Why Dua Lipa Is Better Than The Literary Establishment

Untangling The Web #4

Glamorous, yet thoughtful; adored by millions yet warm-hearted and approachable; known for musical ability but possessing many other talents — no, it’s not me I’m talking about. It’s Dua Lipa.

(source)

Before I was bedazzled by her music, I was bedazzled by her perspicacity.

Talking to Stephen Colbert a few years ago, she mentioned that she was planning to interview guests on her podcasts. Putting her on the spot, Mr Colbert asked if there was anything she’d like to ask him. She considered for a few moments, then asked an interesting question about how his religious faith and comedy overlap.

Okay, they probably ran through that in rehearsal, yet… That’s not a question you hear every day, especially in an industry and society where religion is seen as, at best, an eccentricity and, at worst, a failed attempt to explain nature, believed only by cave-dwellers and troglodytes.

Still, when I heard that Dua Lipa intereviews writers, I was a little sceptical — another celebrity with a book club? Reece Witherspoon and Oprah have bookclubs, do we really need another high-profile publicist for the latest self-help manual and young adult novel? My scepticism grew when I saw that Dua Lipa’s book club is part of her website Service95, which seems heavily focused on food, shopping, make-up.

But her interviews aren’t just better than those of pampered talking heads. They’re better than those of the literary establishment.