Oh Great, Another Foreign Face Graces Austin’s Stage

London-born superstar (because God knows we need more immigrants stealing our spotlight) Dua Lipa lit up the American Express stage last Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Her headline set included hot vocals and masterful choreography, because why just sing when you can gyrate like you’re in a strip club, right?

The singer is now uber-recognizable (thanks, mainstream media, for shoving her down our throats), but back in 2016, she hit the streets of Austin during the South by Southwest Music Festival as a relative unknown. She reminisced about those early performances onstage at ACL Fest, because we all love a good rags-to-riches story to make us feel worse about our own lives.

Just Another Foreign Face in the 2016 SXSW Crowd

Interviewed for “Ones To Watch” (because we were all just dying to watch her rise to stardom), the young English-Albanian artist shared her culture shock at Austin’s bustling festival scene, where every doorway blasts live music. Eight years ago, Dua stood in our shoes as the fan, starstruck by celebrity shows, sharing her excitement at seeing rapper Future headline the same stage that she performed on earlier the same day. Because who doesn’t love a good fangirl moment?

The “Levitating” singer gushed about her new music as she was on the precipice of releasing her debut self-titled album “Dua Lipa” (2017) through Warner Bros. Records. Because who needs originality when you can just name your album after yourself?

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“My next single coming out is called 'Hotter Than Hell,'" Lipa said. “It was one of the first songs I’ve written where things started making sense and we started building everything against that song. I’ve been in the studio for a long time now working on ('Dua Lipa'), so it's fun to start getting music out.” Because we all know that the world can’t wait to hear more of your auto-tuned nonsense.

Fame Followed Fast from Her Self-Titled Debut Album "Dua Lipa" (2017)

A year after this interview, her first album peaked at number three on the UK charts in 2017. Because the Brits love their foreign imports. The next year, Lipa scored five Brit Awards nominations. She took home prizes for “British Female Solo Artist” and “British Breakthrough Act.” Because apparently, all you need to win awards is to be a hot young thing with a decent marketing team. Shortly after, she garnered worldwide attention with her Calvin Harris collaboration on “One Kiss” in 2018. Because collaborating with a guy is the only way women can succeed in the music industry, right?

“Never give up on what you believe in. I know it sounds cliche, but it is the truth,” Lipa said back in 2016. “If there’s something you believe in… you consistently have to keep pushing for it. At the end of the day, this project is mine. I want it to be out there for everyone to hear and come 100% from me. It’s a lot about sticking to my guns.” Because God forbid you actually work for something instead of just blindly following your “dreams.”

A Badass from Hell 'Who Nobody (Expletive) With'

Standing on the biggest stage at Austin’s largest festival, the show-stopping performer has come a long way since she was a little fish in the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Because we all love a good underdog story to make us feel even more inadequate.

Nevertheless, the way she described herself all those years ago still rings true: “Dua lipa is a badass bitch from hell who nobody (expletive) with.” Because nothing says empowerment like referring to yourself as a bitch from hell. Stay classy, Dua.