London-born Dua Lipa is a 24-year-old singer, songwriter, and model. She hasn’t been in the music industry for long, but in a short space of time, she has proved her undeniable talent, which has gained her widespread exposure and popularity. But how did Dua Lipa go from being unknown to one of the world’s greatest pop stars?
Dua Lipa shot to fame rapidly in 2015 after she was signed with Warner Music Group, shortly after she released her first single New Love. Her second single Be the One, also released in 2015 as part of her self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in over eleven EU countries.
For Lipa, music has always been a hobby that she has been passionate about. By age 14, Lipa had started posting covers of her best-loved songs on her YouTube channel; in 2018, she won two Brit Awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act.
Dua Lipa’s Story
Lipa is the daughter of Albanian Dukagjin Lipa and his wife, Anesa Lipa; Lipa was born to the pair on August 22nd, 1995. In the early 90s, Lipa’s parents migrated to the UK in a bid to escape the oppressive conditions of their home country Kosovo.
Lipa’s career in the music industry might’ve already been written out for her even before she was born. She already had music in her genes from her father, who played in the band Oda.
Lipa attended Sylvia Young Theatre School as a part-time student before Lipa and her family moved back to Kosovo in 2008. A few years down the line, Lipa moved back to London to pursue her life as a pop star.
Dua Lipa’s Modeling Career
At a young age, Lipa was approached by a modeling agency, but she revealed that she was not able to meet the agency’s modeling requirements. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. Lipa spoke about the matter, here’s what she said:
“I got approached to do modeling when I was really young. I went there, but I was never the right size.”
Lipa shed light on the attitudes of the modeling agency who wanted to work with her and spoke of how the stint negatively affected her mindset. The unsuccessful modeling stint later became the inspiration for hit song Blow Your Mind (Mwah).
Dua Lipa’s Most Popular Songs
Lipa’s popularity quickly expanded between 2015 and 2018. By 2018, Dua Lipa had become the first female artist to hit 1 billion views on YouTube on her hit single New Rules. Two years on, New Rules has over 2 billion views.
On Billboard, seven of Lipa’s songs have peaked as number 1 hits while seven have peaked as top 10 hits. Her first song to chart in the US was Blow Your Mind (Mwah). Some of her other hits that have charted in the US include: Don’t Start Now, New Rules, IDGAF, and Be the One.
Dua Lipa – The ‘Quarantine Queen’
Amidst the current world health crisis, Lipa has acquired the cryptic title of Quarantine Queen. In response to the leaking of her most recent album Future Nostalgia, Lipa released a variety of performances alongside the release of her album that were filmed at her home in London.
Dua Lipa has revealed her thoughts on being crowned the Quarantine Queen during a recent interview:
“I mean, it’s interesting […] Being called “Quarantine Queen,” I don’t know — it’s funny, I guess.”
Dua Lipa’s Social Media Stats
In just five years, Lipa has amassed a whopping 46.9 million followers on Instagram, over 183,000 followers on SoundCloud, and an impressive 5.3 million Twitter followers. On top of this, Lipa has 14.3 million subscribers on YouTube. Her social media handle is @dualipa.
It’s clear Lipa has pretty advanced skills and expertise in what she does, and the future looks promising for her.