She’s made a name for herself in the music industry.
Yet Dua Lipa has now revealed her rise to stardom over the years has not been easy as she discussed with Apple her dilemmas with fame and how she deals with hateful comments.
The 28-year-old singer joined Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to talk about her newest era and body of work, Radical Optimism.
Discussing her newfound confidence, the Houdini singer recalled: ‘Finally, I’m at a place in my career where I feel really confident. It took me so long to get to this place.
‘We’re doing the tell-all. This is my first time talking about anything, the album тιтle, the record, the songs individually.
She goes on to admit to Zane that writing songs is also a form of therapy for her ‘By writing these songs, it’s a form of therapy for me.
‘It’s just such a vulnerable thing to do, to write your thoughts down into melody, and then have it be consumed by other people.
The pop icon also revealed that she knew what the тιтle of her album was going to be from the very beginning.
‘I knew the тιтle for ‘Radical Optimism’. It was a term that my friend told me, I was doing an interview with him, and he was like, “You know what the world needs? Is radical optimism.”
‘And I lived with that thought for so long, and it just became more and more prevalent as time went on.’
The beauty continued to touch on how she has dealt with an enormous amount of criticism since she found fame.
‘I think everything comes in stages and waves. There can be a moment where people really love you and you feel so supported and you’re like, oh, this is great.
‘Especially in the beginning. I was doing interviews and people were like, “How do you deal with hate?” And I’m like, “I don’t get any hate. It’s great.”
‘Then that changed really quickly and I remember even when it was Grammys’ best new artist nomination and I’d won it, there were people online being like, she’s not deserving of it.
‘She’s got no stage presence. She can’t do this. She’s not well-equipped to, she won’t be here next year.
‘There was a lot of that. That fueled me in a way. I try and not use criticism as this revenge.
‘So I think whenever I see or feel or read anything that goes against what I know is coming, or what I’ve been doing, or how hard I’ve been working or whatever it is, I just kind of take a step back and I just go, okay, all of this is background noise and I should just stick on my path.
‘Because every time someone has doubted me, I’ve proved them wrong.
‘And for me, I’m like, this is fuelling me. This is pushing me to be better, to work hard. And I get a real kick out of proving people wrong.
Dua went on to reveal her struggle with finding her voice as she grew within the industry.
She revealed: ‘I never thought of the idea of being famous. So it is interesting. As I’m growing in the industry and seeing the different sides of it like, “Okay, what things do I keep for myself? What things do I put out?” It’s a writer’s dilemma.
‘In some ways, I had no inhibitions. I was jumping in and experimenting and trying something new. In some ways, I was really scared to…
‘Or it just took me a while to find my voice, to write things that were personal to me, but always in code, never fully wanting to put myself out there just because I felt like I needed to keep something for myself.
She also added that with her latest album, she has managed to be more ‘honest’ and ‘open’ in a way she’s never been before.
She revealed: ‘With this album, I feel like I’ve managed to put so much more honesty out there and be really open in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to.
‘Every single song that’s on the album, I’ve gone back in and I’ve rewritten it and changed it, and my perspective has changed and my story has changed.
‘The way that I saw different scenarios or different things that happened in my life shifted and it was a beautiful experience to not be afraid to be like, “Actually, you know what? I am willing to put this out there.”
She added ‘There’s this one song, which is the last song in the album called “Happy for You.” And I love that song because, to me, it’s about seeing someone who you were with move on, and be really happy for them.
‘I probably wouldn’t have been able to write that song on my first or second record because I don’t feel like I probably would’ve grown as a person or as an artist to be able to see someone that you loved move on. Or I would’ve found it difficult.
The Grammy-Award winner also touched on her ‘non-negotiables’ for any relationship and opened up about her past ‘hurtful’ ones.
She revealed: ‘In terms of relationships, I needed to get to this place in order to find what I really needed. You have to be in the act of forgiveness and growing and learning, and being okay with the past in order to move on with what’s to come next.
‘So it’s, for me, “Happy for You” is a beautiful, happy song, because it’s so reflective of my journey.
‘I think with every relationship, with every experience you learn about yourself, you learn about things that are hurtful to you, what you expect, what you should be ready to give as well.
‘I think, again, it goes back to that exchange of vulnerability.
‘I think I’ve had relationships which have been really hurtful, especially earlier on, where I feel like I’ve been made to feel like not good enough or have made me lose my confidence and I’ve had to find that again.
‘You learn about your own non-negotiables. I think that’s an important thing. It’s of course the right person, but it’s really about the right relationship.
‘You find that in friendships and in love relationships as well, of your non-negotiables.
‘What are you willing to give up? Someone’s like, “Oh.” Maybe you have an ick or something, or you see that someone is disloyal. I’m like, “That’s a non-negotiable.”
‘I want someone who’s loyal and open and honest, and that’s what I’m willing to be as well in return.’
It comes after Dua and her boyfriend, Callum Turner, put on a loved-up display during a date night in New York City on Monday evening.
The hitmaker and the 34-year-old actor were first seen holding hands as they stepped out of a restaurant in the West Village.
The singer – who was recently honoured during the Time 100 Gala – and her boyfriend were later pictured as they took a short walk before heading back to their H๏τel.
Dua Lipa wore an oversized plaid trench coat that contrasted perfectly with her bright yellow crop top, which exposed much of her toned midsection during her date night.
The Don’t Start Now singer also wore a white lace miniskirt, matching heels and a pair of polka-dotted leggings.
The hitmaker accessorized with a bright white purse and a sparkling pair of earrings as she enjoyed her boyfriend’s company.
Her dyed red locks remained free-flowing and cascaded onto her chest and shoulders.
Turner kept it relatively casual while wearing a red leather zip-up jacket, wide-legged black pants and Nike sneakers.
Dua Lipa and her partner were initially linked this past January when they were spotted in each other’s company during the Masters Of The Air premiere in London.
The actor was caught by TMZ while exiting the event, and he remained тιԍнт-lipped when asked if he was romantically involved with the singer.
The pair appeared to confirm their relationship to the public when they were spotted while locking lips during a date in Los Angeles, according to People.
An insider recently spoke to Us Weekly and spoke about how the singer had quickly become invested in her new romance.