Early Life and Education of Dua Lipa: A Complete Timeline

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Dua Lipa. A timeline of key moments.

Dua Lipa is an acclaimed English and Albanian singer, songwriter, and actress. She has achieved significant recognition in the music industry, demonstrated by her impressive collection of awards, including seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. This highlights her impact and success as a prominent figure in contemporary music.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1952: Vera Lynn's Record

In 1952, Vera Lynn had three top-ten singles in a single calendar year.

1979: "Lost in Music" Release

In 1979, "Lost in Music" by Sister Sledge was originally released.

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August 1995: Dua Lipa's Birth

In August 1995, Dua Lipa was born in London, England. She is the daughter of Kosovo Albanian parents.

1997: Decriminalisation of Homosexuality in China

In 1997, homosexuality was decriminalised in China.

2008: Move to Pristina

In 2008, Dua Lipa and her family moved to Pristina after Kosovo declared independence. There, she attended Mileniumi i Tretë School, learned more about the Albanian language, and began to consider a music career.

2015: Adele's "Hello" Reached the Top in the UK

In 2015, Adele's "Hello" reached the top in the UK

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2016: Co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation

In 2016, Dua Lipa and her father, Dukagjin, co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation to raise funds to help people in Kosovo experiencing financial difficulties.

February 2018: Support for LGBT Community and Time's Up Movement

In February 2018, Dua Lipa raised a rainbow flag while performing "Be the One" at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and wore a white rose dress in support of the Time's Up movement at the Brit Awards.

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September 2018: Response to Flag Incident in Shanghai

In September 2018, after some fans were removed from her concert in Shanghai for allegedly waving rainbow flags, Dua Lipa expressed her pride and gratitude to those who showed their pride at the show.

November 2018: Brexit Dissatisfaction

In November 2018, Dua Lipa expressed her dissatisfaction with the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union due to Brexit.

November 2018: Participated in UNICEF's "Go Blue" campaign

In November 2018, Dua Lipa participated in a campaign organised by UNICEF called "Go Blue" in support of children's rights, on the occasion of World Children's Day. She re-recorded the lyrics of her song "Be the One", changing the word "red" to "blue" for the occasion.

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December 2018: Participated in benefit concert for Ellie Goulding's charity

In December 2018, Dua Lipa participated in a benefit concert for Ellie Goulding's "Streets of London" annual charity event at Wembley Arena, which funds specialist support for people who are homeless in London and raises awareness about homelessness.

2018: Dula Peep nickname origin

In 2018, American talk show host Wendy Williams mispronounced Dua Lipa's name as Dula Peep, and since then, she has embraced the nickname.

2018: Described as an honorary Liverpool supporter

In 2018, Lipa became an "honorary Liverpool supporter", after her song "One Kiss" was adopted by the football club's fans after her performance at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final.

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March 2019: Participation in "Global Feminism" Short Film

In March 2019, Dua Lipa participated in a short film for the "Global Feminism" initiative, aimed at raising awareness of misogyny, rape, and violence against women.

April 2019: Became a UNICEF supporter

In April 2019, Dua Lipa became a UNICEF supporter during a visit to a camp for refugee children and youth in Beirut, Lebanon, supporting a campaign to raise funds for charities.

April 2019: Support for LGBT Rights in Brunei

In April 2019, Dua Lipa showed her support for LGBT rights in Brunei by calling for a boycott against the hotel interests of the Sultan of Brunei after a penal code punishing homosexuality with death came into force.

June 2019: Support for Sudanese Transition to Democracy

In June 2019, Dua Lipa publicly supported the Sudanese transition to democracy on social media, condemning the Khartoum massacre and advocating for the freedom rights of Sudanese citizens.

November 2019: Asked for donations and support for Albania earthquake victims

On 26 November 2019, following the 2019 Albania earthquake, Dua Lipa asked fans for donations and support for victims, co-releasing a limited edition line of t-shirts called "Pray for Albania" to raise funds.

2019: Earthquake

In 2019, Albania experienced an earthquake that severely damaged a kindergarten.

March 2020: Asked fans to make donations to the UNHCR agency

On 15 March 2020, Dua Lipa asked her fans to make donations to the UNHCR agency to deal with COVID-19 pandemic because refugees are "the most vulnerable on this planet". She performed her song, "Don't Start Now" on The Late Late Show with James Corden From His Garage.

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April 2020: Took part in BBC Radio 1 charitable project

On 23 April 2020, Dua Lipa took part in a charitable project operated by BBC Radio 1 for a cover version of "Times Like These" for the Live Lounge segment, as part of the charity supergroup Live Lounge Allstars.

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May 2020: Live performance on Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020

On 16 May 2020, Dua Lipa did a live performance of her song "Break My Heart" on the television special Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020. At the end of May 2020, she participated in a digital event called "Dream with Us".

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June 2020: Criticism of Israel Defense Forces

In June 2020, Dua Lipa shared an Instagram post criticizing the Israel Defense Forces' treatment of Palestinians.

July 2020: Request to ban conversion therapy

In July 2020, Dua Lipa signed an open letter to the UK government, requesting the banning of conversion therapy.

July 2020: Support for "Let the Music Play" Campaign

In July 2020, Dua Lipa supported the "Let the Music Play" campaign, signing an open letter calling for government support for the UK's live music industry's economic loss under the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2020: Kosovo and Greater Albania Controversy

On July 18, 2020, Dua Lipa shared a post explaining "why Kosovo is not and will never be Serbia". On July 19, 2020, she published an image of a banner containing an irredentist map of Greater Albania, leading to accusations of ethnic nationalism and fascism. She later clarified that her post had been "misinterpreted".

2020: Support for Joe Biden

In 2020, after campaigning for Bernie Sanders, Dua Lipa expressed support for Joe Biden for U.S. president, arguing that Kosovars "owed" support to Biden.

2020: Urging followers to vote against Donald Trump

In August 2020, Dua Lipa urged her Instagram followers to vote against Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election.

January 2021: Encouragement for Kosovo Citizens to Vote

In January 2021, Dua Lipa published a call to her Instagram followers to encourage Kosovo citizens to vote in the 2021 Kosovan parliamentary election.

May 2021: Criticism of The New York Times

In May 2021, Dua Lipa criticized The New York Times for publishing an advertisement characterizing her as antisemitic.

July 2021: Launch of Adopt a Kindergarten Initiative

In July 2021, Dua Lipa, through her Sunny Hill Foundation, joined the "Adopt a Kindergarten" initiative to reconstruct a kindergarten damaged by the 2019 Albania earthquake.

October 2021: Completion of Sunny Hill Kindergarten

In October 2021, the reconstructed kindergarten, named "Sunny Hill Kindergarten", was completed.

2021: Performed at Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party

In 2021, Dua Lipa performed at 2021 Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party virtually to benefit the AIDS Foundation to combat HIV disease, whose event raised US$3 million.

2021: Raising Awareness of Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan

Throughout 2021, Dua Lipa continuously raised awareness of the detrimental consequences of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan through her social media and her lifestyle newsletter Service95.

August 2022: Named Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo

In August 2022, Dua Lipa was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani.

November 2022: Granted Albanian citizenship

On 27 November 2022, Dua Lipa was granted Albanian citizenship by president Bajram Begaj, one day before the country's 110th independence celebrations.

November 2022: Denial of FIFA World Cup Performance

On November 13, 2022, Dua Lipa dismissed reports that she was to perform at the opening ceremony of that year's FIFA World Cup, citing human rights violations in Qatar.

October 2023: Signed open letter for "Artists4Ceasefire" campaign

In October 2023, Dua Lipa signed an open letter for the "Artists4Ceasefire" campaign alongside 185 other artists, urging President Biden to push for a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid.