Dua Lipa (album)

to begin her career using social media. Lipa developed a love for music at an early age, influenced by her father who performed in the Kosovan rock band Oda. She began singing at the age of five and wrote her first song about how she wanted to be like her mom when she was older. Lipa played the cello in school and also auditioned for her school's choir, but was rejected after being told she could not sing. She began singing lessons after that. While living in Pristina, Kosovo during her teen years, Lipa's ambition to start a music career grew. At the age of 14, she wrote the song, "Lions & Tigers & Bears" which was inspired by The Wizard of Oz (1939). She published it on her SoundCloud page as her first demo in February 2012. Lipa determined that the smaller music industry of Kosovo did not match the type of career she wanted as she desired a "global scale" one. As a result, she relocated to London where she was born, at the age of 15. After finishing school, Lipa took a gap year to find a manager while working at a restaurant. Lipa began posting covers of songs such as "If I Ain't Got You" (2004) by Alicia Keys and "Beautiful" (2002) by Christina Aguilera on YouTube. She eventually signed a publishing and management deal with TAP and a record deal with Warner Records; the latter company wanting her because they did not have a big female pop artist. == Writing and recording ==

Early sessions and development After meeting Mawson in 2013, Lipa was invited to writing sessions by him and Ed Millett, the co-owners of TAP; this happened while they were deciding whether to sign her. Lipa was still working as a waitress and was not getting much sleep. Thus, Mawson and Millett gave her a monthly salary so she could quit her job and focus on songwriting. Lipa found it difficult going into the early sessions because she did not know the writers and producers there. She thought it was difficult to open up to strangers. Lipa would attempt to get to know them before writing to make herself more comfortable. When Lipa began writing, she had several ideas and knew how to get her thoughts out. However, she had trouble building a song so she enlisted the help of co-writers, many of which she became good friends with. As Lipa wrote more, she developed a skill for songwriting leading her to writing songs about situations relevant to her or her friends. The singer took some inspiration with her writing from the "dramas" she saw while working as a hostess and "the dark side of nightlife". She desired to create this idea with as "seductive and sweet but doesn't sugar-coat" what happens. Lipa stated that she wanted to bring "a bit more realness" speak the truth "about what being a teenager is really like" as before music was dominated with how amazing it was. In 2015, Lipa made four trips to Los Angeles to write songs; Songwriter Lucy Taylor gave Lipa "Be the One" before she had released any music; the singer was reluctant to record it due to the fact that she had not written it. Of the 25 original songs included on every edition of the album, Koz produced nine, including "Hotter than Hell" and "Thinking 'Bout You". The former helped define what the album would sound like and helped the singer land her record deal with Warner Bros in 2014. Following this, Lipa went into many failed writing sessions attempting to recreate the song. She thought she needed more songs like it but eventually realized that she did not. That is when Lipa wrote "New Love" in New York and "Last Dance" in Toronto. The latter song also had a role in defining the sound of the album; Lipa stated that once she heard its finished version, she would take the song to producers and say "this is my sound". Lipa would often go into studio sessions with an idea already in mind and beginning writing, slowly realizing how the lyrics has relevance in her life. Lipa felt as though the writing sessions were her form of therapy. Lipa explained that she had been travelling a lot and letting that person down, where they were not living their lives while waiting for her. Final sessions and overview Lipa co-wrote every song on all editions of the album excluding "Be the One", "New Rules", "Scared to Be Lonely" and "No Lie". Lipa wanted to finish the album before she put any music out so she could plan out the marketing campaign. Following this, Lipa added ten new songs to the album so she could showcase another side to her. She wrote upwards of 160 songs for the album, many of which were never finished as she was constantly writing new ones and expressing where she was in her life. Lipa also collaborated with Nineteen85, Darkchild, BloodPop and Noonie Bao, but none of the songs made it onto the album. She would often remove a song from the album then re-add it. Also during those trips, Ian Kirkpatrick played Lipa "New Rules" which led to her recording it. The album was finished on 20 March 2017 and was created in studios between Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Stockholm and Toronto. "Electricity" with Silk City, and "Kiss and Make Up" with Blackpink were recorded. The latter song was originally intended to be a solo song for Lipa, however, the singer decided to add the band to it after members Jennie and Lisa attended her concert in Seoul. == Music and lyrics ==

Overview Musically, Dua Lipa is a dance-pop, electropop and R&B album, Lipa describes the album's sound as dark pop, progressive pop and "dance-crying". Several of the songs stem from sad experiences; The beats used on the album are influenced by clubby pop and have a soulful deep house pulse. Lipa never wanted the lyrics to come off as submissive or weak rather empowering. She described vulnerability as something different that is included in the album. Additionally, it has themes of self-identification and using Lipa's experiences and realizations to brave the universal portents and predicaments of love. She also sings about the depressing and imploring qualities of a breakup. Songs , which it shares a name with. Dua Lipa opens with "Genesis", a 1980s-styled R&B slowburner set to an electro-guitar. The song gets its title from the first book of the bible and quotes Genesis 1 in the opening line: "in the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth". She apologizes to her partner for the complications that come with fame and longs for the honeymoon period of the relationship, realizing that people are in a constant state of change. It features a disco-tinged sway, electro rhythms and percussion-heavy beats alongside a hip hop middle eight. Described by Lipa as "one of the happiest" songs on the album, the lyrics see the singers discussing how one can get lost in the middle of all the emotions at the beginning of a relationship. In "Hotter than Hell", Lipa taunts an ex-boyfriend and takes revenge on him for his actions, showcasing empowerment and heartache themes. It is a dance-pop, that features church organs and bongos. The song quotes Arctic Monkeys' "505" from their album Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007). With lyrics about the miscommunication in a relationship, the song sees Lipa pleading for her lover to take her back for good. "IDGAF", an acronym for "I don't give a fuck", is a pop song set to an electric guitar riff and militaristic drums. In the lyrics, Lipa makes sure her ex knows she is not thinking of him after he attempts to rekindling things with her. Inspired by Lipa's unsuccessful modeling career, "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" is about rejecting people who want others to change and having the upper hand in a relationship. Lipa uses indietronica vocals and blows a kiss at the end of the chorus. "Garden" uses the metaphor of Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden to describe a breakup and Lipa longing for the idyllic parts of a relationship. The song sees Lipa attempting to forget about a past romance. An electropop and tropical house song, it features an EDM production that makes use of a dancehall rhythm and bashment elements. The standard edition of Dua Lipa closes with "Homesick", a piano ballad duet with Martin. "New Love" is a synth-pop song set to a tribal drum beat, with neo soul and R&B elements. Lipa described its meaning as "facing the fear of losing the only thing that matters to you". The lyrics of "Bad Together" discuss great sex and see Lipa asking for divine forgiveness for her sins in the chorus. "Last Dance", the final deluxe edition track, is a chillwave, dance-pop and post-EDM track with a glitchy, tribal production that uses house synthesizer chords. In the song, Lipa sings about a relationship that could end suddenly. Japanese bonus track "For Julian" is a slow, jazz-inspired song about God answering one's prayers. Lyrically the song is about using physical affection to resolve a fight between two lovers with lyrics in English and Korean. In "One Kiss" with Harris, Lipa sings about using a kiss to trigger intense lust between two lovers. It is a dance-pop, diva house and tropical house track that makes use of brass instrumentation. "Electricity", her dance-pop and piano house collaboration with Silk City, draws from Chicago house and 1990s music; it sees Lipa using gospel house vocals and telling a story of two lovers with a kindred spirit. The retro-pop production consists of disco strings and soulful piano stabs. Future bass track "Scared to Be Lonely", a collaboration with Garrix, has an emotive tone. It uses electronic strings and hi-hats in its production, while Lipa ponders whether a relationship is legit. Paul's song "No Lie" featuring Lipa is a blend of reggae and tropical pop genres. == Marketing ==

Title and artwork In July 2016, the cover art for Dua Lipa was revealed, however, it received negative reviews from fans with many petitioning for it to be changed. The following month, Lipa announced the album's title and revealed the revised standard edition cover art and thanked her fans for being "patient and supportive" during the time. Rachel Sonis of Idolator described the cover art as "minimal yet smoldering" and it features the singer in a scaly jacket, staring into the camera with wet hair covering one side of her face over a blue-purple background. Lipa explained the title by saying "the reason it is self-titled is because this album is me. It's a representation of who I am as a person and as an artist". Other editions of the album use the same cover art with different backgrounds; the deluxe edition uses a purple background while the Complete Edition uses a glittery background. Release In August 2015, Lipa released her debut single "New Love" as the lead single from Dua Lipa. The second single "Be the One" was released on 30 October 2015 alongside the album's confirmation. The song was her breakthrough single and became a sleeper hit across Europe and Oceania. It also became Lipa's first solo top 10 single in the UK, where it peaked at number nine. "Last Dance" and "Hotter than Hell" were released as singles the following year. The latter achieved moderate success and became her first UK Singles Chart entry where it peaked at number 15. In July 2016, it was revealed that Lipa had set 30 September of that year as the release date for her debut album. On 24 August 2016, the singer formally announced the album. The deluxe edition of the album was made available for pre-order two days later alongside the release of "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)". "Room for 2" and "Thinking 'Bout You" were released as promotional singles on 28 October 2016 and 6 January 2017, respectively. Following the release of the latter song, Lipa delayed the album for a second time to June 2017 due to her desire to perfect it and to fit "new songs and exciting collaborations" on the album. "Lost In Your Light" featuring Miguel was released as the final single prior to the album in April. The standard and deluxe editions of Dua Lipa were released on 2 June 2017. Two additional tracks were included on the Italian special edition of the album including Lipa's cover of Cher's "Bang Bang" which was used in her campaigns for Patrizia Pepe. A Japanese edition was released alongside the album and includes original song "For Julian"; "New Rules" and "IDGAF" were issued as singles following the album's release. Both became commercially successful and reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. The former became Lipa's first UK number 1 single and her first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 entry. "Homesick" was released as a promotional single on 1 December 2017. The singer released a Deezer Sessions and Spotify Sessions extended play (EP) that feature live versions of songs on the album. A vinyl EP The Only with songs off the album was also released as well as Live Acoustic, an EP featuring covers by the singer. Dua Lipa: Complete Edition for the release of Dua Lipa: Complete Edition Following the album's release, Lipa teased a reissue stating that she would be releasing live versions of fan-favourite tracks "Running" and "Want To", both of which were leaked. On 4 September 2018, she officially announced the reissue titled Dua Lipa: Complete Edition as the album's "super deluxe edition". The reissue includes two discs: the first containing the deluxe album and the second containing eight additional tracks including Lipa's previously released collaborations, "One Kiss" with Calvin Harris, "Electricity" with Silk City, "Scared to Be Lonely" with Martin Garrix and "No Lie" by Sean Paul featuring the singer. All four of the collaborations reached the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart and "One Kiss" spent eight weeks at its summit while also reaching the top of charts in over a dozen countries. The reissue was released on 19 October 2018 alongside an exclusive Japanese CD edition that includes five additional tracks. "Want To" also promoted Lipa's I-Pace campaign with British car manufacturer Jaguar where users of the car could create remixes of the song based and how they drove as well as personalized remixes based on their Spotify streaming history. The remixes mixed up moods, tempos, arrangement and different musical styles, including dance, drum and bass, hip hop, orchestral and pop. The campaign was announced at a secret gig in Amsterdam where Lipa as well as celebrities such as Dutch model Doutzen Kroes and French actress Alix Bénézech created their own remixes by driving the car. Shortly thereafter, "Want To" became the most remixed song in history. Lipa later revealed that releasing the B-sides taught her to think of an album's life span differently and take full advantage of it. Promotion Warner Bros. Records began promoting Lipa's campaign in 2014 when she signed with the label. The singer promoted her music through the use of social media as well as her campaigns with Adidas, MAC Cosmetics and Patrizia Pepe. In December 2016, she released a documentary short film produced by The Fader teamed up with YouTube Music and directed by Robert Semmer, titled See in Blue that details her music journey thus far. It featured an acoustic performance of "Genesis". For further promotion, Lipa gave several interviews for publications such as the American Broadcasting Company, The Independent, the Official Charts Company and Variety. Lipa gave her first live performance at a record label showcase in Berlin and her first festival performance at Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands in January 2016. She embarked on the 2016 UK Tour, Hotter than Hell Tour and US and Europe Tour throughout 2016 and 2017. She also served as an opening act for Troye Sivan on the Suburbia Tour, Bruno Mars on the 24K Magic World Tour and Coldplay on the A Head Full of Dreams Tour. The singer performed at awards showing including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Brit Awards and Grammy Awards. Her appearances on television shows include Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Later... with Jools Holland, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Graham Norton Show, The Jonathan Ross Show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live. as well as the Glastonbury Festival, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Jingle Ball Tour and UEFA Champions League Final. The singer headlined the Sunny Hill Festival in Pristina, which was organized by her father Dukagjin. The album's supporting tour, the Self-Titled Tour, ran from October 2017 to December 2018 and beginning in Brighton and concluding in Denver. She performed a total of 245 shows on the tour and tattooed the number on her back. A meme of her dancing went viral, which she later revealed affected her mental health stating "for a short period of time, it messed with my mental health. You know, I'd go on stage and if somebody was filming me, in my head, I wasn't, like, 'Oh, they're filming me because they want to keep it.' I was like, 'They're going to film it so they can laugh at me or something'". == Critical reception ==

Dua Lipa received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on eight reviews. Evening Standards Rick Pearson said "this is high-quality stuff from an artist headed for the biggest of things". In The Line of Best Fit, Claire Biddles said "this is a mostly compelling and wholly fun trip through modern pop with a charismatic protagonist, that hangs together way better than it should". Alex Green of Clash lauded Dua Lipa as "a debut album brimming with confidence, confidence not only in Lipa's own voice and her eye for a chorus, but in the emotive quality of her lyrics". Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic praised the album as "a delightful collection of catchy pop gems where the songs only serve to highlight her vocal prowess" and "an excellent first effort from a budding pop star". Writing for NME, Jamie Milton wrote that Lipa's voice "could make the thickest synths seem tame in comparison and carries a 20-a-day raspiness capable of making heartfelt ballads sound edgy", adding that "it's equally impressive to hear how confidently the debut holds itself together, flitting between styles but always shining a spotlight on a legitimate pop sensation". Ben Hogwood of musicOMH referred to Lipa's "powerful and distinctive" voice as "one of the most distinctive you will hear in pop music currently", while commenting that "the only potential issue with her approach lies in the production behind the songs". Hogwood concluded that "the hope is that her talents will get more room and less post-production time". Kate Solomon of Q magazine praised Lipa's voice as "very, very good" and opined, "What makes this album more than just a load of precision-engineered musical nothingness between a series of tentpole singles is Lipa herself. Songs that in other hands would be little more than throwaway filler swell into anthems for girls who can't stop falling in love". In a mixed review, The Guardians Hannah J. Davies stated that "despite a few generic offerings", the album is "a solid pop debut that is high on summery nonchalance". DIY writer Alim Kheraj remarked that "across the album's 12 tracks there are bangers aplenty", but ultimately found that a lot of the album "feels overthought and calculated". == Accolades ==

Lipa received numerous accolades for Dua Lipa, including a nomination for Album of the Year at the BBC Music Awards, a nomination for Foreign Pop/Rock Album or Soundtrack of the Year at the Hungarian Music Awards, and a win for International Album of the Year at the LOS40 Music Awards. In 2017, Lipa was nominated for the Critics' Choice award at the 2017 Brit Awards. At the 2018 Brit Awards, the album was nominated for British Album of the Year whilst "New Rules" received nominations for British Single of the Year and British Music Video of the Year; she won British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo Artist at the ceremony. The following year, "IDGAF" and "One Kiss" were nominated for British Single of the Year and British Music Video of the Year; "One Kiss" won the former award. Lipa won Best New Artist at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards and "Electricity" won Best Dance Recording. Billboard ranked Dua Lipa as the 43rd best album of 2017 and it placed at number 35 on Complexs year-list. In Pitchfork, the album was placed at number 20 on their best pop and R&B of 2017 while Rolling Stone named it the year's ninth-best pop album. == Commercial performance ==

Dua Lipa was a commercial success. It was a sleeper hit, reaching success internationally in 2018. In June 2017, Dua Lipa debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of 16,223 units. In its 38th week, the album reached a peak of number three on the chart selling 9,518 units; it was boosted by the singer's appearance at the 2018 Brit Awards. Following the October 2018 release of the Complete Edition, the album jumped from number 56 to number nine on the chart with 7,651 units sold. In April 2021, the album spent its 200th week on the chart and it has not left it since its debut. Dua Lipa was awarded 4× platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2025. As of April 2021, the album has sales figures of 720,505 units in the country. On the UK Singles Chart, the album is tied in fifth for an album with the most top-10 singles with six. Nine songs on the album have been certified platinum or multi-platinum in the United Kingdom, while three songs have been certified silver. In the United States, Dua Lipa debuted at number 86 on the Billboard 200 chart dated 24 June 2017. It departed the chart the next week, however, it re-entered at number 162 four weeks following. In February 2018, the album spent its 32nd week on the chart where it reached a peak of number 27 with 15,000 units sold. With boosting from the Complete Edition, the album jumped from number 129 to 42 on the chart in October of the same year. This resulted in it being awarded the "greatest gainer" accolade on the chart for that week. The album spent a total of 97 weeks on the chart. and has been streamed over fourteen billion times. As of February 2021, the album has sold six million units worldwide. == Track listing ==

Notes • signifies an additional producer • signifies an additional vocal producer • signifies a vocal producer • signifies a co-producer • "Homesick" features additional vocals by Chris Martin. • The Italian special edition includes the exclusive bonus track Bang Bang" as track 13. • The Japanese edition includes "Hotter than Hell" (Miike Snow remix) and "For Julian". • The Japanese special edition includes "New Rules" (Initial Talk remix), "IDGAF" (Initial Talk remix), and "IDGAF" (Hazers remix). == Personnel ==

Standard editions Musicians • Dua Lipa vocals, backing vocals, songwriting • Andreas Schuller keyboards, percussion • Leroy Clampitt guitar • Miguel drums, percussion, bass, vocals • Rick Nowels electric guitar, keyboards • Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk guitar, drums, synths, keyboards, bass, piano, additional drums, synth programming, programming, backing vocals • Dean Reid percussion, synth bass, electric guitar, keyboards • Mighty Mike live drums • Zac Rae piano, synths • Jay Reynolds additional keyboards • Aadin Church backing vocals • Talay Riley backing vocals • Lucy Taylor backing vocals • Jack Tarrant guitar • MNEK additional backing vocals • Todd Clark additional backing vocals • Larzz Principato guitar • Jon Levine keyboards, Rhodes, bass, guitar, drum programming • Greg Wells piano, drums, bass, synths • Grades keyboards, programming, drums • Adam Argyle guitar • Ian Kirkpatrick programming • Cara Salimando backing vocals • James Flannigan piano, drums, drum programming, synth strings, percussion, programming • Chris Martin additional vocals, piano • Tom Neville percussion, programming, keyboards • Tom Barnes drums • Pete Kelleher keyboards • Ben Kohn guitar • Matt Vlahovich additional keyboards • Eg White electric guitar, sampler, synths, drum programming, wurlitzer, hammond Technical • Axident production • Big Taste additional production • Lorna Blackwood additional vocal production, vocal production • Cameron Gower Poole additional vocal production, engineering • Jeff Gunnell engineering assistance • Tim Burns mixing • John Davis mastering • Miguel production • Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk production, additional production • Manny Marroquin mixing • Chris Galland mix engineering • Jeff Jackson mix engineering assistance • Robin Florent mix engineering assistance • Kieron Menzies engineering • Dean Reid engineering • Trevor Yasuda engineering • Chris Garcia engineering • Chris Gehringer mastering • Jay Reynolds additional production, mixing • Tom Neville vocal production • Michael Sonier engineering assistance • Şerban Ghenea mixing • John Hanes engineering for mix • Digital Farm Animals production • Jack Tarrant vocal production • Evelyn Yard recording • Larzz Principato co-production • Josh Gudwin mixing • Joel Peters engineering • Jon Levine production, engineering • Greg Wells production, engineering • Grades co-production, vocal recording • Matty Green mixing, mastering • Olly Thompson engineering assistance • Ian Kirkpatrick production, vocal production, engineering • James Flannigan production • Suzy Shinn additional vocal production • Matt Deutchman production co-ordination • Bill Rahko production, engineering • Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young mixing • Aleks von Korff engineering assistance • Ten Ven production • Emile Haynie production • Andrew Wyatt production • Ike Schultz mixing assistance • TMS production • Eg White production, engineering Dua Lipa: Complete Edition Musicians • Dua Lipa vocals • Stephen Kozmeniuk synthesizer, bass, drums • Andrew Wyatt piano • Blackpink vocals • Banx & Ranx drums, bass, synths, keys • Chelcee Grimes backing vocals • Silk City instrumentation • The Picard Brothers instrumentation • Jr Blender instrumentation • Jacob Olofsson instrumentation • Frank van Essen arrangement, violin, strings • Sean Paul vocals • Ciara O'Connor backing vocals • Naomi Scarlett backing vocals • William Bowerman musical director, arranger, drums • Matthew Carroll bass guitar, keyboards • Kai Smith guitar, keyboards Technical • ADP production, engineering, programming • Stephen Kozmeniuk production, drum programming, programming • Jamie Snell mixing • Chris Gehringer mastering • Matty Green mixing • John Davis mastering • Banx & Ranx production, programming • Yong In Choi engineering • Calvin Harris production, mixing • Mike Marsh mastering • Silk City production, programming • The Picard Brothers additional production, programming • Jarami additional production, programming • Riton additional production • Alex Metric additional production • Jr Blender additional production, programming • Josh Gudwin mixing • Hunter Jackson mixing assistance • Will Quinnell mastering assistance • Martin Garrix production, engineering • Giorgio Tuinfort production • Valley Girl production • Lorna Blackwood production • Cameron Gower-Poole engineering • JP Negrete engineering • Sermstyle production • Pip Kembo co-production • Paul Bailey engineering • James Royo mixing • Barry Grint mastering • Jay Reynolds production, mixing • William Bowerman co-production • Will Nicholson engineering, recording, front of house • Jon Bond backline technician • Alex Cerutti monitors • Richie Mills backline technician == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts == Certifications ==