Dua Lipa Says She’s Fine With Blowback Over Her Social Justice Opinions: ‘I’m Willing To [Take That Hit]’
Dua Lipa has learned that with great reach comes great backlash. The singer who has nearly 100 million followers on Instagram and X revealed in an interview with the Radio Times this week that she is very aware that her public opinions on today’s most controversial topics might rub some people the wrong way, but she’s determined to share her thoughts anyway.
The key, she said, is to be thoughtful and really do her homework first. “When I speak about things that are political, I double-, triple-check myself to be, ‘OK, this is about something that is way bigger than me, and it’s necessary – and that’s the only reason I’m posting it.’ That is my only solace in doing that,” she said.
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In May, Dua joined a chorus of voices calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, sharing the Artists for Ceasefire graphic and the hasthtag “#AllEyesOnRafah,” on her Instagram in reference to Israel’s long-planned attack on the city in the Southern Gaza Strip in the midst of the country’s ongoing devastating war against militant group Hamas.
“It’s always going to be met with a backlash and other people’s opinions, so it’s a big decision,” Dua said about choosing to speak out. “I balance it out, because ultimately I feel it’s for the greater good, so I’m willing to [take that hit].”
While a lot of musicians keep their powder dry when it comes to diving into making statement on controversial topics, Dua said that speaking up is a “natural inclination for me, given my background and heritage, and that my very existence is somewhat political — it’s not something that is out of the ordinary for me to be feeling close to.” The singer was born in London as the eldest child of Kosovo Albanian parents and moved to Pristina, Kosovo as a 13-year-old, nearly a decade after the end of a brutal decade-long armed conflict in the country.
Dua is gearing up to headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England next week alongside fellow headliners Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain.
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