Dua Lipa: There's more pressure on young women in pop music to prove themselves
Singer-songwriter Dua Lipa has had another breakthrough year with her new hit album, "Future Nostalgia," and she just racked up six more Grammy nominations. Despite the success, there is more pressure on young women in pop music than others to prove themselves, Lipa told correspondent Roxana Saberi in an interview for "CBS Sunday Morning," to be broadcast Sunday, December 6.
"As a female artist, especially in the pop genre, people immediately think you're manufactured … no one believes that you write these songs yourself," Lipa told Saberi. "We're met with so much more criticism in terms of, like, what we wear, what we're doing, what the performance looks like, how we're dancing, how we're singing, if we're singing."
The British star, 25, is proving herself where it counts. She's already won two Grammy Awards – including Best New Artist for her self-titled debut album – and four of her songs have each topped a billion plays on Spotify.
Saberi caught up with Lipa in London where she was isolating during the pandemic with a crew of dancers and musicians in preparation for a live-streamed performance. Five million people tuned in to the paid virtual concert last week.
To watch Dua Lipa perform the song "Levitating" click on the video player below:
Before the pandemic hit, Lipa was planning a new concert tour around her new collection of dance music. The new music was a way for her to deal with the pressure put on her as a young woman in the music world, she said.
"It was creating an album that served as a form of escapism … making music that makes you want to dance, that makes you want to have fun," Lipa said.
Lipa also talked with Saberi about her life during the pandemic; her childhood in Kosovo; living in London; and her path to the pop charts. While living in Kosovo, Lipa, then 15, told her parents she wanted to pursue singing in London. She convinced them she could do it alone.
"I was, like, I want to do music, but I want to do it on a global scale. I have to go back to where everything is happening. And that for me was London," Lipa said.
"It was quite a one-way street, a one-way conversation," said her father, Dukagjin Lipa.
"She had everything planned. Even I think she planned this, all this thing to happen," said her mother, Anesa Lipa. She added, "It was her destiny, yeah."
You can stream Dua Lipa's album "Future Nostalgia" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):
For more info:
The Emmy Award-winning "Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on CBSN [beginning at 9 a.m. ET] and CBS All Access, and is available on cbs.com and On Demand.
Be sure to follow us at cbssundaymorning.com, and on Twitter (@CBSSunday), Facebook, and Instagram (#CBSSundayMorning).
