Dancing the night away with Dua Lipa
A common lament among touring pop stars is that, while they get to travel the world and visit cities they didn’t even know existed, the mad rush from one city to the next doesn’t allow them to actually see, much less appreciate, those places.
But that’s not a problem for Dua Lipa.
The British singer has long been teased by her fans for seemingly being in perpetual vacation mode—as evidenced by frequent sightings of her blissfully sipping margaritas on a beach, or of her wearing vintage designer pieces while lounging on a yacht in an exotic locale.
At one point, you start wondering if her going on tour is actually just an excuse for her to go sightseeing. But kidding aside, Lipa simply knows how to work hard and play hard.
“As long as I’m doing my job, or hitting my deadlines … I will find a way to relax,” she said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
True to form, Lipa wasted no time upon landing in Manila for the local stop of her “Radical Optimism” tour. Two days before her Nov. 13 concert at the Philippine Arena, she reportedly enjoyed an 11-course omakase dinner at 12/10, a modern izakaya in Makati City.
The following morning, the 29-year-old pop star—hand-in-hand with her beau, British actor Callum Turner—went for a leisurely stroll around Intramuros, checking out important landmarks like Fort Santiago and San Agustin Church. And then, another food stop—this time, at the Toyo Eatery, also in Makati City, where she partook of a Filipino kamayan spread served on banana leaves.
On the day of the concert—while most of her fans were probably already scrambling to get to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan—Lipa dropped by famed chef Margarita Fores’ Grace Park (in Rockwell, Makati), where she had the spaghetti uni carbonara for lunch. “To die for,” she wrote on the restaurant’s feedback form.
Fun and easygoing energy
It’s this same fun and easygoing energy that Lipa brought to the venue later that night. After all, “Radical Optimism”—her third studio album that launched this ongoing series of shows—was inspired by the unadulterated joy that comes after navigating through hard goodbyes and soul-crushing chaos.
And that’s all she asked from the crowd: to leave all their worries outside, even for just a few hours. “Tonight is just us. It’s just me and you. I wish we could just stay present in the moment. No matter what’s happening outside, it doesn’t even matter, because right here, right now, it’s us,” she said.
“You guys ready for a party?” she screamed, before pointing her mic to the crowd. Because her set list was made exactly for that.
It’s not a knock on the singer-songwriter when we say that her discography is best enjoyed as a gateway to mindless fun. Because sometimes, that’s what’s people want and need—especially after work, in the middle of the week. In fact, not a few fans who showed up were workers who seemingly went straight from the office, still in their business casuals.
They weren’t there to delve into a deep musical discourse or churn out think pieces; they were there, as the hit song Lipa wrote for the “Barbie” movie goes, “dance the night away.” Millennials, Gen Z, titas, and children—it didn’t matter; the arena was their dance floor.
More self-assured
And Lipa created the perfect backdrop, performing one head-bobbing bop after another, one luscious disco banger followed by more—“Training Season,” “Levitating,” “Hallucinate,” “Physical,” “Don’t Start Now,” “Houdini.”
Providing a much-needed breather was the ballad “Anything for Love,” which beautifully showcased her rich, at times husky, alto, which we feel has been gravely underutilized of late.
The show (mounted by Live Nation Philippines) was Lipa’s first in the Philippines in six years. A lot has changed since—all them for the better.
Once mocked for her robotic, perfunctory dancing, Lipa is a more self-assured presence onstage, charging about and reveling in the interplay of energy among her dancers. And while still not a natural mover, she has grown leaps and bounds, especially in terms of stamina and delivery. She was fun, cheeky, sassy. And you wouldn’t catch her catching her breath.
It was apparent that all the effort she has put into her craft wasn’t lost on her supporters, who kept begging for more as the show drew to a close. And while seeing a sea of twinkling lights in a packed arena has become a regular occurrence in her touring life, Lipa still finds herself pinching her arm every so often in disbelief.
“I feel like I get spoiled every time I’m onstage. I’m like, ‘Wow, this is my job. I get to sing songs and people sing with me. It’s really fun,” she told the Manila crowd—“one of the loudest ever.”
“You guys made it possible, and I’m lucky I get to do this with you.”
