Dua Lipa on the pandemic: ‘Right now there’s no fear of missing out in any way’

Cardi B and Offset share intimate moment at dinner in Los Angeles

If I’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that so many celebrities really do magazine photoshoots months and months in advance. By now, we’ve seen tons of “quarantine photoshoots,” mostly taken on iPhones and mostly done outdoors. But there are still a bunch of September issue magazine covers with editorials which were shot back in February and March. It’s that way with W Magazine’s Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa covers – both were shot pre-lockdown. Crazy. Anyway, because I’m a Dula Peep stan, I loved this interview with her, which (to be fair) was conducted recently, in quarantine. She released her album Future Nostalgia in lockdown and it’s become very successful – people were in the mood for some light pop/dance music and it’s super-radio-friendly. Some highlights from this W piece:

What she learned in lockdown: “It was nice for me to realize the importance of patience. So much of my life is a big to-do list—what do I have to do, where do I have to fly next? It was stressful but also refreshing to have time to reflect on everything that’s happened so far.”

Why she released the album in lockdown: “My biggest hope for putting this album out at a time like this was that during moments of uncertainty, it would give people the best kitchen dance parties ever… what I’ve realized during this time is that you can bring the fun no matter where you are. If I can make music to aid that in any way, then I feel like I’m doing my job.”

Her parents are Kosovars: “My parents always dreamed of going back to Kosovo. I think one thing that people don’t realize, especially with the refugee situation at the moment, is that no one just leaves their hometown unless it’s to look after their family or in times of crisis.”

Getting criticized for showing support for Bernie Sanders or the Labour Party: “It’s such a slap in the face when I read the comments underneath my posts. Whether it’s about abortion rights or women’s rights, the comments always tend to be the complete opposite of what I said, and I get quite surprised, like, Why do these people follow me if they don’t know what I stand for? Everyone deserves their opinion, but I just think that my duty is to speak up about the things that are really important for a fairer world. I want a safe space for all my fans and listeners and for people around the world. We just want to be more open and nonjudgmental, and that’s how we can see a brighter future. I really believe that.”

Even though she gets depressed about the lockdown, she remembers we’re all going through it: “It’s important to remember that we’re all collectively going through the same thing, and right now there’s no fear of missing out in any way. We’ll just have to pick things up where we left off when the time is right.”

[From W Magazine]

I think about that a lot, the fear of missing out, the idea that at some point, we’ll “go back to normal.” Will we? At some point, there will be a vaccine. At some point, there will be some kind of herd immunity or we’ll be able to eradicate the virus in certain areas. But I just don’t believe we’ll “go back to normal” any time soon. Also, about her politics… I wonder about that too, when people go on a pop star’s Twitter or IG to criticize them about some political message. Like, why are you following Dua Lipa if you’re some neckbeard Republican?

Cover and IG courtesy of W Magazine.

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10 Responses to “Dua Lipa on the pandemic: ‘Right now there’s no fear of missing out in any way’”

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  1. M says:

    Her fashion is pretty awful, but I love her music. And FYI, her dad is hot!

  2. Nev says:

    what the katy perry is going on?

  3. Alex says:

    This is rich considering she partied with Jaden Smith for her 25th birthday recently.

    • Heylee says:

      This. She was out to dinner with a group of 10 people in CA this week. I want to laugh/cry at these people who are speaking out of one side of their mouth about quarantine and how much life has changed – and then are conducting their lives very normally!

      And I sadly agree that things will most likely not be returning to normal by next summer even.

      • katharine says:

        Umm yeah, she is so full of it. This is the person who’s been jetting all over the world throughout the pandemic and partying as she pleases–no wonder she has no FOMO.

  4. Case says:

    Hmm. I’d say there is FOMO even now. Because everyone is seemingly on a different page about what’s safe and what’s not. Personally I’m really confident in my decision to stay the heck away from most people, but I have friends who desperately want to say yes to the wedding invites and dinners with friends.

  5. Flamingo says:

    Maybe not fear of missing out. Maybe some people are just regular old missing out. All of the big life events (weddings, graduations, proms, baby showers) that people have are either drastically downsized or done over zoom.
    Kids in school are missing out on all kinds of things. I have a high school senior stepson who is/ was being scouted for D1 teams. He has no senior season, so he has no way to show improvement over last year. He will just have to hope that it’s enough to stand out against the kids from other states/ school districts that are doing sports this year.

  6. detritus says:

    Still hate bucket hats

  7. Meg says:

    i still feel guilt if i don’t go out enough to meet new people.
    Growing up i was always criticized for being by myself, ever -reading, watching t.v., Redecorating my room, etc i was always told it was better to be a social butterfly and criticized for pushing away toxic so called friends which really was an overall message of ‘youre not enough on your own. You need others to validate you.’ As if people are only ever alone because they dont have friends.
    As i hear it i know its BS but i still feel guilt if i don’t go out enough to meet new people, so quarantine has been a nice relief. im only missing getting the virus or unknowingly spreading it to new people

    • Ani May says:

      I’m sorry you were shamed for being alone. I used to enjoy being alone as well, and am still pretty socially isolated now- even before Covid. Id like a few more friends, so I have more options for the times I dont want to be alone.