Is Dua Lipa a Good Singer?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Solo Artists,Pop Last Updated November 17, 2022

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Dua Lipa is known as the queen of dance-pop and electro-pop. She has already become a household name. But is she talented or just another disposable pop star? Is Dua Lipa a good singer?

Here is what I know from my family playing her constantly:

Dua Lipa is undoubtedly a good singer and an energetic performer. She has an impressive voice, an almost 3-octave range, and can support her voice even when she is dancing a lot on stage. 

Dua collaborated with Warner Music Group for her first single (New Love, 2015) and started to drop her singles to radio stations.

Her breakthrough self-titled studio album, Dua Lipa, included songs like One Kiss, Kiss and Makeup, Lost In Your Sight, and New Rules (becoming the nation’s ultimate boyfriend breakup anthem).

In three years of her career span, she has already traveled five continents.

Her concerts witness fan energy, passion, and upbeat music. She can hold lower notes with great support, but many fans believe her voice quality showcases some strains when taking higher notes.

Let us find out more about Dua Lipa and her singing and talent.

Is Dua Lipa good in concert?

Dua Lipa is outstanding in concerts, and she brings a ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s funk and dance sensibility to her music that is infectious and high energy.

But the true test of any artist’s live concert ability is if they dare perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk series. Luckily, Dua Lipa did, and she sounded outstanding. And, of course, it’s raw with no autotune or lip-syncing.

Check it out on YouTube – https://youtu.be/F4neLJQC1_E

I will say that compared to other live videos of Dua Lipa on YouTube I’ve seen, it does seem like maybe she lip-syncs at least some of the time. But her shows still seem to be a party and a lot of fun.

In addition, in the Tiny Desk concert, you hear great group vocals that remind you of a classic piece of 90s radio pop. The lyrics seamlessly melt into catchy disco-house beats with an excellent range and presence.

Can Dua Lipa sing high notes?

Dua Lipa does seem to struggle with hitting high notes perfectly in some of her live performances. According to experts, her voice experiences some strain as it ascends towards higher notes. 

Dua Lipa didn’t always envision a career in music.

This is because she was once told by her school’s choir that “she couldn’t sing.” That is when she went all in for the training and took singing lessons.

Dua experimented with her vocals extensively in her struggling days.

But I noticed that even when she was creating a portfolio for her by posting her YouTube videos covering various other artists, she took the low register route more than high ones.

The highest note Dua Lipa has sung is between A3-G5 in Break My Heart. source

To give you an idea about the highest notes that she hits in her popular singles, check the list below:

  • New Rules: G4
  • Room For 2: C#5
  • Don’t Start Now: F5 
  • New Love: C5
  • Homesick: D5
  • Be The One: D5
  • Future Nostalgia: D5
  • Hotter Than Hell: D5
  • Thinking ‘bout You: D5
  • Bad Together: E5

According to The Pop Smarts:

“As she ascends, her rasp quickly picks up prominence. This seems intentional, as she leans into not only her rasp but also vocal breaks for dramatic effect (“Physical” and “Scared to be Lonely”). That being said, it’s unclear if she could produce a bright, clean sound on the same notes”.

However, style-wise, I believe her voice suits her music regardless of what higher notes she can hit or cannot hit.

How much autotune does Dua Lipa use?

Dua Lipa uses autotune in small amounts such that it goes unnoticed. But a few of her tracks include super heavy autotune, which is not uncommon with pop and dance stars as it’s often dictated by the producers and record labels.

21st-century artists make extensive use of autotune in the name of “creative.” However, most of us don’t know that it’s a commercial choice for artists to use or not to use synthesizers.

Curious if Dua Lipa uses autotune in any other songs? 

Luckily, I covered that in a recent article. While it’s not always extensive, there are some songs where autotune is obviously used.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

What is Dua Lipa’s vocal range?

Dua Lipa has an almost 3-octave range from G#2 up to A5. The average singer has approximately a 2-octave range. 

I have analyzed Dua Lipa’s vocal range based on two studio albums: Dua Lipa and Future Notalgia.

1 Dua Lipa (2017) 

Low Notes: B2 – F3

  • B2, E3, Eb3, E3, F3

Belted Notes: A4 – F5

  • A4, Bb4, B4, C5, C#5, D5, Eb5, E5, F5

Falsetto/Head Voice: C#5 – B5

  • C#5, Eb5, G#5, A5, Bb4, B5

2. Future Nostalgia (2020) 

Low Notes: F#3 – F2

  • F#3, F3, E3, E3(h), Eb3(h), D3, D3(h), C3, C3(ou), Bb2, A2, G#2

Belts: B4 – D5

  • B4, C5, C#5, D5

Falsetto/ Head Voice: D5 – C6 

  • D5, Eb5, Eb5(h), Eb5(g), E5, E5(h), E5, E5(ou), F#5, G#5, A5, Bb5, C6

Dua Lipa has never used autotune in her live concerts to hit these notes.

However, as I dug deeper, I found that other artists like Halsey use autotune to perfect their vocals in studios and live concerts.

Wondering, in which songs Halsey has used autotune the most? 

Well! Check out my recent article. I also covered why Halsey began using the synth in the first place. Just click that link to read it on my site.

Why is Dua Lipa so popular?

Dua Lipa is popular as she has an incredible voice, infectious energy, and a style of music that harkens back both to 70’s disco and 90’s dance music. 

In three years of her career, Dua Lipa has established herself as dark pop, progressive pop, and “dance-crying”.

This is primarily drawing her inspirations from disco, hip hop, electronic, and dance-pop genres. The beats she uses are a part of a soulful deep house pulse that accentuates her powerful vocals.

Other than this, I believe that her songwriting, which she participates in but doesn’t do by herself, is what sets her apart.

For example, Dua talks about various themes like:

  • Female empowerment
  • Relationships
  • Heartbreaks
  • Love
  • And loss that she experienced

The first song that she ever wrote was dedicated to her mother, capturing how she wanted to be like her mother when she grew old.

When an artist can do that, the song automatically connects with the audience on a rich level.

Retracing her musical efforts, Dua started relatively young. She was lucky to work with Warner Music Group. She released her single New Love with them.

Since then, Dua has released:

  • 2 studio albums
  • 1 remix album
  • 4 extended plays (EPs)
  • 28 singles (including four as a featured artist)
  • and thirty music videos

She successfully gave the nation’s Ultimate Boyfriend Breakup Anthem with her single New Rules. She has traveled five continents, won 3 Grammys, and much more.

(source)

I believe after all this hard work, she does deserve the fame she is enjoying.

Dua Lipa | Vocal Range Live: (B2 - B5)

Conclusion 

Dua Lipa is a role model for people who believe “you need to work hard to get a bit of luck.”

Her family support inspired her to start young in her career. She was rejected from her school choir because she couldn’t sing, which motivated her to train her voice.

Eventually, she started posting YouTube coverings of other artists, which soon got noticed and brought her recognition.

From here, she never looked back and started her full-fledged singing career. She has been doing great and shows no signs of stopping.

Dua is a good singer with empowering and unique vocals that seek to shake the landscape of modern pop and give listeners classic but modern music.

Photo which requires attribution:

Dua Lipa 02/12/2018 #33 by Justin Higuchi is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

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