The singer says she hopes to "empower women."
Since 2015, Dua Lipa has been rising in our periphery—rocking bodysuits, covering Sam Smith, releasing catchy single "New Rules" (the music video has climbed to over 2 billion views)—and now, she's center stage. Her disco-inflected sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, was the surprise dance party we didn't know we would need in 2020. Inspired by "the music that I listened to my whole life" and her current "happy" relationship with Anwar Hadid (youngest sibling of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid), Future Nostalgia features such bold, assertive lyrics as: "I know you ain't used to a female alpha."
In her February 2021 cover story with Rolling Stone, she tells journalist Alex Morris, "I start off with a false sense of confidence, and then the more I sing it, the more I perform it, the more I put it out into the world, the more I feel like I live it, breathe it, embody those lyrics and those words.”
Courtesy of Rolling Stone
This empowerment extends beyond herself. She says, “My music, a lot of it is what I hope. I hope to empower women." Morris details just how Lipa has done so by speaking up about sexism in the recording industry, rejecting beauty as "some kind of power"—"I don’t feel like I’ve gotten to where I am because of that"—and even creating music videos that feature "female solidarity." Of that, Lipa tells Morris, "It was this unconscious decision ... This is just what it is—me and the girls." It isn't radical feminism, but it is a useful reminder that women can empower each other in a multitude of ways.
And Lipa did just that with Future Nostalgia. Morris writes that Lipa's 2020 album, which leaked in late March and was consequently released early, could have been a flop—an insensitive, untimely dance-pop album as COVID-19 raged. Instead, it became an unlikely balm. As Lipa shared at the time in an Instagram live, "I've been a little bit conflicted about whether it's the right thing to do during this time because lots of people are suffering. I'm not sure if I'm even doing the right thing, but I think the thing we need the most at the moment is music, and we need joy and we need to be trying to see the light. I hope it makes you smile and I hope it makes you dance and I hope I make you proud."
.@DUALIPA appears on our February cover.
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 14, 2021
How the singer ignored the trends, turned herself into a ‘female alpha,’ and delivered the modern disco classic we didn’t know we needed. https://t.co/yLiGFzgf3T pic.twitter.com/LPVQhOK3Ve
Check out the Rolling Stone article to read more about Dua Lipa's Grammy-nominated album, her "driven" childhood, and see more of David LaChapelle's stunning photos of the singer!
What's your take on Dua Lipa's thoughts on empowerment? Did you like her album, Future Nostalgia? Tell us what you think in the comments!