Dua Lipa: why did singer get Albanian citizenship, has she changed her name, where was she born?

Singer Dua Lipa is one of the most popular pop artists in the world at the minute. Her fame has continued to rise after her hugely successful release of the 2020 album ‘Future Nostalgia’, which spawn hits such as ‘Don’t Start Now’ and ‘Levitating’.

Lipa has already seen success at award shows such as the Brits and the Grammy Awards. Now, her musical accomplishments have awarded her citizenship of Albania.

The singer travelled to Tirana, the capital city of the balkan country, where she met with Albanian President Bajram Begaj. She also worse oath to the country, while receiving a new passport and identity card.

Lipa has been vocal throughout her career about her support for Albania. She has strong links to the country, with her family moving to the UK from Yugoslavia, also known as modern-day Kosovo in the 1990s.

But why has she been granted citizenship to Albania - and was she born there? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why was Dua Lipa granted Albanian citizenship?

Lipa travelled to Tirana on 28 November 2022 where she was presented with citizenship to Albania by President Begaj. The singer pledged an oath to Albania during the process, while also being fingerprinted and photographed for her new Albanian identity cards and

Begjan said: “Happy to give the one and only Dua Lipa the decree of Albanian citizenship. She has made us proud with her global career and engagement in important social causes.”

The proud leader added that the singer had made Albanians famous around the world. Lipa described the moment as an “honour”, adding “faleminderit, po ndihem shume krenare”, which translates to “thank you, I’m feeling very proud.”

Where was Dua Lipa born?

Lipa, 27, was actually born in London in 1995. However, before her birth, the singer’s family moved to the UK from Pristina, Kosovo.

In 2008, her family moved back to Kosovo after the country declared independence from Serbia. At the time, Lipa was 13-years-old.

She moved back to London at the age of 15. It was from this point that she decided to focus on a musical career.

Lipa’s parents are Kosovan Albanian. Her grandmother also comes from Bosnian descent.

Did Dua Lipa change her name?

In the music industry, it isn’t uncommon for artists to change their name to a catchier or shorter title. Acts like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have all used stage name for their career.

However, Dua Lipa did in fact not change her name upon becoming a singer. She was born ‘Dua Lipa’ on 22 August, 1995.

The name has traditional Albanian roots. ‘Dua’ means love in Albanian, while ‘Lipa’ is a historically eastern European surname.