Dua Lipa is on track to become a billionaire pop star after a major career change – but could it be a toxic Britney disaster?
DUA LIPA is on course to become Britain’s richest female pop star – after buying the rights to her publishing catalog and doing business with her controversial businessman father.
She has founded a company, Radical 22 Publishing Limited, jointly owned by her and her father Dukagjin – known as Dugi – to manage all of her commercial assets.
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It comes days after she announced she was cutting all ties with former management company TaP.
A source said: “It’s an incredibly bold move and a huge statement of intent for Dua Inc.”
“Dua wants to take back control of her career and Dugi is very hands-on.
“He felt like she was giving away too high a percentage of her income, and after he became her manager, he felt like that next For me it was a logical step to become an official business partner.
“Similar to when a Premier League footballer uses his brother as an agent, it’s about keeping it in the family and maintaining control.
“Some people in the industry are drawing comparisons to Britney Spears and her father Jamie – Dugi is undoubtedly very assertive – but he absolutely has her best interests at heart.”
Although Dua made her move for different reasons, it also follows Taylor Swift’s long-running dispute with music tycoon Scooter Braun after his company purchased the master recordings of her first six albums in 2019 – she has since re-recorded all six albums in an attempt to regain ownership the songs.
The source said of Dua’s new strategy: “Essentially, the move is also reminiscent of Taylor Swift – a major pop star who is rewriting the narrative and making money on her own terms.”
“Dua could be a billionaire by the time she’s 40.”
News of the 28-year-old Grammy winner’s career move comes after it was revealed that she and Harry Styles helped UK music exports hit £4bn last year.
And tomorrow she returns with a much-lauded new single, Houdini, which will be released simultaneously in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Their third album will be released next year and is the result of a sell-out tour of 91 shows in the US and Australia and sales of more than £80 million.
However, Dua’s team was mortified last month when she posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to have plaque on her teeth. That was a bit of a PR setback.
Fans mocked the singer and urged her to “floss her teeth.”
Although insiders claim that the unfortunate-looking copper-colored spots were simply a trick of the light, others claim that Photoshop should have been used anyway.
A source added: “Dua and the new team are still finding their feet and of course mistakes will be made.
“Ultimately it’s about a young woman, not even 30 years old, who has full creative control and learns on the job. It’s inspiring.”
As part of the new deal, she is expected to tour with Live Nation again, with CEO Michael Rapino heavily involved in the negotiations.
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In June she was ranked 21st in the Sunday Times Rich List for under-35s with a personal fortune of £75 million – and that fortune could well double by the end of next year.
A press release was sent out last week confirming part of her new contract.
In a brief statement, TaP’s publishing division confirmed it had sold the rights back to the artist, saying: “We wish Dua all the best for this.” Future.”
She signed with TaP, which also manages stars such as Ellie Goulding, Lana del Rey and Noah Cyrus, after being discovered by managing director Ben Mawson, who spotted her in a London cocktail bar.
She separated from the company in February 2022 and has been managed by her father ever since.
A source added: “Dukagjin felt that his daughter and he were working around the clock behind the scenes but were not getting enough of the pot of money.
“In the previous deal, Dua gave up about 20 percent of her income, and Dugi felt that if he had more control over her day by day, he could help her keep everything she earned.
“They are super close. Dugi is incredibly proud of his daughter and everyone is very excited about the future.”
The Future Nostalgia star was born in London in 1995 after her Albanian parents came to the UK from Kosovo.
Artistic creation
After being denied entry to her elementary school’s choir, she began recording covers of her favorite songs and uploading them to YouTube.
The family returned after Kosovo’s independence in 2008, then returned to the UK when Dua was 15 and later signed a contract with Warner Music Group.
In 2014, she quietly signed up Dua Lipa Limited as a private limited company, with the singer listed as the sole director, shareholder and “person with significant control”.
Since the company’s operations were focused on “artistic creation,” it was clear that Dua would get her business in order before her assault on the charts began.
She became a household name in 2018 when her single “One Kiss” featuring Calvin Harris topped charts around the world.
A year later, One Kiss won the Brit Award for Single of the Year and won Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording at the Grammys.
She also has lucrative deals with companies like Evian and high-end fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent and Versace. She also has a six-figure social media deal to promote the alcoholic beverage Truly.
Her most recent hit was Dance The Night, which was featured in the Barbie soundtrack, a blockbuster film in which she also made a cameo appearance.
However, last year she found herself in controversy after publicly denying rumors that she would be performing at the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.
The Middle Eastern country’s record on LGBTQ and women’s rights, as well as its treatment of foreign workers who helped build the tournament’s stadiums, have long been in the spotlight.
She said: “There is a lot of speculation that I will perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar.
“I will not be performing and have never been involved in negotiations to perform.”
Embarrassingly, emails later revealed that her father, who runs communications agency Republika, had contacted tournament officials and agreed to help organize the opening ceremony.
In the messages, which took place over a period of almost two years, the 54-year-old wrote: “I represent my daughter” and boasted about the success of one of her livestream events.
He also talked about his connections to other top artists like Calvin Harris, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
However, it is not believed that Dua knew about the interactions.
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