THE BILLIONAIRE CLUB
HOW THEY’RE SINGING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
Forging the way for other young female performers, Dua Lipa is on track to become a dazzling new addition to the exclusive dollarbillionaire club, following in the footsteps of fellow pop star Taylor Swift by hitting a ten-figure fortune in a male-dominated industry.
Traditionally, the billionaire club is the province of industrialists and businessmen, but now one of the most successful female artists in showbusiness could be joining trailblazer Taylor in their ranks.
Rock behemoths including the Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, U2 and Ed Sheeran remain in the multimillionaire domain, with only Sir Paul McCartney breaking through the barrier with a net worth of $1.2bn (£9.6m).
Displaying a business savvy as sharp as her songwriting, 28-year-old Dua, who ranked 21st in this year’s Sunday Times Rich List for under-35s, with an estimated worth of £75m, could hit the billionaire mark after parting ways with her former management company.
She has bought the rights to her publishing catalogue and joined forces with her businessman father, Dukagjin, known as Dugi, to set up a company to manage all her commercial assets. “Essentially, the move has echoes of Taylor Swift – a huge female pop star rewriting the narrative and making money on her own terms,” a source told The Sun.
DETERMINATION AND SPIRIT
For those who know Dua, it comes as no surprise. The Grammy Award winner, who became a household name in 2018 with the single One Kiss, has always shown a drive and resilience beyond her years.
She was born and raised in London after her Albanian parents, Dugi and Anesa, fled Kosovo during the Balkan wars. After being denied entry to her primary school choir – although she did lead her classmates in dance routines in the playground – she started recording cover versions of her favourite songs on YouTube.
The family moved back to Kosovo when she was 11, but Dua insisted on returning to London four years later, to take her GCSEs and try to forge a career in music. She also took acting classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. “She was always driven and had a phenomenal work ethic. She would not sit back and wait for things,” said school founder Sylvia Young. “We knew she was very intelligent and would be successful in anything she did.”
GOING HER OWN WAY
Also not one for sitting back, 33-year-ol
