Dua Lipa shares first look at Sicily wedding to Callum Turner

Career beginnings

As a child, Dua took cello lessons when at primary school, as well as doing singing lessons at Sylvia Young Theatre School. After moving to Kosovo with her family in 2008, she then came back to London when she was 15, later completing A-Levels in Politics, Psychology, English and Media Studies whilst also doing weekend classes at Sylvia Young and modelling for brands including ASOS and Topshop.

2013 – The X Factor advert

As a young singer, Dua shared videos of herself singing covers on SoundCloud and YouTube. In 2013, she appeared in an advert for The X Factor, singing the song ‘Lost In Music’ by Sister Sledge. Dua then went on to sign a record deal with Warner Records.

2015 – Dua begins releasing music

Dua released her debut single ‘New Love’ in August 2015 and was credited as one of the song’s writers. She has said that the song is about ‘facing the fear of losing the only thing that matters to you’. Dua then released her second single ‘Be The One’, which included a video starring actor Ansel Elgort. The song reached Number 9 on the UK charts and is certified 3x Platinum.

2016 – First tour and ‘Hotter Than Hell’

Dua embarked on her first UK and Europe tour in January 2016, commencing in Bristol and finishing in London. She released her third single ‘Last Dance’ in February, and her fourth song ‘Hotter Than Hell’ in May. ‘Hotter Than Hell’ reached Number 15 on the UK charts and is certified Platinum. Then in August, Dua released the single ‘Blow Your Mind (Mwah)’. In November 2016, Dua collaborated with Sean Paul on the song ‘No Lie’, with the single reaching Number 10 in the UK charts and going on to become certified 3x Platinum in the UK.

2017 – Debut album and ‘New Rules’

The biggest moment of 2017 for Dua was the release of her debut album ‘Dua Lipa’ in June 2017. The self-titled album produced eight singles and includes collaborations with Miguel and Chris Martin and reached Number 3 on the UK charts. ‘Dua Lipa’ is certified 4x Platinum in the UK. The super deluxe reissue in 2018 also featured the song ‘Scared To Be Lonely’, on which Dua teamed up with DJ Martin Garrix. It reached Number 14 in the UK and has since been certified 2x Platinum in the UK.

Another major milestone was the song ‘New Rules’. It featured on her eponymous album and was released in July 2017, becoming a huge hit for Dua as her first UK Number 1 and going on to be certified 5x Platinum in the UK. The song was also nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2018 BRIT Awards, but lost out to Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s track ‘Human’. However, Dua did scoop the awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act at the ceremony. Dua was nominated in five categories at the 2018 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist.

2018 – ‘One Kiss’ with Calvin Harris

Dua teamed up with Calvin Harris on the song ‘One Kiss‘, which was released in April 2018. The song was a huge success and topped the UK charts, winning the award for British Single of the Year at the 2019 BRIT Awards. ‘One Kiss’ spent eight weeks at the top of the charts and is certified 5x Platinum in the UK.

In September 2018, Dua teamed up with Silk City on the track ‘Electricity’. The song reached Number 4 in the UK and is certified 2x Platinum. ‘Electricity’ won Best Dance Recording at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards.

2019 – GRAMMY Awards

2019 was a huge year for Dua at the GRAMMY Awards – as mentioned, ‘Electricity’ scooped the gong for Best Dance Recording, but she also took home Best New Artist. These were Dua’s first GRAMMY Awards.

In October 2019, Dua released the single ‘Don’t Start Now‘, the lead single from her second album ‘Future Nostalgia.’ The song reached Number 2 on the UK charts and is certified 5x Platinum.

2020 – Second album ‘Future Nostalgia’

Dua released her highly-anticipated second studio album ‘Future Nostalgia‘ in March 2020. The album produced six singles, including ‘Break My Heart’, ‘Levitating’ and ‘Hallucinate’, which has since been certified Platinum. ‘Future Nostalgia’ was originally meant to be released on 3rd April 2020, but the release date was moved forward to 27th March after it was leaked. The album won the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year in 2021 and won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs, but lost out to ‘folklore’ by Taylor Swift. ‘Future Nostalgia’ reached Number 1 on the UK charts and is certified 3x Platinum.

Later that year, Dua teamed up with Miley Cyrus on the track ‘Prisoner’. The song reached Number 8 on the UK charts and is certified Platinum.

2021 – Dua collaborates with Elton John

Dua collaborated on Sir Elton John’s song ‘Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)‘ in August 2021 – and it’s safe to say it was a monumental hit! The song was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic and reached Number 1 in 12 countries – including the UK, where it’s certified 3x Platinum. In June 2023, Elton performed the song during his epic Glastonbury set, but Dua unfortunately didn’t join him.

2022 – ‘Future Nostalgia Tour’

After initially preparing to go on a tour in 2020 which was cancelled due to the pandemic, Dua embarked on the ‘Future Nostalgia Tour’ in February 2022, starting in Miami. The tour ended in Tirana, Albania in November 2022, having visited the UK in April and May. Dua performed 91 shows in total whilst on the incredible tour!

Dua also teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion on the song ‘Sweetest Pie’, with Megan previously expressing interest in working with the singer. Dua brought out Megan during her ‘Future Nostalgia Tour’ show in Denver, Colorado in March 2022. The track is certified Silver in the UK.

2023 – ‘Dance The Night’ for the Barbie movie

Dua released ‘Dance The Night’ in May 2023, which featured on the soundtrack for the Barbie film. The song was a huge hit, reaching Number 1 in the UK and being nominated for two gongs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. ‘Dance The Night’ is Dua’s fourth UK Number 1 single and is certified 2x Platinum. Not only did she contribute to the soundtrack, but Dua made her acting debut in the Barbie movie too, playing the role of Mermaid Barbie. The highly anticipated film, which was directed by Greta Gerwig, was released to cinemas on 21st July 2023.

Later that year, Dua released the single ‘Houdini‘ in November 2023, in addition to dropping a music video for the track. The song features on her third album ‘Radical Optimism‘, which was released in 2024. ‘Houdini’ was certified Platinum by the BPI in July 2024, translating to 600,000 sales in the UK!

2024 – Third album and Glastonbury debut

Dua Lipa was announced as the first performer at the 2024 BRIT Awards, additionally being nominated for three awards: Artist of the Year, Pop Act and Song of the Year for ‘Dance the Night’. She took home Pop Act and opened the show with a brilliant performance of ‘Training Season’.

Her highly-anticipated third studio album, ‘Radical Optimism’, was released on 3rd May 2024. It features her hits ‘Houdini’, ‘Training Season’ and ‘Illusion’, and debuted at Number 1 in the UK where it’s also been certified Gold. The following month, she made her Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage at the iconic festival in June 2024, headlining the Friday night. She then performed a huge show at Wembley on 20th June 2025, as an extension to her ‘Radical Optimism’ tour. Tickets sold out within minutes, so a second Wembley date was added… Which also sold out super quickly!

On Sunday 8th December 2024, Dua’s very own one-off concert special aired on ITV/STV called An Evening with Dua Lipa. The special showed the singer’s incredible performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, recorded earlier in the year, and along with Dua’s hit songs, viewers got the chance to hear intimate interviews with the singer, where she reflected on the pivotal moments of her career. The one-off special also saw guest performances, including the likes of the legendary Elton John.

2025 – BRIT Awards and tour documentary

In January 2025, it was announced Dua was up for no less than FOUR awards at the 2025 BRIT Awards with Mastercard. She was on the shortlist for Pop Act, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year with Mastercard (for ‘Training Season’) and Mastercard Album of the Year (for ‘Radical Optimism’). Unfortunately, she didn’t pick up any awards when the winners were announced in March 2025.

In September, Dua released a ‘Radical Optimism Tour’ documentary with Apple TV, which was shot entirely on an iPhone. The singer shared a preview of the film where fans could see backstage footage from the tour on Instagram, and the full documentary was released on 12th September.

2026 – Dua Lipa Live in Mexico (live album and concert film)

On 15th May 2026, Dua Lipa released new music titled ‘End Of An Era (Live from Mexico)’; as a primer for her accompanying a live album and concert film. It captures three sold-out shows at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros on her ‘Radical Optimism Tour’.

The film is out on 21st May 2026 via her official YouTube channel, with the live album releasing digitally on 22nd May, with physical copies out from 5th June.