Dua Lipa Impresses at the Forum with Polished “Future Nostalgia” Show
The Rise of Dua Lipa
While on a road trip last week with a friend, she noticed that the playlist I had put together featured a lot of Dua Lipa.
“Explain Dua Lipa to me,” she said. “Because I don’t get it.”
At first, I didn’t know what to say. Why is Dua Lipa such a powerful force in global pop music right now? Certainly there are vocalists, songwriters, and dancers working right now who are more gifted in these domains but decidedly less successful.
Then I reflected on how long it has been since someone came along that could do it all. She has a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. She has a knack for songwriting that is somehow simultaneously contemporary and timeless. She is equally at home with the frothiest and weightiest of subject matter in her lyrics. She knows how to put on a memorable performance in terms of visuals, choreography, and sheer charisma. She is a well-liked member of the recording industry, as evidenced by her Grammy wins and high-profile collaborators. And as evidenced by her podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service, she is also well-informed, empathic, intelligent, articulate, and progressive.
But, honestly, it wasn’t my knowledge of all of these facets of the budding star that attracted me to her. I found most of…
