You probably have to be Houdini not to know Dua Lipa. She’s the popular star behind many modern disco bangers; she’s the voice that draws you to the dancefloor; and she is absolutely hotter than hell.
But how much do you *actually* know about Dua Lipa, the Queen of glossy disco pop? Did you know that she speaks two languages fluently? Or that she was once told she “couldn’t sing” (blasphemous, we know!)?
There are many more fun facts to learn about this global hitmaker, so if you’re interested to know what makes Dua dance the night away, have a scroll through this post – here are 25 fun Dua Lipa facts that will make you love her even more.
What are some fun facts about Dua Lipa?
1. Her Name Is Actually Dua Lipa
From Lady Gaga to Miley Cyrus, many artists use stage names for different reasons, but this superstar doesn’t need one! Her real name is actually Dua Lipa. It’s an Albanian name, which is where her parents are from, and ‘Dua’ specifically means “love” in that language. In fact, Dua’s parents named her after her grandmother suggested the name. Sweet!
2. She Grew Up in London and Kosovo
Dua spent her childhood and teen years in both London and Kosovo, so naturally, she’s fluent in English and Albanian. She was born in the UK, and raised in West Hampstead. But at the age of 11, she moved to Pristina, Kosovo with her family. Dua lived there until she was 15, when she returned to London alone, shared a flat with a family friend, and pursued a career in music.
3. Her Dad Was a Musician
Dua Lipa’s dad, Dukagjin Lipa, was actually a rock star in the ’80s. He had a Kosovan rock band called Oda. Although he later trained as a dentist, he continued making music at home, mixing up his own compositions and the works of famous stars like Bob Dylan and Sting. With her dad as an inspiration and with her family’s support, there’s no surprise that Dua started singing at the age of five.
“My father was a musician, so I’ve always been really inspired by him and living in a really musical household,” Dua told Glamour. “Those are the things that really inspired me, and I feel like it was inevitable to fall into this as a career.”
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4. Dua Lipa Has Two Siblings
Want to know more facts about Dua Lipa’s family? “My family is an extension of myself,” she told Marie Claire. And who are they, you may ask. Dua Lipa’s parents, Dukagjin and Anesa have three children. Dua is the eldest child, born in 1995; her sister Rina was born in 2001; and her brother, Gjin, was born in 2005. Rina is a model and has collaborated with brands like Paco Rabanne and Nasty Gal, while Gjin, is a budding music producer with over 180k followers on Insta.
5. She Was a Door Girl
Dua’s success didn’t come right away, as shocking as that is. The singer has always focused on music, but she had to make ends meet somehow. At 17 years old, Dua worked for a year as a door girl at a London Club, which she described as her “worst job ever.” Dua revealed to Glamour that she quit when she would have to turn down her friends for “wearing trainers.” Awks!
6. She Used to Upload Covers Online
Dua isn’t the only artist to start their music career by covering other artists’ songs. Back in the day, when she was 15, she posted videos of herself covering hits by best-selling female artists like Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera on SoundCloud and YouTube. Little did she know that she’d soon become a successful hitmaker herself!
7. She Was Once Told She “Couldn’t Sing”
When she applied to join her school choir, Dua was rejected and told by a teacher that she “couldn’t sing.” Well, a SINGER she now is, miss ma’am!
In a video shared via Trixie Mattel’s YouTube channel, Dua explained further, “The music teacher was like — it was an assembly — ‘Alright, who wants to sing and try out for the choir?’ I went, ‘Y’know what? I’d like to actually do that.’ So, I decided to stand up for the whole school, and he started playing on the piano. It was in this crazy high note and nothing came out — just air and the whole school started laughing.”
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8. She Used to Model, But Wasn’t “The Right Size”
Before becoming a pop star, Dua Lipa also had her take on modelling. She took on jobs with the likes of ASOS and Topshop when she was just 16, but she decided to focus on her music instead.
“I went there, but I was never the right size, I was never cut out to be a model and I never really got any real jobs,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. Dua added that she was told to “lose weight” in order to land more modelling gigs. She also admitted that she got into the industry believing people could help her find connections to help her with her music.
9. She Landed a Record Deal at 19 Years Old
During her stint with a modeling agency, Dua landed an X Factor advert, where she covered Lost in Music. It was there where she was recognized by Lana Del Rey’s manager and finally signed a record deal with Warner Music Group. “I remember calling my parents in Kosovo and telling them to catch a flight to London so they could come to the signing,” she told Glamour.
10. Fans Are Obsessed With Her Dad
Everyone can see where Dua gets her beauty from, because her parents are just as stunning. But fans can’t help but rave over how dashing her dad is. When the singer would share family photos on social media, she’d get tons of likes and comments about her father. From being named a “dad crush” to causing “dad thirst,” fans became so obsessed with Daddy Lipa that they tracked and followed his social media account, which now has over 300k followers.
11. She Once Dated Gigi and Bella Hadid’s Brother
Indeed, Dua was Gigi and Bella Hadid’s sister-in-law for a while – well, kinda. She started dating model Anwar Hadid, in June 2019, but they broke up just over two years later in December 2021. Fun fact? Dua was the one who slid into his DMs in 2019, and she gifted him two pygmy goats for his birthday during their relationship!
Dua Lipa is dating Callum Turner now, so anything with Anwar was just an illusion…
12. Dua Lipa Has an Extra Tooth
Here’s one of the more fun (but strange) Dua Lipa facts…Normal adults have 32 teeth (wisdom teeth included), but Dua has one extra, because you know, just in case. The singer revealed on Instagram that she has 33 teeth with an X-ray picture of her extra tooth. The post is now deleted, but we all know the truth…
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13. Three Huge Artists Inspire Her
Ever wondered what artists inspired Dua Lipa to become the global sensation she is today? The superstar admitted to L’Officiel Singapore that her idols are Pink, Nelly Furtado and Alicia Keys. “I love how they position themselves, in that they are frank and stand for what they believe in. I love how they remain authentic and true to themselves. That’s what I want for my career. Having role models like these in music has always been very important for me,” she explained.
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14. Her Celebrity Crush is Robbie Williams
No one is too big for a celebrity crush, not even Dua Lipa. In her case, it’s British rockstar, Robbie Williams, that makes her heart beat a little faster. “I feel like my mom had a crush on him when I was really young and then I went and saw him at the iTunes Festival and I was like yeah, he’s pretty fit,” Dua Lipa confessed to 180 Fact. Who can blame her?
15. Her First Concert Was Method Man & Redman
When Kosovo gained its independence in 2008, many artists started performing there, much to Dua’s luck. The singer revealed to CBC Gem that people there listen to a lot of hip-hop like Tupac or Biggie, which ignited her love for rap. In fact, her first ever concert was Method Man & Redman in 2009, which she explained (to L’Officiel Singapore) was her “introduction to the world of hip hop.” And as a “massive 50 Cent fan,” Dua was also lucky enough to see him in concert, too.
16. Dua Lipa’s a Fan of Anime
Dua Lipa has many cliché hobbies and interests, like cooking and baking, but she’s admitted that she is quite the fan of anime – which is super FUN! Not only does her Levitating music video pay homage to classic anime series, Sailor Moon, but she’s also revealed that her favorite character is ‘Ponyo’. Upon answering the Web’s Most Searched Questions, she called the adorable character the “cutest,” adding that she’s “obsessed” with it.
17. Dua and Her Dad Launched the ‘Sunny Hill Foundation’
She’s a die-hard philanthropist! Dua and her father Dukagjin co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation in 2016 to help people in Kosovo with financial difficulties and health and educational resources. It has already helped the PEMA Daycare for Disabled Children, the National Association of Autism, Care for Kosovo Kids and Down Syndrome Kosova. The foundation has also helped establish the ‘Sunny Hill Academy,’ which has promoted “new musical talents” in Kosovo. A true heroine!
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18. Her Go-To Karaoke Song Is Surprising
Here’s one of the more surprising Dua Lipa facts. “I hate singing at karaoke. My friends hate it. It’s all a bit weird,” Dua shared during The Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable. But when she does grab the mic for some karaoke fun, Dua has one song in mind. She likes to pick an oldie but goldie: Changes by Tupac. Although the song is nothing like her usual style, we can’t lie, we’d actually love to hear this cover.
19. She Starred in Two Movies
Model, singer, songwriter, and… actress. Dua Lipa can do it all, and she certainly has. She made her acting debut in 2023’s Barbie, where she had a cameo as Mermaid Barbie alongside Merman Ken John Cena. She later had a short role in 2024’s Argylle, where she had that fire dance routine with The Witcher star, Henry Cavill. In the film, she played a spy called LaGrange.
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20. She Has a Newsletter, Podcast and Book Club
She isn’t just a performer, but a content creator, too, guys! In 2021, Dua Lipa launched her weekly lifestyle newsletter titled Service95, which has been described as a “global style, culture, and society concierge service created to help the reader make sense of the world.” She later established the podcast, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, which features conversations between Lipa and high-profile guests. Add to that a book club! Dua launched her book club in 2023, where she picks a new book to read and unpacks it with fans.
21. She Speaks Up on Matters She Cares About
Dua Lipa is a feminist and a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. She also wore a white rose dress to support the Time’s Up movement on the red carpet at the 2018 Brit Awards. The singer has famously addressed her disagreement with Brexit, showed her support for Sudan, urged her IG followers to vote against Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and, most recently, signed an open letter for the Artists4Ceasefire campaign following Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
22. Dua Has Two Guinness World Records
Having three Grammy Awards is one thing, but Dua Lipa has something even more interesting under her belt: two (not just one, but two, ‘kay?) Guinness World Records. She received the first one in 2020 for having the most tickets sold for a live streamed concert by a solo female artist in a single year (Dua sold 284,000 tickets for her performance in Rotherhithe, London); and the second one in 2021, for having the most monthly listeners on Spotify for a female artist.
23. She Believes That Less is More
When it comes to beauty, Dua Lipa believes that “less is more.” Talking to Marie Claire about wearing less-makeup, the hitmaker shared, “It took me a little while to figure out what my beauty routine was. There was a moment in my life when I thought I should just put mascara on my eyebrows and that just does not look good. I won’t be doing that ever again in my life. I think my brows are bushy enough, so I’m just going for a clear gel. Let’s not dive in too deep, but it wasn’t cute.”
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24. She Regrets Dying her Hair
Dua has donned a wide range of iconic hairstyles over the years, including a dark bob, fiery red locks, and that infamous blonde ‘do. Believe it or not, she actually regrets ever dying her hair bleach blonde. She told Marie Claire, “That was a really traumatic experience for me. I had fun as a blonde, I have to say, but my hair couldn’t hack it. For me, I’m going to stick to darker, more autumnal colours. My hair can hold that much better. When you start to see your hair fizzling away, it’s quite traumatic.”
25. Dua Has Many Favorite Colors
When asked about what her favorite color is by Vogue, the star replied, “I’d say green… Then red… Ah, no, can I switch red for orange? Then, hmm… Pink.” A girl of variety – we love that!
By the looks of it, there’s nothing ordinary about Dua Lipa! There’s a whole lot to learn about this global sensation, and it’s these life experiences that have made her into the star she is today.
What’s your favorite fun fact about Dua Lipa? Is there something we missed? Let us know in the comments!
Some portions of this article were written by Monica Coman.
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