In a radicalized society determined to eliminate women from the realm of existence, emerges a diva, fighting for the rights of her kind, not with swords but with words.
The fearless enchantress from Pristina, Dua Lipa, refuses to cower down to the ancient voices of terror, trying to tie her down in the name of tradition.
Inspiring millions of women confined to the corners of their rooms with her rebellious lifestyle and lyrics, Dua Lipa is more than just a pretty face with a lovely voice.
Born on 22nd August, 1995, to Kosovan parents in London, she became the first female singer with a song named as the Billboard Hot 100 Song of the Year.
A non-practicing muslim, she was greatly influenced by her father’s Kosovan band Oda, while growing up.
Addicted to vegetable salads and red wine, Dua Lipa seldom eats after 6 p.m and often craves for traditional Albanian dishes such as ajvar and spicy sujuk.
A product of Sylvia Young Theatre School, Dua was obsessed with Cellos before the bullies destroyed her passion for the stringed instrument.
Self-confessed P!nk addict, she would listen to “Let’s get the Party Started” for hours on repeat, during her gloomy days in Pristina, Kosovo.
Leaving London along with her parents, to celebrate the Kosovan independence in 2008, a 15 year old Dua returned alone to the Metropolis, with a heart of steel and looks of an angel.
Scared of high notes and claustrophobic, let’s spill the beans on some of Dua Lipa’s little known secrets:
She Used to Work in a Nightclub
London is no place for a cherubic, lonely 15 year old, with the body of goddess.
Destitute and desperate, there are only two places you can crush overnight.
A church or a stripclub, the former has no monetary incentives but the devil can indeed give you wings to fly.
With little support from her parents, Dua had to take up multiple jobs, to pay for her musical edification.
Apart from working at a Mexican restaurant in Soho, she was a popular hostess for a Mayfair based nightclub.
Andrew Tate Wanted to Marry Her
Andrew Tate once confessed in a podcast that he had a huge crush on Dua Lipa to such an extent, that he visualized having kids with her.
But once he came to know, she was a LGBTQ supporting feminist, he dropped the idea of meeting her.
Assaulted a Police Officer
Her first time in the wrong side of the law was when she was 15 years old.
She was with her friends and they threw bubble baths at a police officer off a balcony.
But the “One Kiss” singer wasn’t arrested, as the officer never called her mother nor did they get a warning via post.
Cursed by Her Choir Teacher
When she was eleven, ‘New Rules” singer auditioned to join the school choir.
However, her choir teacher didn’t like her raspy voice and told her off, saying that she could never be a singer in her life.
Where is the teacher now?
Took Off from Pristina
Coming from a traditional family with strong Islamic values, a non- religious woman is often subjected to subtle humiliation in Kosovo.
A secular country with 96 percent of Islamic population, young Kosovar women are ditching their western attire for full niqabs as pubs are torn down to make way for mosques.
Women without head scarfs are openly abused and ostracized by their family members, which seldom happened before their independence from Serbia.
Taking the risk of being disowned by her family, a hell-bent Dua left for London with the blessings of her father but not her mother.
Not Your Servant
Seldom would you come across a celebrity that criticizes their parents in public.
Dua Lipa is no exception, but then, ‘There is no smoke without fire’.
“Don’t Start Now” singer says all the cooking and cleaning was too much for her and that’s the reason for travelling 1600 miles, with a limited amount of funds.
Perhaps her mother wanted her to get married to one of her distant cousins.
Shaved Bald
When Dua was young, her parents thought shaving her bald would make her look smarter and they did it! she was six years old and didn’t have much of a say to it.
Hated Her Name
Growing up in London, with an Eastern European name, is every bully’s dream come true and every child’s worst nightmare.
Wishing so badly that she had a normal English name, little did she realise that her name would echo in the minds of billions of people, a few years later.
In Google She Trusts
One of the very first things “Dance the Night” singer did, when she landed in London was to call publishing houses in the city.
Reading through Google Reviews she was able to shortlist the best publishers and received an offer in no time.
Feud with Rita
Remember Rita Ora the lady accused of cheating on Beyoncé with Jay-Z?
She has a feud with Dua even though they come from the same place and even went to school together.
They are constantly competing against each other.
Third Lawsuit
Not every lawsuit is a broken down musician’s million dollar ticket.
While most of them are a desperate attempt to rip off a genuine artist, in the most legitimate manner, some are worth the second look.
One such lawsuit was filed on Aug 1, 2023, in the LA courthouse by musician Bosko Kante against Dua Lipa and Warner Music for unlawfully using his Talk Box recordings in the remixed versions of “Levitating”.
Artikal Sound System, a Florida based Reggae group filed a lawsuit in May 2022, which they eventually dropped after being censured by the judge.
And the most embarrassing of them all, filed by songwriters Sandy Linzer and Russell Brown, arguing the opening melody of “Levitating” is very similar to their late 70s, early 80s songs “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and “Don Diablo”.
The judge rightfully sided with the “Last Dance” singer, saying she wasn’t even born, when those songs were released but the songwriters are desperate for a settlement from Dua.
Gay Activist
She was in China during a concert when security forced some of her fans out for waving gay rights flags.
She broke down in tears as security dragged the fans out.
Scraped Out of Barbie Movie
As “Dance the Night” officially enters the 10th place in the Billboard Hot 100 charts (Aug 12, 2023) , Dua Lipa has every right to feel ‘ditched’ by Greta Gerwig, director of the Barbie, as she had a mere 30 second presence in the entire movie.
Playing the Mermaid Barbie, she seldom says anything apart from ‘Hi Barbies’ except for one solid scene, where she offers beer to John Cena without uttering a word.
A sportive Dua took it all by her stride, saying, these are just baby steps for her upcoming blockbuster movie career.
33rd Tooth
“Don’t Start Now” singer once shared her dental x-ray on Insta stories, which confirmed the rumour, she was indeed having an extra tooth and her dentist jokingly called her a hyperdontia.
Forgave Her Ex
Seldom would you hear the “No Lie” singer rant about her private life in public.
A staunch feminist, she forgave her ex, Anwar Hadid many a times, for stabbing her back with paid escorts and models.
Fed up with his antics, Dua has a new bae, Romain Gavras with whom she shared the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival in May, 2023.
Humiliated by Cristiano Ronaldo
Before Ukraine got decimated by the war, UEFA Champions League final was held at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, Kyiv in 2018, where Dua was slated to perform.
As she was entering the players den after a stunning performance, Ronaldo was on his way to take the field and gave her a stone-cold look.
An awestruck Dua was held spellbound by his presence and stared in disbelief but a focused Ronaldo just ignored her like a nonentity and kept on walking.
“Don’t Start Now” singer somehow managed to summon a smile, as she faded away into oblivion.
That was the last time Ronaldo won the UCL championship , as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3 – 1.
