Dua Lipa reveals why she chose to speak out on Palestine

Dua Lipa has said she is willing to ‘take the hit’ of backlash when speaking out for Palestine.

The singer, 28, has been one of the longstanding celebrities who have been urging President Joe Biden to help deescalate the crisis in Gaza and Israel.

In October she and other celebrities including Channing Tatum, created a group called Artists4Ceasefire. 

Together they wrote an open letter to the President, which explained that they have ‘come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine’.

Ever since, she has also been vocal on social media sharing various posts in support of Palestine and denouncing Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

Speaking to the Radio Times this week, she said speaking about the war is a ‘big decision’.

She said: ‘When I speak about things that are political, I double-, triple-check myself to be, “OK, this is about something that is way bigger than me, and it’s necessary – and that’s the only reason I’m posting it”. That is my only solace in doing that.

‘It’s always going to be met with a backlash and other people’s opinions, so it’s a big decision. I balance it out, because ultimately, I feel it’s for the greater good, so I’m willing to [take that hit].’

Speaking about the upcoming election, she said she is a longstanding supporter of Labour.

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‘For me, over the past three or four years, I’ve kind of decided that standing behind a certain political party leader is probably not the route I want to take,’ she said.

‘I’ve always supported Labour so that’s where I’ll always stand, but I don’t think I’ll be publicly going for or against anyone because politicians overall just have a way of letting you down.’

Next weekend Dua will be headlining Glastonbury after originally receiving the call about the show back in November 2022. 

The star managed to keep the huge career achievement a secret from her fans, but she confessed it was always in the back of her mind while writing her new record Radical Optimism. 

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For the first time Glastonbury has two female headliners this year, Dua and American songstress SZA. 

Speaking on music politics, she said female artists must ‘keep going’.

‘It’s so great to be part of the wave of women artists, and we’ve got to keep applying the pressure,’ she said.

‘There’s something to be said about different albums and different cycles, but right now it seems like the heaviest influx of albums by female artists – Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift. We’ve just got to keep going.’

The singer also teased that her upcoming performance will be a one-off, as she hinted: ‘The one thing I can tell you is that this will be a one-off – it will only ever happen at Glastonbury and that will be it. I think that’s what makes shows at Glastonbury so special.’

Giving nothing away, she refused to admit whether she will be joined on stage by any guests. 

The singer has collaborated with Chris Martin before, and Coldplay are also headlining the festival. 

Asked if he may be joining her on stage, Dua replied: ‘Err… there are no plans for… that!’