EXCLUSIVE: Dua Lipa was overcome with emotion as she took to the stage for her first sold-out concert at Wembley Stadium on Friday, admitting it had always been her dream
Dua Lipa was overcome with emotion as she fulfilled her ultimate dream. The global mega-star has had a fast rise to fame since she first emerged in the music industry, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
On Friday, she headlined Wembley Stadium for the first time on the first of two nights at the home of English football, before moving on to Anfield in Liverpool. But the British and Albanian star couldn’t believe what was happening as she addressed the sold-out crowd who’d flocked to north-west London to see her perform.
Fans had been camping out at the stadium since Thursday, hoping to get to the very front row to see their idol deliver her biggest hits. Addressing the crowd, Dua said: “It means the absolute world to me that you’re here tonight. It feels really special to be here today.”
The Levitating songstress continued: “It’s been ten years since our first ever London show, which happened to be about 350 people, and I dreamt of a night like this that I get to be in front of 70,000 people. I’m so, so blown away.” Dua, who joins a small club of female solo artists to headline the stadium, reflected on her career, admitting she believes one song changed her life, after she was signed to her management and record label.
That song was Hotter Than Hell, which was fitting as the UK enjoyed its hottest day of the year. But Dua made sure to pull out all the stops for her first night at the iconic venue with a special guest appearance from Jamiroquai. Dua and Jamiroquai performed an incredible duet of the 1996 hit, Virtual Insanity, for her Radical Optimism tour.
Vocalist Jay Kay was rocking a classic black hat with a purple trim and a white fringe jacket for the surprise performance, along with purple trousers. Fans were over the moon with the shock guest and rushed to social media to share their excitement, with one user revealing they “wish” they were at the concert in London to witness the duet.
The Londoner joins Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Adele, P!NK and Rihanna as one of the few women to have headlined the stadium. She performed her anthems, including Training Season, One Kiss, Levitating, Physical, Electricity, New Rules, Be the One, Don’t Start Now and Houdini.
Dua was just 17 when she was first discovered by her long-term manager, Ben Mawson, who said the singer has “it all.” Speaking to Music Week in 2020, he revealed: “Dua told me she aspired to be Madonna when I met her, when she was 17, and there was something about the way she said it that made me believe her!
“It was about her personality, her charisma, her competitiveness and her drive, and that came across. Dua’s got it all, so she’s unlimited potential.” The singer rose to fame with her 2016 hit Be The One followed by her 2017 break-up anthem, New Rules.
Since then, she has won several Brit Awards and three Grammys and headlined Glastonbury Festival last year shortly after the release of her third studio album Radical Optimism, which hit number one on the UK albums chart.
Her 2020 Future Nostalgia album also reached number one, while her debut self-titled album, Dua Lipa, reached number three. She is the youngest person to feature on this year’s Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List, making her one of the wealthiest musicians in the UK.
The singer was recently named the most played artist across radio, TV and public places in the UK for a second time by music licensing company Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL).
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