Dua Lipa, born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, has won seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Roots and Early Career
Dua Lipa was born on 22 August 1995 in London, the eldest child of Anesa and Dukagjin Lipa, who are from Pristina. Her first name means “love” in Albanian, and her father was lead singer of the Kosovar rock band Oda. She worked as a model before signing with Warner Bros. Records in 2014.
Chart Success
Her 2017 debut album included “New Rules”, her first UK number one. Future Nostalgia (2020), her first UK number-one album, won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year and the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Its single “Levitating” topped the 2021 Billboard year-end Hot 100 chart and is RIAA Diamond certified.
Acting and Latest Album
She made her acting debut in Barbie (2023), where her song “Dance the Night” became her fourth UK number one, and had a supporting role in Argylle (2024). Her third album, Radical Optimism (2024), debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.
Sunny Hill Foundation
In 2016 Lipa and her father co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation to raise funds for people in Kosovo facing financial hardship. In August 2018 she organised the Sunny Hill Festival for it, and the then-mayor of Pristina gave her the Pristina Key, the first ever awarded. She hosted the festival again in 2019.
Image: Dua Lipa at an event, 14 February 2026 (file photo, black and white). Photo: Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
