All of 25, a career spanning around five years, and three Grammy Awards to boot, Dua Lipa is not your regular pop star. The singer-songwriter, who won the Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Future Nostalgia’ at the 2021 Grammys and has hits like ‘New Rules’, ‘Levitating’, ‘We’re Good’, ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Be The One’ and ‘One Kiss’ to her credit, is raring to go and tells us, “I feel like I’m just getting started.”
Her infectious energy and passion for work are palpable even over a video call. In an exclusive interview with the Bombay Times, she speaks candidly about her work, family, struggles, love for India and more. Excerpts:

Three wins and multiple nominations later, the Grammys must feel like home now?
(Laughs!) I don’t know about home! I don’t think I like the idea of being too comfortable. I feel like I have a long way to go.
You put out a spectacular performance at the Katy Perry concert in Mumbai in 2019. What was your entire experience of visiting India like?
I love Mumbai. I’ve actually spent a little bit of time in India. I didn’t get an opportunity to go to Mumbai until I went for this show. I went to Jodhpur, Jaipur, Kerala and then Goa. So, I did a short trip all around India. It’s just one of the most magical places I’ve ever been to, and I’m eager to visit India again. Mumbai was special. I loved the hustle and bustle there; the city is just buzzing. I remember, I was stuck in traffic for a long time, and I had to pretty much run to the stage! It was all part of the experience, so it was amazing. I loved it!

Considering you managed to visit several cities in India, what left you most impressed?
The culture, the food and the people. I remember I bought a sari, because I wanted to wear one to visit a temple. I carried the sari with me, but didn’t know how to drape it. That’s when a sweet lady who was there with her kids came up to me and said, ‘Let me help you put it on.’ She taught me how to do it. I just love the togetherness of the community, and for someone to do something like this for someone who you do not know at all… it was amazing.

Are you familiar with Indian music, have you heard any musicians?
The last time I was in Mumbai, I met Shah Rukh Khan. He taught me how to do a little dance, and we talked about music. He was amazing. So, of course, I know him, and I also know Amaal Mallik, who I think is really cool. I’m always up for learning and hearing new artistes.
Do you enjoy the process of writing a song more or do you love performing on stage?
I love both. I love performing so much, but I wouldn’t be able to perform if I wasn’t in the studio. So, I need to make the songs, envision them on stage, and then put them out, so that I can perform. I can’t have one without the other.

You have two younger siblings — sister Rina and brother Gin. How do they take to your global fame as a pop icon?
I am lucky that my family is so incredibly supportive. It’s really nice to be able to show my siblings that anything is possible. If I can do it, they can do whatever they put their mind to. It’s exciting for all of us to be able to go through this together. I hope that this gives them the confidence to take over the world in whatever way they feel. They can see that you can be from anywhere in the world and you can do whatever you want, you just have to be focused and work hard.

You were around 15 years old when you left Kosovo and started living in London alone. Could you share something about the struggles that you went through back then?
You do get thrown into the deep end when you are 15 years old. But I was always very confident, I knew what I wanted, and my parents had a lot of trust in me. They told me that anything was possible, and also, I worked really hard. I was prepared to do whatever it takes. I was working at a restaurant and then in a bar in London. I would go to the studio in the morning and also attending school. It was all a part of the process, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
In an earlier interview, you had said that growing up, you didn’t appreciate your Albanian name. Why did you feel that way?
Dua in Albanian means love. It also means to want and to need. But it is interesting that when you grow up, and you are rooted from somewhere completely different, and you go to school and somebody asks you what your name is, and you say Dua. People can’t pronounce it right! They think it’s funny, it’s different, and then, you don’t really appreciate it as much. Now, I definitely appreciate my name more. It’s amazing that my real name is also my stage name, and I did not have to change it.
From an aspiring teenage musician to a Grammy-winning artiste, do you feel you have reached where you wanted to?
I think that I have only scratched the surface. I am ready to do more, and I’m excited to keep writing, growing, learning, experimenting and playing. Who knows where the world will take me next! I feel like I’m just getting started.