keith Haring dancing figures, an all-seeing eye and letters dedicated to her brother and sister.
18. She and a fan have matching tattoos
A Spanish fan once came up to Dua and told her they got the same 'angel' tattoo that Dua has on her shoulder. Now they're twinning for life!
19. She’s a spelling queen
Dua reckons she's not good at anything other than singing EXCEPT for spelling, though we're pretty sure she has a few other talents too.
20. She worked on music with Ariana Grande
On top of getting in the studio with Diplo, Mark Ronson, Romy from The xx and Florence Welch, Dua worked on a track with Ariana too. Sadly, Dua doesn't think it'll ever see the light of day - hopefully they jump back in the vocal booth together again soon though.
21. She has 36 million followers on Instagram
What more can we say about this? It's where we get awesome behind-the-scenes clips of her in studio, touring and of her many killer outfits.
22. She's the new face of Yves Saint Laurent Beauty
Dua's make-up is always on point and recently she was made the official face of the YSL Beauty brand, with a few ads featuring her and YSL's new perfume out now. Check out the one below as well as the hilarious outtake.
23. Her new album will feature Diplo, Pharrell and more
While we have no official news on the next Dua record yet, she's spoken about it and how she's been working with the likes of Pharrell, Diplo, Tove Lo and even Nile Rodgers. "With the music, it's also about ensuring they have a safe space, a place where they can come and listen to the music and hang out. That's what's really important to me," she said of the new music, adding that it would be a "nostalgic" pop album. Don't Start Now is an amazing teaser for what's to come.
24. Dua and her family run Kosovo's biggest music festival
You might've seen Dua share photos from her hometown Prishtina's Sunny Hill Festival, but it's not just any music festival - Dua and her family run the festival under their charity, Sunny Hill Foundation. With Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris and more playing this year, Dua and her family are always guests of honour when they're there and this year was no different.
cop some merch from Dua Lipa here
