Inside Dua Lipa’s £75m empire – from mega bucks deals to podcasting and even designing for Versace
SHE’S a Barbie girl – and we’re all living in Dua Lipa’s world.
The Brit star, 27, is the most influential cast member of the new Barbie movie, earning up to £185,095 per social media post, according to new research.
Her role as a mermaid alongside Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig’s new film is set to launch her as an actress.
Meanwhile the song she has recorded for the soundtrack, Dance The Night, is being talked of as a possible Oscar contender.
It seems there is nothing Dua can’t do.
In fact, she has so many strings to her bow that she jokingly calls being a pop star her “day job”.
From fashion and publishing to brand partnerships and podcasting, the ex-waitress has built an empire which has seen her fortune surge to £75million.
Here, we take a look at Dua Inc. and how she became queen of the side hustle . . .
MUSIC
DUA, who was born in London to Kosovan–Albanian parents, knew she wanted to be a musician from an early age.
Inspired by her handsome dad Dukagjin, who was a singer in a rock band called Oda, she wrote her first song when she was just four years old.
The family moved back to Kosovo, but Dua returned to London on her own when she was 15 to pursue a career in music.
She got her big break at 17 when she landed an advert for X Factor, which saw her play the role of a wannabe contestant, catching the attention of industry execs.
By 2015 she was signed to Warner Music Group and released her first single, New Love.
From there, her career exploded.
Her second album, Future Nostalgia, went to No1 in 2020, which was the same year she became the first British female artist since Vera Lynn to have three top-ten singles in a calendar year.
She now has to her name six Brit Awards, three Grammys and the world record for most monthly listeners on Spotify for a female artist.
Perhaps surprisingly, Cold Heart, her 2021 duet with Elton John, is his most streamed song.
Dance The Night, her single recorded for the Barbie movie, is produced by Uptown Funk hit-maker Mark Ronson.
ACTING
LANDING a part in an eagerly anticipated summer blockbuster isn’t a bad way to launch your acting career – so Dua was over the moon to be cast as a mermaid in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
She’s also set to star in director Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming spy movie Argylle on Apple TV, alongside Henry Cavill, Samuel L Jackson and Bryan Cranston.
She will be providing a title track and score for the thriller as well.
By branching out into Hollywood, Dua is following in the illustrious footsteps of the likes of Lady Gaga, Will Smith and J-Lo.
But she insists she wants to start slow.
She said: “I had a really great time on set, and it was really exciting.
“But I think, for me, it’s baby steps.”
ONLINE COMMUNITY
DUA is much more than a pretty face – something she wanted to prove with her online newsletter Service95, which covers geopolitics, culture, style, sex and more.
Billed as “the ultimate cultural concierge”, she uses it to communicate directly with her fans on everything from her favourite suncreams to her thoughts on Russian oligarchs.
Describing her passion project, launched in 2022, she says: “We bring cool stories from around the world.”
Now she has started an online book club, where she picks a title each month for fans to read and discuss.
She explains: “I’ve had a great response. People say that their kids started reading because I posted about books.
“It’s cool to encourage younger generations to read, which maybe isn’t so instilled in them because of social media.”
POLITICS
HER music might be mostly about dancing and having a good time, but Dua has also established herself as an activist unafraid to speak out on the topics she believes in.
She has been vocal in her support of Palestinians, abortion and LGBTQ rights, even refusing to perform at last year’s Qatar World Cup because of its shady human rights record.
Along with her dad, she founded the Sunny Hill Foundation in Kosovo in 2016, which funds charities and youth projects in the country.
It also hosts the Sunny Hill Festival, which has flown over top artists including Miley Cyrus and Skepta to perform.
In return, she was made an honorary ambassador for Kosovo, and in 2022 was granted honorary Albanian citizenship, which she said at the time was an “indescribable great joy”.
SMART BUSINESS MOVES
IT’S clear that Dua is a savvy operator – and that was never more apparent than during the Covid pandemic.
When her tour was cancelled in lockdown, she live-streamed a gig called Studio 2054 instead, which included guest appearances by Kylie Minogue, Bad Bunny and Elton John.
More than five million people tuned in and it set a record for the most paid views ever, making Dua a whopping £2million.
She credits her work ethic to parents Dukagjin and Anesa, who fled war-torn Bosnia for North London, where they retrained while working in restaurants to get by.
She said: “I saw them manage so many different things. There was no shying away from hard work.”
Dua is also smart with her earnings, and in 2022 invested in London-based vegan cosmetics brand Dizziak.
Founder Loretta De Feo said: ‘Having Dua’s involvement means more reach – which is an obvious goal.
“With Dua’s investment and endorsement, her audience becomes Dizziak’s.”
Worth an estimated £75million, Dua is at number 21 on The Sunday Times’ under-35s rich list.
FASHION AND BEAUTY
WITH an eye for show-stopping red-carpet outfits, Dua has long been a darling of the fashion world – a status that was cemented in May when she was made co-host of New York’s glittering Met Gala.
For the event, the high point of the fashion year, she wore a 1992 Chanel bridal look made famous by Claudia Schiffer.
She has also collaborated with Versace as guest designer on a beachwear line.
Donatella Versace said Dua has a “great eye”.
The singer has designed three ranges for Pepe Jeans, been the face of Yves Saint Laurent Beauty and lent her name to a special lipstick with make-up giant Mac.
In 2020, she signed with Puma and has released multiple collections with the brand – even turning heads with their trainers on the red carpet.
PODCASTING
ALONGSIDE her newsletter, Dua launched podcast At Your Service in 2022 with the BBC, for which she has won rave reviews.
Now on its third series, the show sees her interview high-profile guests such as fellow pop stars Billie Eilish and Charli XCX, sports icon Mo Farah, Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad.
It was named one of the Best Podcasts of 2022 by Spotify, who said: “Dua is an incredibly thoughtful interviewer with a genuine interest in people, social movements and the arts.”
BIG DEALS
AS well as her own ventures, Dua has been snapped up by some of the most famous brands in the world to be the face of their products.
This month she signed her biggest deal yet – a seven-figure package with Porsche, despite having previously been the face of rival luxury car giant Jaguar.
She also has megabucks tie-ins with a sportswear giant and Evian, who signed her with multi-year deals in the hope of reaching her 88million Instagram followers.
One industry expert said: “Dua is a massive global star and has huge brand pulling power.
“She is an absolute tour de force right now and there is no stopping her.”