Dua Lipa Says Being Friends with Katy Perry Is a ‘Full-Circle Moment’ After Dancing on Stage with Her at Age 15

“To get the nod from someone like her, someone who I look up to, is really encouraging,” said Lipa of Perry in a new interview

Dua Lipa Muses on 'Full-Circle' Friendship with Katy Perry
Dua Lipa; Katy Perry. PHOTO: GARETH CATTERMOLE/BAFTA/GETTY IMAGES FOR BAFTA; JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY

Dua Lipa’s “Teenage Dream” of getting to know Katy Perry came true!

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Grammy winner opened up about how it feels to become friends with Perry after growing up loving the pop superstar — and even getting pulled up on stage to dance with her at age 15.

“I love Katy! I am friends with Katy. I think she’s amazing,” said Lipa, 28, of Perry, 38, who attended one of the “Dance the Night” singer’s 2018 concerts at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Katy Perry Coronation Concert
Katy Perry performs in Windsor in May 2023.GETTY

“That was a full-circle moment for me when she came to see my show at the Palladium because when I was 15 years old, I went to go see her at the Hammersmith Apollo in London,” recalled Lipa.

At the time, Perry’s shows included a segment where she covered Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and brought fans on stage to dance alongside her — including Lipa.

“It was her California Dreams Tour, and she was bringing fans onstage and I jumped onstage and I danced,” she said. “There’s this embarrassing picture of me online, but I love her.”

Dua Lipa attends the 2023 Variety Power Of Women at Mother Wolf on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Dua Lipa in Los Angeles in November 2023.UNIQUE NICOLE/WIREIMAGE

Today, Lipa has grown close to Perry and received the “I Kissed a Girl” singer’s stamp of approval. “To get the nod from someone like her, someone who I look up to, is really encouraging,” she said.

Dua Lipa Says Being Friends with Katy Perry Is a 'Full-Circle Moment'

Perry spoke about being a fan of the “New Rules” performer in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, as she recalled attending the Hollywood Palladium show and thinking Lipa would soon be quite popular.

“I remember even championing Dua because I was like, ‘Oh, this girl is going to be the next big girl pop star. She’s the it girl, and she’s coming,'” said Perry.

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND - AUGUST 27: Global Pop Superstar and godmother to Norwegian Prima, Katy Perry, performs at the ship’s christening ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland to commemorate her first voyage on August 27, 2022. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Norwegian Cruise Line)
Katy Perry performs in Iceland in August 2022. TRISTAN FEWINGS/GETTY FOR NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

She recalled leaving work “early” to see Lipa’s 2018 show: “It was the first season of me doing American Idol. I was like, ‘I really need to get out of here by seven because I’m going to see this new artist Dua Lipa play at the Palladium.’ And my co-judge Luke Bryan was like, ‘Who’s that?’ I was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll know her name.'”

In a 2019 interview with ELLE, Lipa recalled a memorable piece of advice she received from the “California Gurls” singer. “When I met Katy Perry, she was like, ‘I hope you don’t search your name,’” she said at the time.

“She was like, ‘That’s what I did at the beginning of my career, and I’d get upset about every tabloid that said something about me.’ She said, ‘Do not have notifications on. Do not read that s—, because it will stop you from doing what you love,'” she continued.

Dua Lipa performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Dua Lipa performs in Los Angeles in February 2024.KEVIN WINTER/GETTY

Last week, Lipa officially announced her upcoming third studio album Radical Optimism, and the 11-track project is set to be released on May 3.

“A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term Radical Optimism. It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life,” she said in a statement. “It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm.”

The “One Kiss” singer then teased various genres she’ll explore on the album: “At the same time, I found myself looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip hop, and Britpop. It has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions.”