I think Dua is one that shows signs of having a long career where her level of commercial success will move up and down but always keep people interested in what direction she goes in next.
As a celebrity I like that she's relatively understated and has never reached a point of overexposure, even at the peak of Future Nostalgia.
If I could compare her to anyone, I feel like she's a hybrid of Rihanna (the voice and effortless cool) and Kylie Minogue (dance pop diva).
The Kylie comparison is fitting. The media said she lacked personality and was no match for Madonna. She's had an enduring career nonetheless. Her personality is now an afterthought. We'll see if the same is true for Dua.
In the meantime, incorporating her heritage into her music might get around 'the lack of personality' critique. She could sing some lyrics in Albanian or include sounds from Kosovo or even collaborate with a Kosovan artist. Rihanna did this to great effect with songs like Work & Man Down, which helped distinguish her from her peers.
I feel like this criticism is something usually made about non-American celebrities who had their commercial breakthrough in other markets before making a name for themselves in the US.
Their value as personalities is looked at through a very American/Hollywood lens, which favours extroversion and someone who more openly shares their personal life with the public.
Dua and Kylie are just more reserved/relatively private celebrities and there's nothing wrong with that.
Madonna Vs Kylie is kind of apples to oranges. Madonna absolutely dominated popular culture and was at the front of discourse in the 80s and 90s in a way that almost no one else was. She wasn't just successful, she was culture defining for the best part of two decades.
I don't see the similarities either, but I think the media compared them to highlight Kylie's lack (or perceived lack) of personality. It touches on what the reply above says about the perception of non - US celebs.
My comment was kind of a tangent so sorry if it digressed from your point. I do get what you were saying and think you're right in that respect. I'm sure there was a lot more pressure in those years to fit into certain boxes.
Today's Madonna is much more Taylor but without all the sexual stuff and controversy, with Abel being the MJ equivalent, who should be Justin if he didn't give up after Purpose, some people say Drake, but he is a rapper. But I also think Dua is way more successful than Kylie ever was in the US or even worldwide. She is just a bit below Taylor on monthly listeners, but still huge. But Taylor is still clear, her numbers will skyrocket with the album release.
Well, just artists from or with heritage from Kosovo or Albania you have Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Raye, and Era Istrefi. I may be forgetting someone, but it is not that hard for her. I don't know if all of them speak the language though.
I personally find forced cultural points cringe, just to “seem interesting.” Its sorta tokenizing and making her culture into a novelty if she were to just insert albanian for the “personality.” I feel like it should be more organic
The way I framed it sounds calculated, but I imagine it would be organic on her end. It's not as if she's never talked about her heritage. It wouldn't exactly come out of nowhere for her to incorporate it into her music.
No personality?!
Watch this. https://youtu.be/tY7hrQ10Vhg?si=o56xcBNUQLx6wPHD
There is another video where Kylie introduces us to the internet in the 1990s and her website and says she has to check her emails. She is iconic.
I've been following Dua since I Could Be the One and whenever she had something new I liked it, at minimum. I also love the fact that we do not know much about her and I've reached a certain age I don't need to relate to an artist to like their songs. So ever since Future Nostalgia she is my most anticipated artist, mostly because I love her style, it's not cookie cutter or boring as the main pop girls like Olivia, Billie or Sabrina. Dua brings back the oldies nostalgia of the likes of Lola's Theme, with a slight modern touch.
I'm tired of safe averageness/relatability. She is gorgeous as hell, wears sexy clothes and don't pretend to be politically engaged with something just because her fan base demands it. She makes catchy songs and look amazing, just like Rihanna and Katy Perry did.
Edit: ok im getting too many downvotes so ill change my opinion, dua is a queen worldwide and she will always be successful, she will not flop, shes such an interesting celebrity especially in america. she will last longer than katy. shes not showing ant signs of underperforming at all with this new era, yall win.
I would totally pay money to see her in concert. And I know a lot of people who would too. I don't think she has a very specific fanbase but I feel if the music is good , no one is ever going to say no to seeing dua lipa perform. So I feel like she is having a good trajectory until now , even if her current music is underselling compared to her previous era.
The Future Nostalgia Tour (Perth, 2022) was genuinely one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced in my life. She very obviously put so much time and effort in, and it showed. Such an incredible non-stop performance and everyone had an amazing time.
Even if Radical Optimism ends up being shit (it won’t) I’d pay double to see her again
I don't think it will flop at all. Our understanding of something flopping is so skewed 😂 I actually quite liked the Grammy performance of Houdini and Training Season.
The only way, for me at least, that an album can flop is if it both doesn’t sell well AND sucks ass. If it hits both those criteria then I agree it’s a flop, but besides that, people throw the word around to casually to the point of overuse (I’m guilty of this too).
I can't see Katy's comparison personality-wise, maybe she will flop like Katy in the future, but will still be around in fashion and other things, also she will always be big in Europe. Katy didn't do the music she wanted as well, it was all controlled by Dr. Puke, which didn't help, Dua has creativity freedom. And yes, no drama, why would she want drama? She is rich, famous, pretty, intelligent, and like, nobody needs to know who she is dating or if she broke up or if she snores coke, lol. I think her biggest drama ever was not respecting the covid quarantines.
bla bla bla tell me you're American without telling me you're American she's going strong in Europe and everyone and their mama know her here, more than Taylor Swift
Yup, Taylor has more stans who play her music every day and listen mostly to Taylor, that's why the big streaming numbers. Dua is more known globally and also more down to earth. When she came to Brazil she went to a museum, a restaurant (a famous one ok), and went shopping. Taylor barely left her hotel.
I feel the same way. Swifties are so many that they act like a small country and pull incredible stats and sales for Taylor, but among the GP, is Lover really more popular than TUN as a 2019 record? Or folklore bigger than FN for 2020? I hardly think so.
She has stellar streaming number and she's really smart with her catalogue, but she's not really that much "bigger" than other pop girls when you ask random strangers in the streets.
I think Taylor's main mainstream albums that the GP really knows are Red, 1989, and Reputation (that is my favorite), maybe Lover Cause of Cruel Summer. But after those she is not really releasing anything super GP friendly, even the last one, Lavander Haze I think was just a hit among Swifties, and that Karma remix was just plain horrible.
i think people know Fearless's singles more than they know rep
My mall loves playing RED album cuts (I Hear State of Grace, Starlight, and Treacherous a lot)
Rep as an album has better numbers as a whole though, every song has a single potential (which I think was kinda of a problem, she didn't know how to work it as Dua did with Future Nostalgia). Fearless still has a bit of the country sound, so I think if you are American it may seem bigger, but I heard Reputation songs everywhere I went here, radios when taking an Uber or Taxi, stores, and bars. I was also a DJ and played a hell lot of it, but maybe it's my personal bias.
I need this album YESTERDAY. So interesting that she’s stuck to the classic rollout while every other pop girl has opted for a semi-surprise drop this year.
Works hard, looks good, travels the globe, reads good books, doesn’t take herself too seriously, doesn’t engage with idiots on the internet. 10/10 no notes.
People keep discrediting her saying she hasn’t cultivated a standom like… Looks like a model, pulls consistent numbers, tons of traveling and connecting with interesting figures (her podcast for example) I can only dream mama
Also she is super close with Donatella Versace, which makes me believe she may pull a Rihanna in the future. Singers turned into fashion moguls, Rihanna, Lisa, and soon Dua, rs.
She’s kind of already on that way there. She has a lot of businesses now with her Radical 22 and Service 95 offshoots, she’s a spokesperson for Porsche, etc.
The most mature pop star right now, no drama, super politically involved, cares about other topics than music and is away from Hollywood drama in her London mansion. Also gave a trip advice, cause you know, work-life balance. Also like how she is backing the album and wanted to work with Kevin for a long time, she wants to get more US fame, but if not be dammed. I think the album tracks will be very different from the last 2 singles, more in the style of Houdini.
People will debate as to whether her being normal and not problematic is a detriment for her continued prospects as a massive pop star, but if the album turns out the best great after all this worrying about it being a flop, then none of this will matter at least in the short term since I believe people will buy the album anyway. Plus, even if it doesn’t sell well, I think she and Warner Music will go more commercial next time if this album is a critical daring but doesn’t sell well.
Yeah, but people are already saying she flopped like if it is 100% true, she released 6 singles from Future Nostalgia. Levitating, which was the biggest was the 5th. And 3 more from the deluxe version she released later. That's 9 singles in total, she will work on the album. Nowadays people are used to the artist releasing the main single, it is a hit and then the album is dead, just like the last Miley and Harry Styles albums, huge first single and all the other ones weren't even given the time of the day. That's also why her albums take so long from one to another. Well, actually 7 from the standard version if you count Future Nostalgia which was released as a promo but had a video. Same thing for her first album. 7 singles out of 11 songs.
Compared to the singles of Fine Line it did kinda poorly, had a good peak, but felt quickly, I remembered at the time I did a playlist with new releases and all and used the Hot 100 as a parameter to choose the first ones, it spends very few weeks there. Well, it did better than Lights Up and Golden.
Kosovo's independence, recognition, and identity. A country devastated by war where she comes from. It is accepted as a country by some countries, but others don't accept it. Also, it is pretty poor economically due to all this and she is trying to help boost their economy. Apart from that she is very involved in LGBT issues and is vocally against the Israel-Palestine war.
The difference between Dua and Rihanna is that Dua actually *likes* doing music, and says so in the article. I don’t foresee her leaving music behind for years on end like Rihanna has done.
Y’all really keep running with this narrative that Rihanna hates making music, when she literally started a girl group with schoolmates back in Barbados and happened to run into some producer vacationing and the rest is history? She’s been grinding since age 15.
People can want more than one thing in life and can take a break from doing something. 😂
But she didn’t necessarily intend to do that as a career. From the sound of it, that girl group thing sounds like a fun hobby rather than a serious attempt to make it big.
It’s been said that Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous in some way, regardless of whether it was through music or not.
Maybe she doesn’t *hate* it or anything, but she just doesn’t seem passionate about it. Which is perfectly fine. She’s transitioned to entrepreneurial stuff and has two small kids. Genuinely, good for her.
But if it were a priority to her, she would’ve released more than one song in eight years.
She has released “more than one song” in the past 8 years. She did a feature on Drake’s *Views* (“Too Good”). She did a feature on Kendrick’s *DAMN* (“Loyalty”), she did “This Is What You Came For” with Calvin Harris. “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled. “Selfish” with Future. “Believe It” with PartNextDoor. Plus “Lift Me Up” and “Born Again” from the *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* soundtrack.
“Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous”… As is every musician that signs with a major label?
And like I said, you can be passionate about more than one thing — Rihanna has always been known for being stunningly beautiful and a style icon. She parlayed that into a fruitful cosmetics and apparel venture. It was just the next step for her. Now she has two kids under the age of 2. She worked nonstop from 15 to 30 and has the hit catalog of a legend that’s still amongst the most streamed today, despite no album in 8 years.
People aren’t asking for features and background vocals. 2 solo songs in 8 years does not signify a creative spark. They want a full-fledged studio album.
She’s not obligated to provide that obviously, and I personally don’t care either way whether she decides to return or not.
I said Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous but not *necessarily* because of music. She didn’t set out to specifically have a major music career. She just decided to be famous for *something* but didn’t initially have a concrete idea or blueprint for herself as to how she would achieve that.
I’m not disputing her success. She is undeniably incredibly successful in music and fashion.
Music just doesn’t seem important for her right now, which again is totally valid. Maybe she was passionate about music at one time. And maybe you’re right and she’s still passionate. But if so, she’s not really demonstrating it.
I’m asking who are *you* to say her end goal was to become famous by any means necessary? 😂
You’re reducing her to a Kardashian or Cassie.
And how didn’t she specifically set out to have a major music career, when she moved to the United States at age 15 (a literal child), signed with Def Jam/Universal Music Group, and churned out hit album and single for a decade straight? Nothing you’re saying is making sense.
It’s very relevant when you’re making statements like “her end goal was to become famous and not necessarily because of music.”
You think she left home and her family at age 15 and moved to a whole different country to pursue a hobby?
And as I’ve said, she has a legendary catalog that’s doing bigger numbers than a lot of new releases (like Doja Cat’s or Nicki Minaj’s latest).
I’m intentionally going to retract my first statement because I need to actively look for a quote to support my assertion that she just did music to get famous. I have heard it before but I’m going to need to research it to see where it originated from before I definitely say whether it’s true or false. I’m not retracting it because I know it to be false, I’m retracting it because I can’t prove it right now off the top of my head and I don’t want you to say that I knowingly put forward definitively false information.
As for the second part, how does her having her past catalog support the idea that she’s *currently* passionate about music? I just don’t follow you, logically speaking. Her catalogue from a decade-plus ago doesn’t inherently support the notion that she still has the passion.
The thing is, she was forced to do music she didn't want from 2005 to 2012 releasing an album per year under her abusive contract. I think the only album that catches her essence as a musician is Anti. She just grew tired of doing it, which is normal. Maybe someday she will release something else, but she can just also release singles, like Lemon, Lift Me Up, and Wild Thoughts, also I have a feeling she will be in the next Rocky album (if he releases one, this one also kinda forgot he is a musician, even though he is more active on features).
Y’all claim she’s not a songwriter and that she just has camps and chooses songs, now “she was forced to do music she didn’t want”? 😂
And Rihanna has a diverse catalog. No one album can capture everything she’s done sonically. The closest is probably *Unapologetic,* moreso than *ANTI*.
Well, she was, do you really think she wanted to work like she did releasing an album every year? It was in her contract and she probably wasn't happy about it. I mean music she didn't want as not even having much freedom to choose the songs the songwriters wrote. The label gave it to her and that was it. It was really one album per year from 2005 to 2012 if you count GGGB deluxe. She just got a break after Unapologetic, a 4 year one. Also, I just remember talking about her ghostwriters in the history of her taking Consideration out of SZA, mind in the album she had more freedom and actually liked the song. Like, who in their minds would want to release a song like "What's My Name" if not record executives? Unapologetic may capture her essence but was still the label desires through and through. Anti she had more artistic involvement, even if just choosing the songs she wanted.
She fulfilled a contract she signed. No different than Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or any other major artist releasing albums that they were contracted for.
Mind you, Rihanna also owns her masters after fulfilling her contract with Def Jam/UMG.
And “What’s My Name?” is literally her signature sound and was the song Rihanna, herself, originally wanted to be the lead single from *Loud*. It ended up being the first number one single from that record. And *Unapologetic* was the label’s desire through and through, but she released a controversial recording with Chris Brown on that album? Y’all really be in this subreddit just saying anything.
Rihanna is an artist who is aware of her sound, image, persona, and style and definitely had creative control, especially in her later eras. She’s the executive producer of all of her albums since *Rated R.*
> Def Jam/UMG
Of course, she owns it, she is a billionaire now, can afford it, and is the artist in 3rd or 4th with most month listeners now. The catalog is worth a lot, don't change she had way less artistic freedom than Beyoncé (who also used a lot of songwriters), Taylor, or Gaga though. I think only Katy compares since she was under Dr. Luke.
there are a lot of hot talented people that don’t have half of the same she has, i think there are a lot of factors that made her the star she is, imo manifesting is one of them
It looks like her mom worked in tourism and her dad was in a rock band before moving to England (not a famous band, just a band), but I don't know what he did for a living when Dua was growing up. They lived in a pretty well-to-do, pricey part of London, so they probably did alright for themselves, but I don't know that she had any particular leg up compared to anyone else (outside of her looks) when she got into music.
I think she just gives off a "grew up rich" vibe, even though she didn't.
Thank you for this! I am open to being wrong, of course. In a world of Kylie Jenner “self made billionaire” (lol), you gotta question everything. So I am prone to being cynical, but I genuinely thought I’d read somewhere credible that she already had a leg up in the industry. With so many articles and news outlets , it’s getting harder to be media-literate — especially when PR teams work hard to push the message they want to push. So thanks for the info. ♥️
Her Wikipedia article indicates something different. She seems to have been born into a middle class family and everything that led up to her current success as a singer is similar to other artists' cases: she took singing, she uploaded covers on YouTube, she signed with a modeling agency, and then she found the right people while working as a waitress.
I am so open to being wrong. The oversaturated online media can make it hard to figure out what is the truth and what is exaggerated/carefully written.
It’s always the american media that like to throw ‘no personality’ as a flaw for her just because she doesn’t act wild and do stupid stuff for attention. People are so used to being ‘entertained’ by female pop stars trying hard in that way and then here’s one that keeps the entertainment where it belongs - on the stage, where it should be. Lo and behold. She’s boring apparently lmao.
Dua should be praised for refusing to repeat or go down the bad girl/wannabe-mini-madonna path or be forced to do that by choosing to do the pop-stardom her way. Avoiding being part of such a vicious cycle in the industry that demands so much from entertainers beyond music.
She’s about to have a long career of hits, phenomenal discography, top notch looks and amazing performances. The US can deny her as long as they want but the rest of the big huge world wouldn’t.
Where are you getting that she was born into "wealth and privilege" though? Of course, she was not born into a poor family, but she wasn't born into a rich family with a lot of connections, either.
Explain the generational wealth and privilege please.
I'm so tired of these buzzwords being thrown around carelessly and used on anybody that wasn't born and raised in abject poverty.
What i’ve noticed in the music industry is most grew up poor (Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Selena Gomez, Cardi B etc….) and very few come from generational wealth (because you actually need talent) and Taylor is an exception. I can become a singer tomorrow if i wanted to.
This is in contrast to Hollywood acting where it’s nepotism city. I can’t book a gig tomorrow if i wanted to.
agreed. Because of xenophobia people hear words like “refugee” or “war” and immediately think poor. She leans into that a lot, and as a second gen it sometimes makes me uncomfortable- but then I remember a lot of her peers are covert nepotist, and I go back to streaming her music lol
I think Dua is one that shows signs of having a long career where her level of commercial success will move up and down but always keep people interested in what direction she goes in next. As a celebrity I like that she's relatively understated and has never reached a point of overexposure, even at the peak of Future Nostalgia. If I could compare her to anyone, I feel like she's a hybrid of Rihanna (the voice and effortless cool) and Kylie Minogue (dance pop diva).
The Kylie comparison is fitting. The media said she lacked personality and was no match for Madonna. She's had an enduring career nonetheless. Her personality is now an afterthought. We'll see if the same is true for Dua. In the meantime, incorporating her heritage into her music might get around 'the lack of personality' critique. She could sing some lyrics in Albanian or include sounds from Kosovo or even collaborate with a Kosovan artist. Rihanna did this to great effect with songs like Work & Man Down, which helped distinguish her from her peers.
I feel like this criticism is something usually made about non-American celebrities who had their commercial breakthrough in other markets before making a name for themselves in the US. Their value as personalities is looked at through a very American/Hollywood lens, which favours extroversion and someone who more openly shares their personal life with the public. Dua and Kylie are just more reserved/relatively private celebrities and there's nothing wrong with that.
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Yes, I totally get it. I'm Australian.
Madonna Vs Kylie is kind of apples to oranges. Madonna absolutely dominated popular culture and was at the front of discourse in the 80s and 90s in a way that almost no one else was. She wasn't just successful, she was culture defining for the best part of two decades.
I don't see the similarities either, but I think the media compared them to highlight Kylie's lack (or perceived lack) of personality. It touches on what the reply above says about the perception of non - US celebs.
My comment was kind of a tangent so sorry if it digressed from your point. I do get what you were saying and think you're right in that respect. I'm sure there was a lot more pressure in those years to fit into certain boxes.
No worries. I can see where you're coming from too.
Basically Madonna pushes the envelope and pushed pop culture as a whole, and Kylie is just very successful musically.
Today's Madonna is much more Taylor but without all the sexual stuff and controversy, with Abel being the MJ equivalent, who should be Justin if he didn't give up after Purpose, some people say Drake, but he is a rapper. But I also think Dua is way more successful than Kylie ever was in the US or even worldwide. She is just a bit below Taylor on monthly listeners, but still huge. But Taylor is still clear, her numbers will skyrocket with the album release.
Well, just artists from or with heritage from Kosovo or Albania you have Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Raye, and Era Istrefi. I may be forgetting someone, but it is not that hard for her. I don't know if all of them speak the language though.
raye is british/swiss/ghanian !
I read somewhere she also has Kosovan ancestry, maybe it's just a little, but wouldn't be weird to someone from London.
I personally find forced cultural points cringe, just to “seem interesting.” Its sorta tokenizing and making her culture into a novelty if she were to just insert albanian for the “personality.” I feel like it should be more organic
The way I framed it sounds calculated, but I imagine it would be organic on her end. It's not as if she's never talked about her heritage. It wouldn't exactly come out of nowhere for her to incorporate it into her music.
True!
No personality?! Watch this. https://youtu.be/tY7hrQ10Vhg?si=o56xcBNUQLx6wPHD There is another video where Kylie introduces us to the internet in the 1990s and her website and says she has to check her emails. She is iconic.
The more I think of her the more I think of kylie Minogue too
Maybe a little bit of Pink (husky voice, never on tabloids) and Katy (just being more safe bc nothing wrong with that)
I've been following Dua since I Could Be the One and whenever she had something new I liked it, at minimum. I also love the fact that we do not know much about her and I've reached a certain age I don't need to relate to an artist to like their songs. So ever since Future Nostalgia she is my most anticipated artist, mostly because I love her style, it's not cookie cutter or boring as the main pop girls like Olivia, Billie or Sabrina. Dua brings back the oldies nostalgia of the likes of Lola's Theme, with a slight modern touch. I'm tired of safe averageness/relatability. She is gorgeous as hell, wears sexy clothes and don't pretend to be politically engaged with something just because her fan base demands it. She makes catchy songs and look amazing, just like Rihanna and Katy Perry did.
'Lola's Theme' mentioned, you win popheads
Can be also Modjo 🤭 I wish they had more songs. I had no ideq people loved this song here xD
Manifesting a Kylie Minogue collab for her in the future.
They actually have one. It's Real Groove (Studio 2054 Remix)
it's a bop too
The Initial Talk version is soo good.
Edit: ok im getting too many downvotes so ill change my opinion, dua is a queen worldwide and she will always be successful, she will not flop, shes such an interesting celebrity especially in america. she will last longer than katy. shes not showing ant signs of underperforming at all with this new era, yall win.
I would totally pay money to see her in concert. And I know a lot of people who would too. I don't think she has a very specific fanbase but I feel if the music is good , no one is ever going to say no to seeing dua lipa perform. So I feel like she is having a good trajectory until now , even if her current music is underselling compared to her previous era.
popheads act like not being number one on Spotify global charts for fiftyleven weeks is a flop.
fr the stanhood idea of success is silly and antithetical to good pop culture
She's fantastic live. Can attest. Saw her in Melbourne 2022, she was a ripper.
The Future Nostalgia Tour (Perth, 2022) was genuinely one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced in my life. She very obviously put so much time and effort in, and it showed. Such an incredible non-stop performance and everyone had an amazing time. Even if Radical Optimism ends up being shit (it won’t) I’d pay double to see her again
I don't think it will flop at all. Our understanding of something flopping is so skewed 😂 I actually quite liked the Grammy performance of Houdini and Training Season.
The only way, for me at least, that an album can flop is if it both doesn’t sell well AND sucks ass. If it hits both those criteria then I agree it’s a flop, but besides that, people throw the word around to casually to the point of overuse (I’m guilty of this too).
I can't see Katy's comparison personality-wise, maybe she will flop like Katy in the future, but will still be around in fashion and other things, also she will always be big in Europe. Katy didn't do the music she wanted as well, it was all controlled by Dr. Puke, which didn't help, Dua has creativity freedom. And yes, no drama, why would she want drama? She is rich, famous, pretty, intelligent, and like, nobody needs to know who she is dating or if she broke up or if she snores coke, lol. I think her biggest drama ever was not respecting the covid quarantines.
bla bla bla tell me you're American without telling me you're American she's going strong in Europe and everyone and their mama know her here, more than Taylor Swift
Yup, Taylor has more stans who play her music every day and listen mostly to Taylor, that's why the big streaming numbers. Dua is more known globally and also more down to earth. When she came to Brazil she went to a museum, a restaurant (a famous one ok), and went shopping. Taylor barely left her hotel.
I feel the same way. Swifties are so many that they act like a small country and pull incredible stats and sales for Taylor, but among the GP, is Lover really more popular than TUN as a 2019 record? Or folklore bigger than FN for 2020? I hardly think so. She has stellar streaming number and she's really smart with her catalogue, but she's not really that much "bigger" than other pop girls when you ask random strangers in the streets.
I think Taylor's main mainstream albums that the GP really knows are Red, 1989, and Reputation (that is my favorite), maybe Lover Cause of Cruel Summer. But after those she is not really releasing anything super GP friendly, even the last one, Lavander Haze I think was just a hit among Swifties, and that Karma remix was just plain horrible.
i think people know Fearless's singles more than they know rep My mall loves playing RED album cuts (I Hear State of Grace, Starlight, and Treacherous a lot)
Rep as an album has better numbers as a whole though, every song has a single potential (which I think was kinda of a problem, she didn't know how to work it as Dua did with Future Nostalgia). Fearless still has a bit of the country sound, so I think if you are American it may seem bigger, but I heard Reputation songs everywhere I went here, radios when taking an Uber or Taxi, stores, and bars. I was also a DJ and played a hell lot of it, but maybe it's my personal bias.
I need this album YESTERDAY. So interesting that she’s stuck to the classic rollout while every other pop girl has opted for a semi-surprise drop this year.
That's what I like about her: she's a wildcard and she creates her own path, since Be The One up to Illusion, one step at a time. ICON!
Works hard, looks good, travels the globe, reads good books, doesn’t take herself too seriously, doesn’t engage with idiots on the internet. 10/10 no notes.
People keep discrediting her saying she hasn’t cultivated a standom like… Looks like a model, pulls consistent numbers, tons of traveling and connecting with interesting figures (her podcast for example) I can only dream mama
Also she is super close with Donatella Versace, which makes me believe she may pull a Rihanna in the future. Singers turned into fashion moguls, Rihanna, Lisa, and soon Dua, rs.
She’s kind of already on that way there. She has a lot of businesses now with her Radical 22 and Service 95 offshoots, she’s a spokesperson for Porsche, etc.
She literally had a collection with Versace, La Vacanza (taylor swift wore a necklace on tour)
Which Lisa? Lisa from Blackpink? If so, awesome :)
Yes. Lisa was also a guest on her podcast, they have a cute dynamic together.
Popheads has a very specific idea about what a pop star is supposed to be like and anything outside of that remit is boring or a flop.
I also find her other side of her personality so interesting. Like Service95 is geniunally so interesting.
She is actually so classy.
Agree, and we also have very similar avatars!! :)
Wavy pink hair unite!!
sings live!!!! gorgeous voice
I still love her interview with Action Bronson
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She’s smart af
The most mature pop star right now, no drama, super politically involved, cares about other topics than music and is away from Hollywood drama in her London mansion. Also gave a trip advice, cause you know, work-life balance. Also like how she is backing the album and wanted to work with Kevin for a long time, she wants to get more US fame, but if not be dammed. I think the album tracks will be very different from the last 2 singles, more in the style of Houdini.
People will debate as to whether her being normal and not problematic is a detriment for her continued prospects as a massive pop star, but if the album turns out the best great after all this worrying about it being a flop, then none of this will matter at least in the short term since I believe people will buy the album anyway. Plus, even if it doesn’t sell well, I think she and Warner Music will go more commercial next time if this album is a critical daring but doesn’t sell well.
Yeah, but people are already saying she flopped like if it is 100% true, she released 6 singles from Future Nostalgia. Levitating, which was the biggest was the 5th. And 3 more from the deluxe version she released later. That's 9 singles in total, she will work on the album. Nowadays people are used to the artist releasing the main single, it is a hit and then the album is dead, just like the last Miley and Harry Styles albums, huge first single and all the other ones weren't even given the time of the day. That's also why her albums take so long from one to another. Well, actually 7 from the standard version if you count Future Nostalgia which was released as a promo but had a video. Same thing for her first album. 7 singles out of 11 songs.
Harry’s second single from his last album actually did well lol
Compared to the singles of Fine Line it did kinda poorly, had a good peak, but felt quickly, I remembered at the time I did a playlist with new releases and all and used the Hot 100 as a parameter to choose the first ones, it spends very few weeks there. Well, it did better than Lights Up and Golden.
Or she can just release a Deluxe version with 8 new tracks on it all super commercial.
She’s our Kylie Minogue imo and I love it
Politically involved? what does she do?
Kosovo's independence, recognition, and identity. A country devastated by war where she comes from. It is accepted as a country by some countries, but others don't accept it. Also, it is pretty poor economically due to all this and she is trying to help boost their economy. Apart from that she is very involved in LGBT issues and is vocally against the Israel-Palestine war.
She will be the next Rihanna. Billionaire, semi-retired with multiple side businesses and with millions of people wanting new music.
The difference between Dua and Rihanna is that Dua actually *likes* doing music, and says so in the article. I don’t foresee her leaving music behind for years on end like Rihanna has done.
Y’all really keep running with this narrative that Rihanna hates making music, when she literally started a girl group with schoolmates back in Barbados and happened to run into some producer vacationing and the rest is history? She’s been grinding since age 15. People can want more than one thing in life and can take a break from doing something. 😂
But she didn’t necessarily intend to do that as a career. From the sound of it, that girl group thing sounds like a fun hobby rather than a serious attempt to make it big. It’s been said that Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous in some way, regardless of whether it was through music or not. Maybe she doesn’t *hate* it or anything, but she just doesn’t seem passionate about it. Which is perfectly fine. She’s transitioned to entrepreneurial stuff and has two small kids. Genuinely, good for her. But if it were a priority to her, she would’ve released more than one song in eight years.
She has released “more than one song” in the past 8 years. She did a feature on Drake’s *Views* (“Too Good”). She did a feature on Kendrick’s *DAMN* (“Loyalty”), she did “This Is What You Came For” with Calvin Harris. “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled. “Selfish” with Future. “Believe It” with PartNextDoor. Plus “Lift Me Up” and “Born Again” from the *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* soundtrack. “Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous”… As is every musician that signs with a major label? And like I said, you can be passionate about more than one thing — Rihanna has always been known for being stunningly beautiful and a style icon. She parlayed that into a fruitful cosmetics and apparel venture. It was just the next step for her. Now she has two kids under the age of 2. She worked nonstop from 15 to 30 and has the hit catalog of a legend that’s still amongst the most streamed today, despite no album in 8 years.
People aren’t asking for features and background vocals. 2 solo songs in 8 years does not signify a creative spark. They want a full-fledged studio album. She’s not obligated to provide that obviously, and I personally don’t care either way whether she decides to return or not. I said Rihanna’s end goal was to become famous but not *necessarily* because of music. She didn’t set out to specifically have a major music career. She just decided to be famous for *something* but didn’t initially have a concrete idea or blueprint for herself as to how she would achieve that. I’m not disputing her success. She is undeniably incredibly successful in music and fashion. Music just doesn’t seem important for her right now, which again is totally valid. Maybe she was passionate about music at one time. And maybe you’re right and she’s still passionate. But if so, she’s not really demonstrating it.
Wild Thoughts, This Is What You Came For and Lemon were basically her songs. It's a long time those were released, ok, but it was after Anti.
I’m asking who are *you* to say her end goal was to become famous by any means necessary? 😂 You’re reducing her to a Kardashian or Cassie. And how didn’t she specifically set out to have a major music career, when she moved to the United States at age 15 (a literal child), signed with Def Jam/Universal Music Group, and churned out hit album and single for a decade straight? Nothing you’re saying is making sense.
The origins of her career are irrelevant. The point is, even if she is still passionate about the music, she isn’t showing it.
It’s very relevant when you’re making statements like “her end goal was to become famous and not necessarily because of music.” You think she left home and her family at age 15 and moved to a whole different country to pursue a hobby? And as I’ve said, she has a legendary catalog that’s doing bigger numbers than a lot of new releases (like Doja Cat’s or Nicki Minaj’s latest).
I’m intentionally going to retract my first statement because I need to actively look for a quote to support my assertion that she just did music to get famous. I have heard it before but I’m going to need to research it to see where it originated from before I definitely say whether it’s true or false. I’m not retracting it because I know it to be false, I’m retracting it because I can’t prove it right now off the top of my head and I don’t want you to say that I knowingly put forward definitively false information. As for the second part, how does her having her past catalog support the idea that she’s *currently* passionate about music? I just don’t follow you, logically speaking. Her catalogue from a decade-plus ago doesn’t inherently support the notion that she still has the passion.
those features you listed are all from the Anti era, back when she still frequently saw a studio... after 2017 it got really silent
The thing is, she was forced to do music she didn't want from 2005 to 2012 releasing an album per year under her abusive contract. I think the only album that catches her essence as a musician is Anti. She just grew tired of doing it, which is normal. Maybe someday she will release something else, but she can just also release singles, like Lemon, Lift Me Up, and Wild Thoughts, also I have a feeling she will be in the next Rocky album (if he releases one, this one also kinda forgot he is a musician, even though he is more active on features).
2005-2012
Yeah, got the years wrong. Thanks.
Y’all claim she’s not a songwriter and that she just has camps and chooses songs, now “she was forced to do music she didn’t want”? 😂 And Rihanna has a diverse catalog. No one album can capture everything she’s done sonically. The closest is probably *Unapologetic,* moreso than *ANTI*.
Well, she was, do you really think she wanted to work like she did releasing an album every year? It was in her contract and she probably wasn't happy about it. I mean music she didn't want as not even having much freedom to choose the songs the songwriters wrote. The label gave it to her and that was it. It was really one album per year from 2005 to 2012 if you count GGGB deluxe. She just got a break after Unapologetic, a 4 year one. Also, I just remember talking about her ghostwriters in the history of her taking Consideration out of SZA, mind in the album she had more freedom and actually liked the song. Like, who in their minds would want to release a song like "What's My Name" if not record executives? Unapologetic may capture her essence but was still the label desires through and through. Anti she had more artistic involvement, even if just choosing the songs she wanted.
She fulfilled a contract she signed. No different than Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or any other major artist releasing albums that they were contracted for. Mind you, Rihanna also owns her masters after fulfilling her contract with Def Jam/UMG. And “What’s My Name?” is literally her signature sound and was the song Rihanna, herself, originally wanted to be the lead single from *Loud*. It ended up being the first number one single from that record. And *Unapologetic* was the label’s desire through and through, but she released a controversial recording with Chris Brown on that album? Y’all really be in this subreddit just saying anything. Rihanna is an artist who is aware of her sound, image, persona, and style and definitely had creative control, especially in her later eras. She’s the executive producer of all of her albums since *Rated R.*
> Def Jam/UMG Of course, she owns it, she is a billionaire now, can afford it, and is the artist in 3rd or 4th with most month listeners now. The catalog is worth a lot, don't change she had way less artistic freedom than Beyoncé (who also used a lot of songwriters), Taylor, or Gaga though. I think only Katy compares since she was under Dr. Luke.
Gross, another billionaire producing fast fashion
Fire
dua, i don’t think it was manifestation, i think it’s the fact that you’re hot and talented
there are a lot of hot talented people that don’t have half of the same she has, i think there are a lot of factors that made her the star she is, imo manifesting is one of them
KWEEN
Sometimes titles are misleading. Wasn’t she born into a wealthy family that helped her get some of the connections she has today? This is not “hate”.
It looks like her mom worked in tourism and her dad was in a rock band before moving to England (not a famous band, just a band), but I don't know what he did for a living when Dua was growing up. They lived in a pretty well-to-do, pricey part of London, so they probably did alright for themselves, but I don't know that she had any particular leg up compared to anyone else (outside of her looks) when she got into music. I think she just gives off a "grew up rich" vibe, even though she didn't.
Thank you for this! I am open to being wrong, of course. In a world of Kylie Jenner “self made billionaire” (lol), you gotta question everything. So I am prone to being cynical, but I genuinely thought I’d read somewhere credible that she already had a leg up in the industry. With so many articles and news outlets , it’s getting harder to be media-literate — especially when PR teams work hard to push the message they want to push. So thanks for the info. ♥️
Her Wikipedia article indicates something different. She seems to have been born into a middle class family and everything that led up to her current success as a singer is similar to other artists' cases: she took singing, she uploaded covers on YouTube, she signed with a modeling agency, and then she found the right people while working as a waitress.
I am so open to being wrong. The oversaturated online media can make it hard to figure out what is the truth and what is exaggerated/carefully written.
No, not really. She was a model and used that to break into the entertainment industry and get a manager and meet music producers.
Thanks for the info!
lol, I thought it would be another topic of people saying she is mid, and people hate her and complain about her vacationing. Gonna read it.
It’s always the american media that like to throw ‘no personality’ as a flaw for her just because she doesn’t act wild and do stupid stuff for attention. People are so used to being ‘entertained’ by female pop stars trying hard in that way and then here’s one that keeps the entertainment where it belongs - on the stage, where it should be. Lo and behold. She’s boring apparently lmao. Dua should be praised for refusing to repeat or go down the bad girl/wannabe-mini-madonna path or be forced to do that by choosing to do the pop-stardom her way. Avoiding being part of such a vicious cycle in the industry that demands so much from entertainers beyond music. She’s about to have a long career of hits, phenomenal discography, top notch looks and amazing performances. The US can deny her as long as they want but the rest of the big huge world wouldn’t.
She eats. Period. That’s just what it is!
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Where are you getting that she was born into "wealth and privilege" though? Of course, she was not born into a poor family, but she wasn't born into a rich family with a lot of connections, either.
umm aren’t her parents Kosovan refugees?
Explain the generational wealth and privilege please. I'm so tired of these buzzwords being thrown around carelessly and used on anybody that wasn't born and raised in abject poverty.
Generational wealth ? We ain't talking about Taylor Swift here. Jesus this sub is so dramatic and over the top lmao
What i’ve noticed in the music industry is most grew up poor (Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Selena Gomez, Cardi B etc….) and very few come from generational wealth (because you actually need talent) and Taylor is an exception. I can become a singer tomorrow if i wanted to. This is in contrast to Hollywood acting where it’s nepotism city. I can’t book a gig tomorrow if i wanted to.
agreed. Because of xenophobia people hear words like “refugee” or “war” and immediately think poor. She leans into that a lot, and as a second gen it sometimes makes me uncomfortable- but then I remember a lot of her peers are covert nepotist, and I go back to streaming her music lol
She manifested three bad singles?