Dua Lipa brings girl power to the Bruno Mars tour of Australia

[Nergal]

 

ENGLISH pop superstar Dua Lipa is going to need a bigger wall.

In just two years, the 22-year-old artist has graduated from aspiring singer and songwriter to global chart-topper with a clutch of girl power anthems including New Rules and IDGAF.

Now every country she visits is loading her up with platinum plaques recognising the phenomenal success of her songs which have collectively sold more than 600,000 copies in Australia alone.

She is the youngest female artist to ever hit the milestone of one billion views on Youtube with her New Rules video.

Lipa was speechless when she was confronted with her face plastered across a giant billboard in London, commissioned by YouTube to celebrate the achievement, as she drove to Brit Awards rehearsals.

She also picked up two Brit awards — Best Female and Best Breakthrough Act — from a record five nominations.

“Statistics are a funny one; you only get to appreciate it when you have time to look back at everything you have done like I did with a day off when I got to Australia on Sunday,” she said in Sydney on Monday.

“Sometimes I feel like I am attached to a rocket that’s just going off. There’s so much happening.”

Her genre-busting blend of infectious melodies, hip hop beats and honest lyrics about relationships and the men who have treated her badly have struck a resounding chord as girl power enjoys a reboot on the charts and concert stages.

As well as selling out her own concerts in mere minutes, Lipa is back in Australia to open for Bruno Mars on his 24K Magic tour which kicks off in Melbourne on Wednesday.

“This tour is literally a dream come true for me. It’s just so surreal. I used to buy tickets to watch Bruno Mars when he came down to London to do a show for his first album Doo Wops and Hooligans at Koko,” she said.

“I remember when I finally got to play that venue, I was standing on that stage thinking I got to see Bruno Mars here ... and now I’m on tour with him, and the world feels so crazy.”

With her self-titled debut album selling more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and launching seven hit singles, Lipa is in huge demand to work with the world’s biggest hitmakers.

She recently posted a photo with Mark Ronson and Diplo in a Los Angeles studio just days after sharing a photo with Ariana Grande, sparking speculation the women have collaborated on a duet.

Lipa said the second album is well underway while she continues her world tour which includes two sold-out headlining shows in Australia as well as the 14 concerts with Mars.