All language subtitles for Dua Lipa Elevating

- With all my songs, I don't
really know any different,

so I have to talk about
personal experiences.

I guess it's not necessarily
just about one person.

It's really about
finding happiness

and being confident in that
and not allowing anyone

to take that away from you.

Dua Lipa has become one

of the biggest names in pop.

From the moment she released
her first single in 2015,

there was no limit to
what she would achieve.

Her catchy pop tunes and
smooth, sultry vocals

have made her music
appeal to a wide audience,

gaining her fans
across the globe.

Her commitment and
positivity towards her goals

and music career have made
her the deserving winner

of countless awards,
including two Grammys.

Dua Lipa's popularity
quickly expanded

between 2015 and 2018.

By 2018, she had become
the first female artist

to hit one billion
views on YouTube

on her hit single "New Rules."

- If you're not a female artist

that's by a piano
or by a guitar,

people are instantly gonna
think you're manufactured

or you don't write
your own songs

or you don't make
your own music,

and I feel like we have to
spend a lot more time proving

to the world that this is us.

Two years on,

"New Rules" has over
two billion views.

Her music brings an
essence of confidence

and authenticity
which her fans adore.

- When I get up on
stage, I do what I feel.

I dance the way I feel
like just my body moves,

and I like to perform
in different ways.

I find myself headbanging and
throwing kicks and jumping up

and down rather than having
like a set choreography.

I feel like for me,
that's way more organic.

If I just go into the
studio and I write fiction,

although it's my words,

if I don't have the
story to back it up with,

no one's gonna believe it.

And I think that's also a
big part of my songwriting

as well and why I feel like
I do it the way I do it.

With a long
lasting career ahead of her,

Dua Lipa has cemented her legacy

in pop from such a young age.

- When I think of it and
what I would like to say

to my younger audience
is that no matter

what you decide to
put your mind to,

you should always work
really hard for it.

Always believe in
yourself because one thing

that I know is I
always had to believe

in myself first
before anybody else,

and that was the one thing
that I felt really carried me

and helped me build
my confidence and
really helped me learn

who I am as an artist
and as a person.

Dua Lipa was
born in London, England

to Kosovo-Albanian parents.

She has always
praised her parents

for being positive influences
on our life, even to this day.

- Being from two places at once,

I feel like I
represent both Kosovo

and I feel like the
UK at the same time.

I've seen my parents
work my whole life.

I've seen them go to
work during the day,

go to university in the
evening, take us to school,

be parents, be there for
us, at the same time,

get an education,
working multiple jobs.

I've seen them adapt to
whatever was thrown at them,

and, at the same
time, make us feel

like we weren't missing
out on anything.

And I think watching them work
so hard has been so ingrained

on me that I'm I guess a
little bit of a workaholic.

I feel like I can't
stop until I get

what I want or I am
where I wanna be,

and I actually thank
my parents for that

because they've always
told me that you have

to work really hard
to get a little bit

of luck and you
make your own luck,

and that's the best advice
that I think I've been given.

She clarified with fans that,

while Dua Lipa may sound like
somewhat of a stage name,

it is, in fact, her birth name,

and Dua can be translated
to mean love in Albanian.

Well, I guess
when I was younger,

I didn't really
appreciate my name

as much as I guess I do now,

because especially when
I was living in London,

I was like, "I just
want a normal name."

I'm really proud of it, and
it has such a lovely meaning,

and my grandmother,

it was like my
grandmother's favorite name,

which is why my
dad gave it to me.

And I never actually
got to meet her

because she passed
before I was born,

so I always feel like I get to
keep a piece of her with me.

Dua's father
had a large musical influence

on her as he was the lead singer

and guitarist of a
Kosovan rock band.

Her father continued
to play music at home,

which inspired her to get
involved with music herself.

She started singing at age five.

She attended Sylvia
Young Theatre School

until the age of
13 when she moved

from London to Kosovo
with her family.

- It was quite exciting for me

'cause I'd finished.

All my friends are going
to different schools.

I was not going to the same
school as my closest friends

from primary school
anyway, so I was like,

"I guess I'm just going
into a different country."

And I was really excited
because I have family

in Kosovo that I'd
never met before.

And so, yeah, I went down.

I went to Kosovo, and
it was really exciting,

but obviously, I thought
my Albanian speaking

was a lot better than it was

until I started going to school,

and everyone was like,

"Okay, you're definitely
talking Albanian

like an English person
would, fully with an accent."

But it was an
amazing experience.

It was such a
different kind of life.

As a teenager,

Dua Lipa began recording
herself singing covers

of popular pop songs and
uploaded them to YouTube.

Although her true
passion was in music,

she began a modeling
career around this time

and signed with an agency.

This then helped her acquire
a producer and manager,

allowing her to enter the
world of music professionally.

In 2014, Dua Lipa
signed a record deal

with the large
production company,
Warner Brothers Records.

This has been called a
smart decision on her part,

as the company didn't have
a large female register

at that time, which meant
she captured their attention

from day one and
helped to change that.

In August 2015, she
released her first single

titled "New Love," which
was all about her struggle

to find her place in
the music industry.

Her second single "Be the One"

was released to large
European success,

charting in the top 10 in
over 11 European territories.

Her first tour in the UK

and Europe began in January 2016

and concluded in
November the same year.

Let me see all your hands up!

On February 18th, 2016,

Dua Lipa released her
third single, "Last Dance,"

followed by "Hotter
than Hell" on May 6th.

"Hotter Than
Hell" reached success,

particularly in the UK,
where it peaked at number 15.

On August 26th, her
fifth overall single,

"Blow Your Mind" was released,

peaking in number 30 in the UK.

It became her first entry
on the US Billboard Hot 100,

debuting at number 72.

How excited are you

about the album, or are
you bit with trepidation?

- I'm really excited.

I just got back
from LA yesterday,

and I've been working,
finishing it off,

and it's finally
really comes together.

I got some really
special surprises, so.

And you're
gonna be performing some

of these tracks at
festivals this summer,

I guess?
- Yeah.

Well, some of the album
will be out by then, so.

Dua Lipa's
self-entitled debut studio album

was released on the
2nd of June, 2017.

- I'm excited for everyone
to hear the new record.

I think, for me, again,
it's also being able

to have that ongoing
conversation with my fans

and my listeners with the
music and also ensuring

that they have a safe
space and a place

where they can come and listen
to the music and hang out,

and that's what's
really important for me.

Its sixth single, "New Rules,"

released in the following month,

became her first
number one in the UK

and the first by a female
solo artist to reach the top

in the UK since Adele's
song "Hello" in 2015.

"New Rules" was met with acclaim

from music critics, with
many labeling it a breakup

and female empowerment anthem.

As of March 2021, it is
the most streamed song

by a British female in the UK,

and it broke the record
for the most weeks

on the US mainstream
Top 40 chart.

- I feel like I'm very much
more in touch with who I am,

which was something
that I was very,

especially when I
started songwriting
properly for my album.

Now I have a very clear
idea of what I'm doing

and what I wanna
say and who I am

and things I'm not afraid of.

Another successful single

from the album was
to track "IDGAF."

Lyrically, the song is about
an ex-boyfriend who intends

to get back with her before
she sends him on his way.

- I think, with all my songs,

I don't really
know any different,

so I have to talk about
personal experiences.

I guess it's not necessarily
just about one person.

It's more just like
about experiences,

about things that I've
spoken to with my friends

about their experiences as well.

It's really about
finding happiness

and being confident in that
and not allowing anyone

to take that away from you.

So the main the way I like
to think about is like I work

on these songs and then once
they're out into the world,

they no longer belong to me.

So whatever they wanna make
of it, it's up to them.

I think art is subjective.

I think some people
will also want

to pretend it's about them.

Several music critics

complimented the
strong production

and post breakup
lyrics of "IDGAF."

The song was viewed as
a sequel to "New Rules."

She also performed

at the Glastonbury
Festival that same year

to a large crowd
of adoring fans.

- I never like to base
success on accolades,

but on getting the recognition
and getting up there

in front of my
fans and my peers,

it does mean a lot, and
I appreciate it so much,

and it makes me wanna
work really, really hard,

and I'm excited for new music.

Sometimes, it's just
the little things.

In December,

Dua 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,"
"New Rules", "No Lie,"

and "Bridge Over
Troubled Water,"

a charity single for the
families of the victims

of the Grenfell
Tower fire in London.

- It's been really lovely,
and it's been really nice,

and it's given me
the opportunity

to tour all over the world.

And I've announced
some dates in the US,

and I'm just really
grateful for it all,

so I'm looking
forward to everything.

We're almost at that time

where we start going,
"Been a good year.

What about next year, 2018?"

- Well, next year I'm really
touring until April 2018,

but in between whenever
I have time I'm writing

for the next album.

I'll be releasing new
music, new videos.

So yeah, I'll be around.

Even as these bigger shows,

how do you feel about that step
up in terms of the capacity?

- It's surreal to get to
announce shows like that,

but it's really cool.

It makes me a bit
nervous. I'm excited.

I've already started
planning 'cause every show,

I want it to be like a
step up production wise,

and I want to bring
a whole new new show

every time people
come to see it,

so I'm really looking
forward to it.

In January 2018,

Dua Lipa received nominations

in five categories
at the Brit Awards,

more nominations than any
other artists that year.

She was nominated for
British Album of the Year

for "Dua Lipa," British
Single of the Year

and British Video of the
Year for "New Rules,"

British Female Solo Artist,
and British Breakthrough Act.

She went on to win
British Female Solo Artist

and British Breakthrough Act.

This was the first time
that a female artist

had received five nominations.

Dua took this opportunity
when receiving the awards

to make a statement about
women in the music industry

and show her feminist side.

- But I've always
been so, so in love

with so many incredible
female artists,

and I've always looked up to
them and they've been there.

But I think now we're
at a time where people

are really paying
attention to us,

and so we're
screaming real loud.

Even by seeing the nominations
in different categories

at award shows, it's
changed drastically.

Every year, it changes and
gets better in our favor,

and I think that's
a nice feeling.

For men, getting older and
an industry is celebrated,

whereas for women, we're
instantly being put down or,

"Surely she can't be
still doing pop music

because she's getting older,"

or whatever I guess
the dialogue is,

but it's quite upsetting
because why can't we?

As a female artist,
well, in general,

for all female artists,

when we start something
in our careers,

we wanna have longevity and
we don't want the reason

of us aging to be the
reason we stop working

or people stop being
interested in us.

We still create very
interesting things.

We still have a lot to say.

We still have a lot
to bring to the table.

But why is it so
different for us?

And I think it's a lot to
do with the conversations

that are still being
made on social media

and being made online, and
those aren't allowing us to grow

and aren't allow
us to be ourselves

whereas we portray
that very much so

when we're speaking
in front of a camera.

It's as if like me coming
out now and being like,

"I support women
and I'm doing this,"

but then I go on social
media and I'm talking about

or comparing two women
against each other or why one

isn't better than the other
or that kind of thing.

It's very hypocritical,

and so it's trying to
get away from that.

Dua Lipa
started working on music

for her second
album in March 2018.

In April 2018, she collaborated
with DJ Calvin Harris

to release the
single "One Kiss,"

which topped the
UK singles charts,

becoming her second number one.

She provided the
vocals for the track

and is also credited
as a writer.

When you hear that "One Kiss"

has been streamed more than
one and a half billion times?

- My goodness.
- That slightly mind blowing?

- You're the first person
to have told me that,

so I'm like, "Oh my God."

It is mind blowing.

It's crazy, and it
was one of those songs

where I know when we
did it, I was like.

I constantly kept listening
to it before it came out,

I was like, "I just don't know
if people are gonna get it.

I don't know if people
are gonna get it."

And it's that nervous, exciting,

anxious butterfly
feeling that you get

before you put something out,

and I think you only
get those feelings

when you really
believe in something

and you really want other people

to feel the same way
about it as you do.

So I'm excited that they did,

and I'm grateful that they did,

and we got a Brit for
it, which is pretty cool.

The single went on

to become the biggest
selling song in the UK

of 2018 and topped the chart
for eight consecutive weeks.

Dua also collaborated on
another track with Mark Ronson

and Diplo's newly formed
super duo Silk City.

They released the track
"Electricity" in September 2018,

which was extremely
popular with the fans.

Dua Lipa won Best New Artist

and Best Dance Recording
for her collaboration

on "Electricity" at the
61st annual Grammy Awards.

I get very excited obviously
for the recognition,

especially for something
like the Grammys

to be a British
artist and to know

that people are listening
to my songs over there

and that people are
coming to the shows

and they know my name,
and it means a lot to me.

Being British and
having your music heard

over in the states
is quite a big deal,

at least it is for me
because it gives me

so much opportunity to
be able to tour there,

and not only just in America
but to be able to go over

to Australia and
New Zealand then go

to Asia and South America,

and it's really, it
just opens so many doors

to be able to tour worldwide.

I very much split my
time between London

and Los Angeles or
New York in order

to have my music
be heard out there.

You need to dedicate a lot
of time and a lot of effort

and lots of, you have
to do the groundwork.

I think I really,
really took the time

and especially when I was
touring on my first album.

I think I went around
America three times,

just as I did with
everywhere else in Europe.

I worked really hard.

I'm so grateful for
the recognition,

but I've still got
lots of work to do.

Dua Lipa's second album,

titled "Future Nostalgia,"
and its accompanying tour

was announced in December 2019.

- When I kept thinking about it,

I know that everybody's like,

"The second album is
always the hardest album."

But I've tried to
take my mind away

from that and just
have fun with it.

People are just
constantly releasing songs

and releasing music.

It's just like this
is the body of work

where I just wanna show
this is what I love.

This is what I do,

and you can just constantly
keep putting stuff out.

And it's gotta be fun. You
can't be too stressed about it.

You can't get yourself in
this vicious cycle of like,

"Oh, will this go on the
radio. Will this be?"

So it's all about
just being proud

of what you put your name to,

and that's just what I'm doing.

The first
single "Don't Start Now"

was released around the same
time and peaked at number two

in both the UK singles charts
and the US Billboard Hot 100.

Dua's second single leading up

to the release of the
album was "Physical."

It was released on the
30th of January, 2020,

and the song's music video
was released a day later.

The music video for "Physical"

was nominated for
Best Art Director

at the Berlin Music
Video Awards in 2020.

"Future Nostalgia" was
released on March 27th

to widespread critical
acclaim following the release

of the record's third
single, "Break My Heart,"

on March 25th.

Since March
2020 was around the time

of the beginning of the
worldwide COVID pandemic,

Dua Lipa considered pushing
the release date back in hopes

of being able to promote the
album outside of isolation.

However, that didn't
quite go as planned.

The album originally had a
release date of April 3rd

but was leaked a week early,

giving her no choice but to
deliver fans her new album.

- I just feel like when I
was making my last album,

like towards the end of
it, everything was like

or the way that I was
describing, it was like,

"Oh, well my album,
I make dark pop,

and that's just what it is."

I really fell in love with the
whole concept of dance crying

because I was like, "I
wanna make people dance."

But if you listen to
the lyrics a bit more,

I feel like it could
also make you cry.

It's very emotional.
It's very real.

It's something that's
happening in my life.

"Future Nostalgia" just
came from so much happiness

and joy and dancing, and that
was just the only message

that I wanted to push forward.

And I feel like it
really radiates that

and the energy of it is that,

and I didn't feel
like I wanted to sit

on a piano and make a ballad.

I was like, "I just
wanna keep going.

Let's just keep dancing.
Let's just do it."

There was nothing
holding me back in that,

and creatively, that
wasn't where I was at.

Releasing the
album during the pandemic meant

that there would be no tour
or no talk show appearances.

However, it just so happened
to be the perfect time

to deliver new music.

- When I was making
it, obviously,

I had the idea that it
was gonna be listened to

in the club, in a bar, people
going out, getting ready.

I had very different
ideas for it

when I was making this record,

but I definitely feel like
it still served its purpose.

It's served for me as a form
of escapism, and I feel like,

although it was scary
when releasing the record

'cause it was at such
an uncertain time,

we didn't know how long we
would be in this situation,

for how long the
pandemic would last,

we never thought that
we'd be a year in

and still with the
same lockdown measures

and stuff like that.

But I feel like it also just
came at the perfect time

for everybody to be able to
have like or, in my eyes,

I hope that people
had it for them be

like a source of escapism
when they're at home

and dancing in the kitchen.

For one second, if
you close your eyes,

maybe you think you're outside

clubbing or something.

And so I think it was
perfect just the way it is.

I think some things
are just meant to be,

and hopefully, when
the time comes,

we can go back out and
dance to these songs

whenever the time is right.

I'm grateful that it served
as like a form of escapism,

at least, during this time
for myself and people around,

and my whole idea behind
it was to still be able

to create a fun world
for people to enjoy even

while they were at home,
and, and I feel lucky

that I had the
opportunity to do that.

"Future Nostalgia"

became the most streamed
album by a woman

and fifth most streamed album
overall on Spotify in 2020.

The album debuted at number two

on the official UK Albums Chart

but then peaked at number one

on the official UK Albums
Chart the following week

in April 2020 while four

of the album's singles
entered the top 10

of the official singles chart.

- You always have to
believe in yourself

before anybody else because
that's the one thing

that's always gonna push you

in your confidence
and move you forwards.

And I think that's yeah,
for any young girls,

people are I guess
gonna champion you

until you get to
where you want to be,

and then people are gonna
try and bring you down

or bring you down a couple pegs.

But I think you have to
remember that hard work

and your dedication
and your passion

for what you do got you
to where you wanna be,

and no one can take
that away from you.

The album's closing track,

"Boys Will Be Boys"
showed Dua Lipa once again

demonstrating her feminist side.

As she said, she wrote
the song intending

to start a conversation
about toxic masculinity

and the growing pains
girls experience.

- I think for women,

self policing each
other is second nature.

For as long as I can
remember myself going out

with my friends alone, you
would always send the text

or you would always ask
your friends to make sure

that they'd message
you when they get home

or share your little
Uber location thing

that there's always this thing
where we've just had to look

out for each other and look
out for ourselves a lot more.

When I wrote "Boys Will
Be Boys," it's very real.

You put your keys
through your knuckles.

This is something that
I've done literally

on my way back from school
for three-minute walk

from the bus station to the
flat that I was living in.

It wasn't far at all, but
because it was nighttime

and I was all on my own,

I put my keys between my
knuckles like Wolverine,

thinking that just in case
something was to happen,

I would be protected
or I would be able

to look after myself.

Or you'd walk down the
street on your phone,

and whether you were
actually talking to someone

or whether you were
pretending to talk to someone,

you were still trying to
protect yourself in some way.

I definitely feel
like having a platform

is such a privilege.

I definitely try and
speak up about things

that are incredibly
important to me.

I want to be able to be a voice

for those that have trusted me,

and because I talk about so
much about female equality

and female empowerment, it
was just a song that I felt

like writing in that
day in the studio.

And I was like, "Well,
this is just what happens."

And what I felt when I was
making "Boys Will Be Boys"

is more so that I'm hoping
that the younger generation

will start asking
questions and will be like,

"Oh, why does this happen or
why do you think she did this?"

What sounds like quite
a pretty song, again,

you're like hearing the
lyrics and you're like,

"Oh, this is something very
real," and it's, again,

us masking the things
that we have to do.

The lyric, they cut
deep in so many ways,

but then it's, again, masking
it with something pretty.

But I hope that it just
starts a conversation,

and obviously,
the conversation's
already happening,

and I think they need
to continue to do so.

At the time
of the album's release,

Dua Lipa became the first
British female artist

since Vera Lynne to have
three top 10 singles

in a single calendar year with
Lynn having three in 1952.

She eventually
overrode this record

with the single "Levitating,"

which also peaked
within the top 10

on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,

becoming her third top
10 in the US overall.

Dua Lipa was
also featured on "Prisoner,"

a song from Miley Cyrus's
seventh studio album,

"Plastic Hearts."

The single was released on
the 19th of November 2020

alongside the music video.

In 2021,

after a year of COVID lockdown
rules and social distancing,

the annual Brit Awards
took place in May,

held with a limited audience
as a part of a trial

to have a large crowd in a venue

without any social distancing.

The ceremony had a live audience

of over 4,000 key
workers from London.

- It's all very surreal. It
feels so nice to be home.

It feels so nice to be in
a room filled with people.

It feels so nice to be
celebrating British music.

It's just been really,
really exciting throughout,

and I feel so honored
and so grateful

to have this opportunity
and to be here tonight

and for everybody to do
it safely, and hopefully,

this is like the first
step into the new normal,

so it feels brilliant.

Dua Lipa not only
performed at the ceremony,

but she also won two awards,

one for British
Album of the Year

and another for British
Female Solo Artist.

Well, being back
on the Brit stage,

I wanted to do something
different, something special.

So there's pressure
that comes with that,

but I'm very excited.

It's different and it's fun,

and just decided to go
a little bit out there

with the performance would
make it very London, so.

What I wanted to
do with my album

was really just grow as an
artist and as a performer

and create music that
I was really proud of,

something that I felt
like really represented me

and who I am and helped me
grow in so many different ways.

And I definitely feel like I've
built a lot more confidence.

I feel like I'm
becoming the performer I

always wanted to be.

I feel like I've learned so
much from so many experiences,

and as a songwriter, I feel
like I've gotten a lot stronger,

and there's been so many moments

that they've been
really important,

and this album
means a lot to me.

It was a lot about growth,

and so to be awarded for
this album means a lot.

At the 2021 Grammy awards,

Dua Lipa won an award
for Best Pop Vocal Album

for "Future Nostalgia."

- "Future Nostalgia" is such
an important album to me,

and I feel like I've
really come into myself.

I feel like I've gained
so much confidence.

I feel like I've learned
how to be the artist

that I've always wanted to be.

I feel like I learned so
much about music in general

with my first album and
the process of touring

that I knew what I
wanted this album to be,

and to get the recognition

for it just means
the absolute world.

It's amazing. I'm
very, very grateful.

When I got nominated,
I was so taken back by,

first of all, I was so
honored and grateful

to have been
nominated, but also,

the fact that I had already
seen such a change just

in the Best New Artist category

that it was predominantly women.

And it felt like I
was part of a change,

and it felt like I was a part
of this new era, if you will,

and more women being given
all this recognition.

And given what happened
the year before,

and I know Neil Putnam even
came up and spoke about it

and apologized for
what he had said

when he had said it, but it
was still something that,

in a time when so many
women were doing so much,

it felt like we weren't
being given the recognition,

and we weren't being
looked out for, really.

And this year felt a
little bit different,

and it felt really good
to just be nominated

alongside so many
artists that I love

and I listen to and
I think are so cool

and give out so many
incredible messages,

and I feel like it just felt
good, and it just felt right,

and that's just what happened.

The ceremony was held

despite the ongoing
COVID pandemic

with extra measures put in
place to keep everyone safe.

- Well, obviously,
because it's COVID,

everybody had to
stay quite far apart.

We said hi to each other.
It was really sweet though.

As I was on my way to the
press room off to the Grammys,

I bumped into Beyonce and
Jay-Z on their way in,

and I was just like, "It's
amazing what you've done."

And she was so graceful
and humble and sweet.

They both were, and they
were very, very nice to me,

and it was just amazing
to casually bump into them

in the hallway and just
have like a little chat.

I'm like.

Also in 2021,

Dua Lipa tanned up with
music legend Elton John

and Australian
electronic trio PNAU

for a collaborative new
track called "Cold Heart."

The club-ready single seamlessly
blends together a number

of Elton John's beloved tracks,

including "Sacrifice,"
"Kiss the Bride,"

and, of course, "Rocket Man."

The song has
since reached number one

in the UK.

Dua showed her versatility
as a celebrity icon

as she made her runway debut

at Versace's Spring Summer 2022
show at Milan Fashion Week,

which was soundtrack
by the tracks

from her album
"Future Nostalgia."

- I feel like my work
life has changed a lot,

but my personal life
is still the same.

I have my friends and family.

They keep me so grounded,
and to them, I'm just me.

So it's all pretty normal at
home, which is really nice.

Dua Lipa is only in her late 20s

and has already achieved so much

in such a short amount of time.

Her music and undeniable talent

has gained her widespread
exposure and popularity.

- I think that the one thing
that I'm so, so grateful for

is that it opens so many
doors for me to be able

to work with so many
other people that I love,

and I get to be a bit
more experimental,

and I get to try out new things,

which is always very exciting.

Her self-titled debut

was the most streamed
album in Spotify history.

Now she's currently
breaking daily records

for plays and streams
around the world.

- The world should expect
a ton more pop anthems

and dance classics
from Dua Lipa.