Dua Lipa was 15 when she convinced her parents in Kosovo to let her return to London alone and pursue music. We may never know the teenager’s suasive tactic, but she proved early on that she would live life on her own terms. Back in 2017, when her peers were writing schmaltzy ballads about hapless girls and heartache, Dua Lipa released a female manifesto to move on: ‘New Rules’, a song that marked her ascent on the global charts (it featured in the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since surpassed two billion views) and became a break-up anthem that spoke to women in difficult relationships to end vicious patterns.
That she never needed a precursor has worked in her favour, especially in this new world. When creatives struck by the pandemic lamented the loss of the stage—their home turf for performances—Lipa blitzed to the top, disrupting, innovating, and making her own rules. How else can you explain the appeal of a dance music artist in a year when dance floors and nightclubs have been out of bounds? “While making this album, all I ever imagined was for it to be played out in clubs and bars, and people dancing and me going on tours and putting on a spectacle—it completely blindsided me. I never thought I’d know life like this in our lifetime,” says Lipa on a Zoom call from her couch in New York.
HOUSE PARTY
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Current affairs
Elif Shafak’s work abounds with references, memories and a deep love of Istanbul. She talks to AANCHAL MALHOTRA about the significance of home and those who shape our recollections of the past
A drop of nostalgia
A whiff of Chanel N°5 L'Eau acts as a memory portal for TARINI SOOD, reminding her of the constant tussle between who we are and who we hope to become
Wild thing's
Zebras hold emerald-cut diamonds, panthers morph into ring-bracelets that move and a turtle escapes to become a brooch -Cartier's high jewellery collection Nature Sauvage is a playground of the animal kingdom.
Preity please
Two surprise red-carpet appearances and a movie announcement have everyone obsessing over Preity Zinta. The star behind the aughties’ biggest hits talks film wardrobe favourites, social media and keeping it real.
Honeymoon travels
Destination locked, visas acquired, bookings madewhat could stand between a newly-wed couple and pure, unadulterated conjugal bliss in some distant, romantic land? A lot, finds JYOTI KUMARI. Styled by LONGHCHENTI HANSO LONGCHAR
La La Land
They complete each other’s sentences, make music together and get lost on the streets of Paris—this is the love story of Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth.
A SHORE THING
Annalea Barreto and Mavrick Cardoz eschewed the big fat Goan wedding for a DIY, intimate, seaside affair that was true to their individual selves.
7 pheras around the buffet
Celebrating the only real love affair each wedding season: me and a feast.
Saving AI do
From getting ChatGPT to plan your wedding itinerary to designing your moodboard on Midjourneytech is officially third-wheeling the big fat Indian wedding
Love bomb me, please
Between breadcrumbing, cushioning and situationships, the language of romance seems to be lost in translation. SAACHI GUPTA asks, where has the passion gone?