Don’t ask Dua Lipa about waterproof mascara. “I sweat quite a lot, but if the makeup runs, the makeup runs! I don’t want anything to be perfect,” the British musician says, explaining her all-out approach to live performance. Fresh off a 15-city American tour, the 21-year-old lets out a sign of relief, having landed in New York for some relative downtime—if this evening’s turn on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, alongside the Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix, counts as catching one’s breath.
Lipa—a magnetic presence onstage and online, with an Instagram audience of 786,000—is fast becoming the name to know in pop music, thanks to a velvet-ribbon voice that unspools over shimmering beats and, often enough, equally glittering clothes. “From the lights to what you wear to the interaction with your fans, every small detail goes toward making the show great,” she says, emphasizing authenticity over a carefully calibrated persona. “That’s so important, just being able to be free and letting the audience see another part of you.” In Lipa’s case, that might mean unbridled dancing, wild raven hair, or the rotating lineup of beauty looks—strong eyeliner, a bright lip, or “crazy glitter all over”—that you might expect from someone adept in the art of the selfie.
With a string of European shows and festival appearances (Governors Ball, Bonnaroo) slated in the run-up to her debut album, due out June 2, Lipa is getting accustomed to the pace of an itinerant life. “I’m still trying to see what my boundaries are and how far I can push myself and when I need to rest,” she says, describing how regular 15-minute workouts have helped her stay grounded. “It’s high-intensity interval training, but it’s so quick, it’s over before it’s even started!” she adds with a laugh, ticking off the jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and burpees that rev up her high-energy performances. Also fuel for the fire: inspiration by way of fierce female musicians who have mastered self-presentation in their own idiosyncratic ways. Here, Lipa shares five influential artists for the ages.
