If you've been wandering around with your eyes half shut for the last year and a half, you might have by-passed Dua Lipa. The razor-sharp pop star has climbed her way up the charts, either as a solo act or a featured act, and is the most nominated musician at this year's Brit Awards.
In her music lies an ethos to be independent, confident and to live in the moment. Between her mega hit New Rules – one of 2017's best pop singles – and her latest single IDGAF, she's a stern talking but considerate voice, a voice that tells you to cop on and to move on from the low life that broke your heart.
Dua Lipa is part of the rebellious London pop posse making music for people who learned about independence at an early age from the Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child and then spent their teen years dancing to drum ’n’ bass.
In her music and stylistic videos, she perfectly balances fun, fluff and edge. So carefree and effortlessly cool, she usually dons a pair of loose trackie bottoms and a sports bra for festival appearances and slinks around the stage like a panther.
Born to Albanian parents who left Kosovo in the early 1990s, the 22-year-old is the face of modern Britain. Along with Charli XCX and Stormzy, this era in music is probably the real phase of BritPop, with accurate representations of the different faces and backgrounds in the UK, not just snarling old geezers or drippy lads with acoustic guitars.
New Rules is a simple but effective guide to kicking a useless man to the kerb. So much so that it's become a manifesto for so many people. "One: Don't pick up the phone/ You know he's only callin' 'cause he's drunk and alone/ Two: Don't let him in/ You'll have to kick him out again." With a voice as smooth as chocolate, she is self-assured and unfazed – and wise.
At the Brits, which are taking place on February 21 in London, she's up for British female solo artist and breakthrough act. New Rules is up for best single and best video and her debut self-titled album is up for British album of the year.
She is the only woman nominated in the best album category, alongside Stormzy, J Hus, Rag 'N' Bone Man and Ed Sheeran.
Even though she has been kicking around the charts for a while, the award nominations are an indication that Dua Lipa is on the cusp of something much bigger.
