Dua Lipa, a singer-songwriter, is the daughter of Kosovar Albanian immigrants who arrived in London in the 1990s. Her name “Dua” means “love” in Albanian, and she has no middle name. Lipa was so determined to pursue a musical career that she moved to London alone at the age of 15. (Her family had returned to Kosovo a few years ago.) She promoted herself on social media before signing with a label. Lipa’s previous work was “dark pop,” but her popular second album, Future Nostalgia, had more upbeat songs. Lipa has collaborated with many musicians, including Elton John, Miley Cyrus, and Chris Martin.
Early Life and Family
Dua Lipa was born in London, England, on August 22, 1995. Lipa’s parents, Dukagjin and Anessa, fled Pristina, Kosovo, in 1992 to escape the former Yugoslavia’s violence. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic targeted the Kosovar Albanians.
Lipa’s parents came to London as refugees. Despite being students (Lipa’s father studied dentistry and her mother studied law), they worked in restaurants to make ends meet in their new home. Lipa’s birth year was 1995.
Lipa wrote her first song when she was just four years old. Her father, in addition to his dental education, had played in a rock band. “My father was a musician and music was always played around the house so it just always kind of had a big impact on me,” she said in a recent interview. Growing up, she listened to artists such as Blondie, Prince, Bob Dylan, Sting, and Pink.
Lipa’s parents decided to return to their home country in 2006 because they felt safe. They returned 11-year-old Lipa and her younger siblings, Rina and Gjin, to Kosovo.
Despite growing up speaking Albanian at home, Lipa’s linguistic abilities were inadequate for academic success. With time, her Albanian did improve. During her family’s stay in London, she met new acquaintances who informed her about the conflict in Kosovo. Lipa discovered new music through Kosovo’s hip-hop culture.
Lipa returned to London at the age of fifteen and moved in with a family acquaintance. She convinced her parents to embrace the relocation as it would enhance her studies. Her main objective, however, was to pursue singing; she believed that starting a music career in Kosovo would be impossible. In a 2020 interview with CBS News, she expressed her desire to pursue music on a global scale. I need to return there where everything is happening.”
Early Career and ‘Dua Lipa’
Lipa attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London before moving to Kosovo with her family. In addition, she attempted to gain popularity by posting song covers on YouTube. In a 2020 interview, she stated, “Deep down, I wanted to have that Justin Bieber effect, where someone would find me on YouTube!”
Lipa made money by working at a restaurant. She signed with a modeling agency, hoping to advance her profession. However, because she was not interested in dropping weight as the agency desired, few work opportunities arose.
Lipa remained focused on music, sharing tracks on SoundCloud. Though she didn’t compete on the performance-focused reality show X-Factor, she did sing in a commercial for the show. Lipa was offered a song publishing deal, which triggered a fortunate chain of events. Lipa asked a lawyer for guidance on the deal. The lawyer connected her with a management who also managed Lana Del Rey. Lipa eventually signed up with this manager.
Lipa signed a record deal in 2015. Her first single, “New Love,” was released that year. More songs followed, but her self-titled album wasn’t released until 2017. That album’s singles had mixed popularity until “New Rules” was released. The video for the mega hit has over two billion views on YouTube. The album’s other song, “IDGAF,” achieved platinum status.
Lipa’s rising reputation drew criticism, including calls for poor choreography in 2018. Despite the criticism, she utilized it as motivation to improve her dancing skills.
Growing Success and ‘Future Nostalgia’
Lipa won Best New Artist at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019. She also won a second Grammy that year, for Best Dance Recording for “Electricity.”
Lipa’s second album, Future Nostalgia, was more intimate than her first one. She came up with the title while in Las Vegas and wrote all of the record’s songs. Lipa prepared to release Future Nostalgia in early March 2020. The album then leaked online right as the globe was shutting down due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Lipa released “Future Nostalgia” a week ahead of schedule, while several other musicians paused their work.
Lipa was hesitant to release the album due to the worldwide crisis, and the leak had put her in a tough situation. Fortunately, audiences responded well to her work. Lipa called her prior songs as “dark pop,” but this album was more danceable. The tracks evoked music from the 1970s, ’80s, and 90s, while also including contemporary elements.
Lipa was the top female artist on Spotify’s listening charts the week her album was released. In November, Lipa live-streamed Studio 2054, a concert with guest appearances from Kylie Minogue, Bad Bunny, and John. Tours were not planned for 2020. Over 5 million people watched the stream, breaking a record for sponsored views.
Lipa has six nominations for the 63rd Grammy Awards.Future Nostalgia won Best Pop Vocal Album.
Activism
Lipa has expressed support for Palestine, abortion rights, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ rights. She advised UK voters to vote Labour and supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 US presidential campaign.
Lipa and her father founded the Sunny Hill Foundation, which helps young people in Kosovo. Her family’s experiences raise concerns about the future of immigrants and refugees in the United Kingdom after Brexit.
Relationship
Lipa has been dating Anwar Hadid, the model and younger brother of Gigi and Bella Hadid, since 2019.
Lipa had a relationship with Isaac Carew before she started dating Hadid.