INTERVIEW: Dua Lipa Talks 'Diverse' Debut Album & First Tour In America

Dua Lipa is everywhere right now. And better yet, she's everything. The English singer/songwriter has had an amazing year -- we were hooked with "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)," continued to fangirl over her collaborations with Sean Paul ("No Lie") and Martin Garrix ("Scared To Be Lonely"), and now we can't get enough of her new single "Be The One," the latest single from Dua's upcoming self-titled debut studio album, which is due out this year on June 2nd. To top it off, she's been touring all over America for the first time. She tells us of this past year, "I'm still kind of flying at the moment."

We recently caught up with Dua, and during an exclusive interview, she told us about her single "Be The One," what fans can expect from her debut album, what it was like to collaborate with Sean Paul and Martin Garrix, and more.

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"Be The One" is an airy pop tune with some cool retro vibes, and was written by Lucy Taylor and Digital Farm Animals (who also produced the song). Dua actually released this track a few years ago in 2015. She says she released it "just so people knew I was putting music out, and just to kind of get things started." And after becoming a successful song for her in Europe and Australia, she re-released it in the UK, and has now brought it over stateside. She says, "It's so exciting to have the opportunity to bring it over here to the US, and share that song with everyone, and hear it on the radio so far away from home. It's crazy."

On the meaning behind "Be The One" & filming two different music videos

"The song is about miscommunication in a relationship. It was exciting; I had the opportunity to do two videos. One was quite fun, and bouncy, and a lot about things I love in London, and also had another take on the song, which essentially is the fun pop song. Then I got to redo another video for it, which showed the darker side to the song, and showed the relationship, and the ups and downs with some added crazy sci-fi parts. But essentially the story was a relationship, and constantly persevering, and not giving up on that relationship so easily."

On what to expect from her "diverse" sounding debut album

Gearing up to release her debut self-titled album, Dua says has "all been a crazy learning process." But she's also looking at releasing her first album as a cleanse. "I'm just so excited to finally put it out. I'm thinking of it as a cleanse of everything that has happened in my life up until this point. To just kind of get it out there finally."

The London singer/songwriter tells us that putting this album together has also brought forth some moments of self-discovery. "Everything about making the album's been so much fun. Definitely seeing it all come to life, seeing the different stages, the emotions that I went through, feeling like I was ready to release the album, and then having different opportunities and writing some more, and finding myself in different ways, and finding different things to write about. Everything's just been so crazy."

Dua's self-titled debut is a pop record, but fans will notice quite a few different genres throughout the album. "The album is very diverse. It is essentially a pop record, but it touches on lots of different genres. It's a lot of fun, and I've taken the time to experiment with all the things that I love. I have grown up listening to so many different types of music, so it was really hard for me to really narrow it down to one thing. But, I think they'll [fans] be surprised, and I'm excited about it. And that's important."

On touring America & what it was like working with Martin Garrix & Sean Paul

This year, Dua hit the road on her first North American tour, and she says the best part is getting to meet new fans. "Having the opportunity to meet them afterwards, and getting to just hang out with them," she tells us of touring. "I feel like I've just spent so much time in Europe, so just to come and experience crowds has just been so great."

Dua describes her first tour in in America as "magical," although "overwhelming" at times. "It's been really magical, and overwhelming at times to really think that something like that could happen, and to have the opportunity to come, and go to different parts of the US, places I've never even been to. To come and perform night after night, and see so many different faces, and see people singing my songs; it's just been such a great experience."

As if the excitement of a debut album and North American tour wasn't enough, this year, Dua teamed up with Sean Paul and Martin Garrix on a pair of collaborations -- "No Lie" with Sean and "Scared To Be Lonely" with Martin. Dua says on working with each, "They're both amazing and so humble, and Sean Paul being an artist that I've listened to since I was little. I remember when I got asked to do the song, all that was playing in my head was 'Baby Boy.' Him and Beyoncé. It's really exciting to get to work with someone like that, and create something, and [branch] out from what I normally do and experience something different. And Martin's just so great. He's really there for the music, and he's such a humble guy. I've just enjoyed the whole process."

And Dua's latest collab? A song called "My Love" featured on Wale's new album Shine, which also features Major Lazer and Wizkid.