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| Country | Albanian |
|---|---|
| Activity | Singer |
Dua Lipa (; Albanian: [?dua ?lipa]; born 22 August 1995) is an English singer, songwriter, and model. Her musical career began at age 14, when she began covering songs by other artists on YouTube. In 2015, she signed with Warner Music Group and released her first single soon after.
In January 2017, Lipa won the EBBA Public Choice Award. Her self-titled debut studio album was released on 2 June 2017. The album spawned seven singles, including two UK top-10 singles "Be the One" and "IDGAF" and the UK number-one single "New Rules", which also reached number six in the United States. In February 2018, Lipa won two Brit Awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. In April, the single "One Kiss" by Lipa and Calvin Harris reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.
Early life
Lipa was born on 22 August 1995 in London, to Albanian parents from Kosovo who had left Pristina in the 1990s. She attended Sylvia Young Theatre School part-time before moving to Kosovo with her family in 2008; there she attended the private school Mileniumi i Tretë in Pristina. Lipa grew up listening to her father, singer Dukagjin Lipa. Her first name means "love" in Albanian; its atypical nature was cause for distaste in her youth, but she grew to "enjoy" it, as it eventually eliminated the need for a stage name.
At the age of 14, she began posting covers of her favourite songs by artists such as Pink and Nelly Furtado on YouTube. At the age of 15, she moved back to London with aspirations of becoming a singer. Lipa lived with a family friend and studied at Parliament Hill School, returning to the Sylvia Young Theatre School on Saturdays. At the age of 16, she began working as a model. In 2013, at the age of 18, she starred in a television advertisement for The X Factor.
Career
2015-2017: Breakthrough and Dua Lipa
In 2015, Lipa began working on her debut album for Warner Music Group. In August 2015, she released her first single "New Love", produced by Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt. She released her second single "Be the One", in October 2015. "Be the One" achieved success across Europe, reaching number one in Belgium, Poland and Slovakia, as well as charting within the top 10 in over 11 European territories. In Australia and New Zealand, the song became an airplay success, reaching numbers 6 and 20 respectively. Lipa describes her musical style as "dark pop". On 30 November 2015, she was revealed as one of the acts on the BBC Sound of...2016 long list. Her first tour in the UK and Europe began in January 2016. In November 2016, Lipa concluded her tour through Europe.
On 18 February 2016, Lipa released her third single "Last Dance", followed by "Hotter than Hell" on 6 May. "Hotter than Hell" became a hit worldwide, especially in the UK, where it peaked at number 15. On 26 August, her fifth overall single "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" was released, peaking at number 30 in the UK. It became the singer's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 72. "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" also topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and reached number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart.
In November 2016, Sean Paul released the single "No Lie" featuring Lipa. The song reached number 10 in the UK. In December 2016, a documentary about Lipa was commissioned by The Fader magazine, called See in Blue. In January 2017, Lipa released the single "Scared to Be Lonely" with Martin Garrix, reaching number 14 in the UK.
Her self-titled debut studio album was released on 2 June 2017. Its sixth single "New Rules", released in the following month, became Lipa's first number one in the UK, and the first by a female solo artist to reach the top in the UK since "Hello" by Adele in 2015. Her best-selling single to date, the song also charted in the top ten in other territories, including number 2 in Australia, number 6 in the US and number 7 in Canada. Lipa performed at the Glastonbury Festival in June, attracting one of the biggest audiences at that year's event. She performed on the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland in October. In December, Lipa was named the most streamed woman of 2017 in the UK by Spotify. She had four singles reach the UK top 10 in 2017, with "Be the One", "Bridge over Troubled Water" (a charity single arranged by Simon Cowell for the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London), "New Rules" and "No Lie".
2018-present: Second studio album
In January 2018, Lipa received nominations in five categories at the Brit Awards - more nominations than any other artist that year. She 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"). This was the first time that a female artist had received five nominations. She performed at the awards ceremony held on 21 February at the O2 Arena in London and won the awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act.
Lipa announced via social media that she had begun working on new material for her second album. She is working with MNEK, who previously co-wrote her single "IDGAF". The singer also collaborated with electronic music producer Whethan on a song called "High" for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack released in February 2018.
On 6 April 2018, Lipa and Calvin Harris released the single "One Kiss" which topped the UK Singles Chart on 20 April, making it Lipa’s second UK number one; Lipa provided the vocals and is also credited as a writer. She performed in the opening ceremony of the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final in Kiev on 26 May.
In May 2018, she said that her second album, likely released in 2019, would be heavily influenced by acts such as Prince and OutKast. It was also reported that she plans to have collaborations with other artists coming out later in 2018, such as one with Mark Ronson and Diplo's newly-formed superduo Silk City. Ronson later confirmed the song's title would be "Electricity".
Philanthropy
In 2016, Lipa created the Sunny Hill Foundation with her father to donate to the citizens of Kosovo, where her parents are originally from.
Filmography
Discography
- Dua Lipa (2017)
Tours
- Headlining
- 2016 UK Tour (2016)
- Hotter than Hell Tour (2016)
- US and Europe Tour (2017)
- The Self-Titled Tour (2017-2018)
- Opening act
- Troye Sivan - Suburbia Tour (2016)
- Bruno Mars - 24K Magic World Tour (2017-2018)
- Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2017)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Official website
- MusicFeeds interview (April 2016)
- See in Blue documentary (The Fader, December 2016)
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