Dua Lipa

In a pop era where personal messiness is the oxygen of fame, Dua Lipa is the rare unfazed professional.

Just as Taylor Swift and Charli XCX’s (extremely asymmetrical) feud spilled over the Hot 100 trenches, in comes Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour for four nights at the Forum to reassert that it is, in fact, possible to spin off hits while leaving one’s personal life unscathed.

On Saturday at the opening night of her Forum stand, Lipa — herself a British-Albanian-Kosovar atelier of sophisticated, structurally flawless disco-pop — played for nearly three hours with nary a sweat broken. The club hits pulsed, her dancing was evocative and precise, and the set was again punctuated with a locally-sourced cover from each city she performs in; this time “The Chain” from Fleetwood Mac. (Other recent installments included “Me Gustas Tú” by Manu Chao, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and “Dernière Danse” by Indila.)

Even if the gyre of contemporary fandom demands mess, spite, flops and redemption arcs, Lipa glides over all of it, with morally sound politics and an immaculately tasteful book club to spare.

Dua Lipa takes her Radical Optimism tour to the Forum over the weekend.

(Madison Phipps)

This tour in particular feels like the moment when Lipa is opting out of the rise-and-crash fame cycle and into becoming more of an album artist and deeply considered live act. The hazy disco-rock of “Radical Optimism” (produced with tastemakers Kevin Parker, Andrew Wyatt and Danny L Harle, among others) hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200, her best album debut yet. But it didn’t yield era-defining singles like the pandemic lifesaver “Future Nostalgia” did.

That’s a tough act for anyone to follow up; she should have been on the NHS payroll for the good that “Don’t Start Now,” “Levitating” and “Physical” did in keeping spirits up in 2020. Her last U.S. top-10 single was 2023’s “Barbie”-soundtrack cut “Dance the Night,” and “Houdini” peaked at 11. Yet this tour sold out four nights in L.A. and is unquestionably the most creative, rigorous and musicianship-driven tour of her career.

With a sprawling live band and big moments of unvarnished vocal candor, this was pop at its highest caliber, but with an eye toward long-term durability and integrity. During the set, Lipa took at least two passes around to the front rows, pressing the flesh and taking selfies with gobsmacked tweenage fans. No algorithm will match that for an impact.

From the opening calisthenics of “Training Season” and “Break My Heart,” Lipa ripped through a quiver of deep-house and neo-disco staples to fuel Pride parties for the rest of her life. Those early memes about her terminal chillness must have lighted a fire under her: Lipa’s revamped as one of the top-tier dancers and physical performers of her era, while never shortchanging that smoky ‘90s house-diva vocal power. No singer deserves a Pilates Reformer endorsement deal more.

Dua Lipa makes a stand at the Forum on Saturday night.

(Madison Phipps)

On the poignant breakup-in-waiting ballad “These Walls,” the stiff-upper-lip rock bombast of “Happy For You” and her pass through “The Chain,” she made the case that her range extends well beyond the fizzy, watchgear-precise electropop she’s best known for. On record, “Anything For Love” gets a knowing wink with in-studio jibing between Lipa and her producers; here she played it straight as a lofty piano ballad for the back seats on a floating riser.

But there’s something just so effortless about her Majorca-primed house singles like “Maria,” which feel ready to slip into magic hour rooftop DJ sets for time immemorial. There are other singers to turn to when you’re emotionally ransacked; Dua gets the best nights of your life instead.

Encoring with the still-freaky, deliciously disciplinarian “New Rules” and the laser-cut banger “Houdini,” Lipa walked off the Forum stage with all the proof she needed that, by aligning with a fervent literary life, unwavering peace advocacy and an expanding palette of meticulously groovy songwriting, she’s in an enviable position for a long and meaningful career to come. Let the woman vacation in peace.

SINGER Dua Lipa looks all strung out in a black dress — but manages to hold it all together.

The 30-year-old showed off her fringe benefits in the stunning gown, which she wore to the Harper’s Bazaar Icons dinner in New York City.

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The Levitating singer is in the United States for her Radical Optimism world tour but took a break to party with stars including Benny Blanco and Sadie Sink.

Earlier, she posted pictures on Instagram of herself doing yoga in her hotel room.

We recently revealed how Dua and her fiance Callum Turner are on the look out for a place in the sun – after spending last month soaking up the rays on Ibiza.

The couple, who got engaged last Christmas, have called on a property expert to tap up a series of very posh holiday homes in Andalusia in southern Spain.

A source said: “Dua and Callum are looking for a sunny bolthole to enjoy with their families.

“Their preference has been pretty clear: nice weather and properties that have space.

“They have a man scouting for homes in Portugal and Andalusia, which have amazing weather all-year round.

“The house has to be able to comfortably fit Dua and Callum, as well as their family and friends.

“They also want peace and tranquility, that has been made very clear.

“Dua and Callum have a healthy budget too. They’ve been sent details on properties priced between £3million and £9million and are weighing them up.

DUA Lipa proves she is the golden girl of British pop as she soaks up the rays on holiday.

The Hotter Than Hell singer kicked back in a white two-piece with gold earrings and a studded bracelet.

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Dua, who will turn 30 later this month, shared the snaps on social media — but did not reveal where she was.

In another post, she wrote: “Resting meeee bones before I carry on dancing into my 30s!”

Dua recently posted pics from a trip on a boat off the coast of Sicily.

Actor fiancé Callum Turner, 35, was also beaming for a series of loved-up selfies on a day out to Palermo.

Callum has plenty to celebrate as he’s just become the favourite to take on the legendary role of James Bond.

According to new odds from Heart Bingo, it’s thought that Dua’s fiancé is being lined up as the next 007.

The actor claimed the highest share of positive posts with regards to becoming the next Bond.

Following his lead are stars James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Mescal and former Superman Henry Cavill.

A huge British actor, who starred in Masters of the Air, is a fan-favourite option to take on the role of James Bond in the upcoming instalment

A huge British star with a pop singer girlfriend is in the lead to take on the role of James Bond for the next instalment of the 007 franchise. There have been many rumours on who could be taking on the coveted role, including Saltburn star Jacob Elordi, Spider-Man’s Tom Holland and Babygirl actor Harris Dickinson.

It is now being said Hammersmith-born star Callum Turner could also be in running for the role. In new odds from Heart Bingo, the Masters of the Air star, who is engaged with Dua Lipa, is being lined up as the next 007. Sarah Caskie, Head of Brand for online website Heart Bingo, said: “The masses have spoken on X and we’ve collated the data to find that Callum Turner is the people’s choice to replace Daniel Craig, with 63% of posts concerning his potential role in the next film being positive, while 0% were negative.”

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She added: “Henry Cavill’s 34% positivity put him second in the eyes of the public, but 3% didn’t seem too keen on him being the next Bond.”

Callum is best known for his role as Theseus Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Frank Churchill in Emma.

He also starred in The Boys in the Boat, and TV shows Masters of the Air and The Capture.

Amazon completed its massive $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM Studios just over three years ago, which included the James Bond franchise. Fans of the movie haven’t seen a new James Bond film since 2021, when No Time to Die was released as the final movie with Daniel Craig playing the lead role.

Amazon recently announced that Denis Villeneuve has signed up to direct the movie. He is best known for directing the Dune movies.

Tanya Lapointe will serve as executive producer, and Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers.

Upon taking the role, Denis emphasised that he is a huge fan of the franchise and that it is a ‘huge honour’ to take on the role of director.

He said: “Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery.

“I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”

He continued: “This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust.”

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