DUA-L CONTROL Dua Lipa on course to become billionaire pop star after major career change
Plus the exact date Dua will return with her widely hyped new single, Houdini
DUA LIPA is on course to become Britain’s richest female pop star – after buying the rights to her publishing back catalogue and going into business with her formidable businessman dad.
She has set up a new company, Radical 22 Publishing Limited, with her father, Dukagjin — known as Dugi — to help manage all her commercial assets.
Dua Lipa is on course to become Britain’s wealthiest female pop star Credit: Getty
Dua is going into business with her formidable businessman dad, pictured with mum Anesa, siblings Gjin and Rina and dad Dugi in 2019 Credit: Getty
The Brit star is tomorrow returning with a widely hyped new single, Houdini Credit: Supplied
It comes days after she announced she was severing all ties with former management company TaP.
A source said: “It’s an incredibly bold move and a huge statement of intent for Dua Inc.
“Dua wants to take back control of her career and Dugi is very hands-on.
“He felt like she was giving away too high a percentage of her earnings, and after becoming her manager he felt the next logical step was to come in as an official business partner.
“Much like when a Premier League footballer uses their brother as an agent, it’s about keeping it in the family and retaining control.
“A few people in the industry are drawing comparisons with Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun. Dugi is undoubtedly very assertive — but absolutely he has her best interests at heart.”
Although Dua made her move for different reasons, it also follows Taylor Swift’s long-running wrangle with music tycoon Scooter Braun after his firm bought the master recordings of her first six albums in 2019 — since when she has been re-recording all six to regain ownership of the songs.
The source said of Dua’s new strategy: “Essentially, the move also has echoes of Taylor Swift — a huge female pop star rewriting the narrative and making money on her own terms.
“By the time she’s 40, Dua could be a billionaire.”
News of the 28-year-old Grammy winner’s career move comes after it was revealed that she and Harry Styles helped UK music exports to hit £4billion last year.
And tomorrow [Thursday] she returns with a widely hyped new single, Houdini, to be launched simultaneously in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Her third album will be released next year and comes off the back of a sell-out 91-show tour taking in the US and Australia, with revenues of more than £80million.
However, in something of a social media faux pas, last month Dua’s team were left mortified after she posted an Instagram photo apparently showing her with dental plaque.
Fans mocked the singer, urging her to “floss”.
Although insiders say the unfortunate-looking copperish stains were simply a trick of the light, others insist Photoshop nonetheless should have been deployed.
A source added: “Dua and the new team are pushing forward and mistakes, obviously, will be made.
“But ultimately this is all about a young woman, not yet even 30, having complete creative control and learning on the job. It’s inspiring.”
As part of the new deal she will be expected to tour again.
The star has bought the rights to her publishing back catalogue Credit: Planet Photos
In June she ranked 21st in The Sunday Times Rich List for under-35s, with a personal fortune of £75million — and this could well double by the end of next year.
Last week a press release was dispatched confirming part of her new deal.
In a short statement, the publishing division of TaP confirmed it had sold the rights back to the artist, saying: “We wish Dua all the best for the future .”
She signed with TaP, which also looks after stars including Ellie Goulding, Lana del Rey and Noah Cyrus, after being discovered by exec Ben Mawson, who spotted her in a London cocktail bar.
She parted ways with the firm in February 2022 and has since been managed by her father.
A source added: “Dukagjin felt that his daughter, and him behind the scenes, were working around the clock but not getting enough of the money pot.
“The previous deal saw Dua giving away around 20 per cent of her income, and Dugi felt if he took tighter control of her, day to day, he could help her retain everything she was earning.
“They are super-close. Dugi is incredibly proud of his daughter and everyone is very excited for the future.”
The Future Nostalgia star was born in London in 1995, after her Albanian parents came to the UK from Kosovo.
Artistic creation
After being denied entry to her primary school choir, she started recording cover versions of her favourite songs and uploading them to YouTube.
The family went back to Kosovo after its independence in 2008, then returned to the UK when Dua was 15, and she later signed a contract with Warner Music Group.
In 2014 she quietly registered Dua Lipa Limited as a private limited company, with the singer listed as the sole director, shareholder and “person of significant control”.
With the company’s nature of business being “artistic creation”, it was clear Dua was getting her business in order before her charts assault began.
She became a household name in 2018 when her single, One Kiss, with Calvin Harris, topped charts around the world.
A year later One Kiss won the Brit Award for Single Of The Year and she scooped best new artist and best dance recording prizes at the Grammys.
In addition, she has lucrative deals with firms including Evian and high-end fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent and Versace. She also has a six-figure social media contract to promote the Truly alcoholic drink.
Her most recent hit was Dance The Night, which featured on the Barbie soundtrack, a blockbuster movie she also had a cameo in.
However, last year she became embroiled in controversy after publicly denying rumours she would be performing at the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.
The Middle Eastern country’s record on LGBTQ and women’s rights, along with its treatment of foreign workers who helped to build the tournament stadia, had long been under the spotlight.
She said: “There is a lot of spec- ulation that I will be performing at the World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar.
“I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform.”
Embarrassingly, emails sub-sequently revealed that her dad, who runs communications agency Republika, had contacted tournament officials and put himself forward to help organise the opening ceremony with other live acts and not referencing Dua.
In the messages, which took place over the course of nearly two years, the 54-year-old wrote: “I represent my daughter” and boasted about the success of one of her live-stream events.
He also talked about his connections with other chart-topping artists such as Calvin Harris, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
Dua, though, is not thought to have been aware of the interactions.
Last month Dua’s team were left mortified after she posted an Instagram photo apparently showing her with dental plaque Credit: Supplied
Dua has lucrative deals with firms including high-end fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent
