Dua Lipa is proud of her heritage, but used to wish her name was Hannah
Dua Lipa may have become a household name thanks to her incredible musical career and enviable style, but her name also caused her a bit of confusion when she was younger. The name "Dua" means "love" in Albanian, inspired by the origin of her parents. "I understood the duality of my heritage from an early age," she told the Hay festival, via the BBC. "People always asked me where my name came from. I was really proud of that, but when I was younger I wished my name was, say, Hannah - something 'normal' and English."
The singer opened up about her childhood on June 4 during the literary festival, explaining that "there was always the idea of being from two places at once". Lipa was born in London after her parents moved away to escape war in the former Yugoslavia. She returned to Kosovo aged 11, before returning to the UK aged 15 to complete her education and begin her musical career. Getting around meant she often felt like the "new girl".
"I was pretty determined," Lipa added. "I didn't feel like I had the same musical opportunities I had in London. I was motivated. My dad says I'm very hard to say no!" Lipa has always been proud to carry the flag of Kosovo. She officially became an Albanian citizen last year, shortly after being awarded the title of honorary ambassador of Kosovo. Together with his father, Lipa founded the Sunny Hill Festival in 2018 with annual concerts held in Kosovo to help people in financial difficulty.
While discussing her love of books at the festival, she also opened up about a "difficult early relationship" she had and how reading helped her through it. "I guess I was in a relationship with someone who had a very different idea of fidelity than mine," she said. Now Lipa has revealed she is in a relationship with French director Romain Gavras, after officially stepping onto the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Lipa's determined attitude has only grown since childhood as she constantly seeks to broaden her horizons. She launched her "At Your Service" podcast in...
Dua Lipa may have become a household name thanks to her incredible musical career and enviable style, but her name also caused her a bit of confusion when she was younger. The name "Dua" means "love" in Albanian, inspired by the origin of her parents. "I understood the duality of my heritage from an early age," she told the Hay festival, via the BBC. "People always asked me where my name came from. I was really proud of that, but when I was younger I wished my name was, say, Hannah - something 'normal' and English."
The singer opened up about her childhood on June 4 during the literary festival, explaining that "there was always the idea of being from two places at once". Lipa was born in London after her parents moved away to escape war in the former Yugoslavia. She returned to Kosovo aged 11, before returning to the UK aged 15 to complete her education and begin her musical career. Getting around meant she often felt like the "new girl".
"I was pretty determined," Lipa added. "I didn't feel like I had the same musical opportunities I had in London. I was motivated. My dad says I'm very hard to say no!" Lipa has always been proud to carry the flag of Kosovo. She officially became an Albanian citizen last year, shortly after being awarded the title of honorary ambassador of Kosovo. Together with his father, Lipa founded the Sunny Hill Festival in 2018 with annual concerts held in Kosovo to help people in financial difficulty.
While discussing her love of books at the festival, she also opened up about a "difficult early relationship" she had and how reading helped her through it. "I guess I was in a relationship with someone who had a very different idea of fidelity than mine," she said. Now Lipa has revealed she is in a relationship with French director Romain Gavras, after officially stepping onto the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Lipa's determined attitude has only grown since childhood as she constantly seeks to broaden her horizons. She launched her "At Your Service" podcast in...
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