Despite the enforced down-time, 2020 has been an incredibly busy year for Dua Lipa. At the start of lockdown, she dropped her second studio album Future Nostalgia, brimming with feel-good tracks like “Don’t Start Now”, and “Physical”. She also turned 25, and marked the occasion by midriff flossing in Supriya Lele’s spring/summer 2020 plaid coord. “I never really stopped,” the singer tells Miss Vogue of her whirlwind WFH schedule. Having to adapt to the changes wrought by the pandemic was “a massive learning curve for me”, says the singer. “But it has been so eye-opening, and has taught me to be more patient with everything that’s happening.”
Dua’s tour plans were put on hold as a result of the pandemic, so she has been keen to find new ways to connect with her fans. Ahead of the release of the track “Levitating”, she challenged her TikTok followers to share their #DuaVideos, to be in with a chance of landing a starring role in the music video for the single.
Thousands of people shared clips showcasing their finest dance moves, cosmic make-up skills and animation techniques, and 16 lucky fans were chosen to feature alongside Dua in the video, directed by Warren Fu. “It was such a no-brainer for me, it seemed like the best and most fun opportunity,” she says. Austin Powers, ’60s futurism, surrealism and Studio 54 all featured on her moodboard for the disco-inflected promo. “‘Levitating’ was the perfect song to encapsulate all these crazy references,” she says. “It’s essentially a super glorified and glamorised way of talking about falling in love for the first time.”
At the outset, Dua is seen lying atop a classic car, sporting a blonde bob and glittering eye make-up. The star then switches from her Misbhv sheer top, cargo trousers and Puma trainers into a shimmering custom Versace dress. She worked closely with the Versace team to “help her disco dream come true”, and collaboratively, they reimagined a glittering archive look to be a focal point of the video.
It isn’t the only head-turning piece in the clip. The fashion aficionado – whose off-duty ensembles are often a mash-up of streetwear and high fashion – hand-picked a sheer embellished Mugler dress for the video’s final scene. Eagle-eyed fashion fans will remember it from creative director Casey Cadwallader’s autumn/winter 2020 show – Oceana Celeste wore it as she walked the runway alongside Bella Hadid, Snoh Aalegra and Grace Bol. It was a natural choice for Dua Lipa, who wore a cut-out Mugler bodysuit for her high-energy MTV EMAs performance in November last year.
“Honestly for me, vibing off of everyone’s energy was the best way to prepare for all of our scenes together,” says Dexter Mayfield, who appears in Dua’s video (and recently made a memorable cameo in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 2). Dancer Olivia Wong prepared for her own big moment simply by staying calm. “Going in feeling grounded and adaptable to what could happen on set is so important,” she said. Brothers Davonte House and Ajani Huff, TikTok beauty tipsters, and roller skater Kelsey Guy also join Dua in her video.
The star cites the intriguing-sounding “operation wig-snatch” as one of her favourite moments on the set. “I almost started filming with a different look, then moments before I went on camera I didn’t quite like it, and quickly Chris [hairstylist Chris Appleton] – within not even five minutes – flipped the wig, changed it and gave me a whole new look,” she explains. Dua is nothing if not experimental when it comes to her hair, and lockdown provided her with the perfect opportunity to play with colour. “I just love it,” she says. “I think for me, hair has become like my clothes. It’s all about how I feel on the day.”
Having wrapped on the video, Dua isn’t slowing down anytime soon. New music is reportedly already on the way, and she hints at more exciting announcements in the pipeline. On her rare nights off, she’s tuning into Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix drama Ratched – or taking part in some TikTok challenges of her own.
