DUA LIPA. It's a name emblazoned at the back of the stage in bright neon. And it's a name you'd better get used to.
It's in the last few months that the English-Albanian singer and model has shot to fame, with two critically acclaimed singles released and a spot on the BBC Sound of 2016 longlist. The debut album is still a ways off, but at this gig at London's Heaven she gave just a small taste of what we can expect.
And that's quite simply banger after banger. Lipa is an artist who encapsulates the zeitgeist, an artist for the Instagram/Snapchat generation. She prowls the stage in a leotard with 'troublemaker' across the front, a figure of confidence and sensuality, her long hair shading glitter coated eyes. Covers of Jamie XX's I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) and A$AP Rocky's L$D proved her edgy sense of cool, whilst her own tracks of dark, stomping electro pop slot neatly into current tastes. Charli XCX should be quaking in her boots.
The audience were of course waiting for the icy dance beats of Be The One, the laidback Emile Haynie-produced New Love, and the throbbing new single Last Dance. Other tracks, though, proved the consistency and contemporary feel of her material. Hotter Than Hell is surely a future single, Mwah (clearly an ode to Holly Valance) unearthed a sassy side to the singer as she strutted around the stage, and another song gave off some serious Dev Hynes vibes with funky guitars and tropical beats.
Yet Lipa remains an individual. Her sound is fresh and relevant, and whilst her deep voice has a London/Winehouse twang, it is unmistakeable. For all her colourful visuals and popular social media following, at this gig she proved she has the songs and the charismatic stage presence to back up her inevitable success as a proper all-round popstar. "What a night,"she noted to the crowd, "this is insane". When the album drops later this year, it'll get a whole lot crazier. Remember that name.
4/5
