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Dua Lipa: Pop's Dance Revival Star

Dua Lipa was born on August 22, 1995, in London, England, to Kosovar Albanian parents. Her father was a musician, and she began singing at age five. At 15, she moved back to London alone to pursue music, posting song covers on YouTube and SoundCloud. She signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2014 — and went on to lead pop's great dance revival.

New Rules and the Debut Album

Lipa's self-titled debut album arrived in 2017, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart. The single "New Rules" became her first UK number-one song and a global anthem, its video crossing one billion YouTube views. She won Brit Awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act in 2018.

Future Nostalgia: A Defining Album

Her second album, Future Nostalgia (2020), became her first UK number-one album and reached the top three in the United States. Built on disco and synth-pop, it produced "Don't Start Now," "Physical," "Break My Heart," and "Levitating" — which reached number one on the Billboard year-end Hot 100 chart for 2021. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. She had previously won Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording, bringing her total to three Grammy Awards.

Radical Optimism and Glastonbury

Lipa's third album, Radical Optimism, was released in May 2024 and debuted at number one in the UK, led by the singles "Houdini," "Training Season," and "Illusion." That summer, she headlined Glastonbury — one of the most coveted slots in live music. She also contributed "Dance the Night" to the Barbie soundtrack in 2023 and made her acting debut in the film.

Lipa's collaborations have been as successful as her solo work. "One Kiss" with Calvin Harris became the best-selling song of 2018 in the UK and won the Brit Award for Song of the Year. Her 2021 collaboration "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Elton John reached number one in the UK. With her father, she founded the Sunny Hill Foundation, which supports people in need in Pristina and beyond, and the connected Sunny Hill Festival brings major international acts to Kosovo.

Legacy

Dua Lipa brought disco back to the top of the charts and did it with precision: every era carefully designed, every single built to last. She is pop's most disciplined architect of the 2020s.

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