The Touching Reason Dua Lipa Is Celebrating Her Family's Home Country

Among many qualities setting Dua Lipa apart from fellow chart-toppers, her unique Albanian heritage is not least of them. Born in London, the "Levitating" singer's parents are Kosovan-Albanian immigrants who left the country's capital in 1992 due to political tensions, per BBC. Despite being raised in England, Lipa's first language was Albanian, with her family returning to Kosovo as the dust from Albania's 1998-1999 war settled. Lipa, 11 years old when she moved to her parent's home country, told NPR in April, "it took me a really long time to find my feet there." Ultimately moving back to London alone at age 16 to pursue a musical career, Lipa acknowledged the significance of her bilingual and bicultural background. "I wouldn't change it for the world because it really helped me become who I am," she told the outlet. 

One of Western pop music's few Albanian voices (alongside the likes of Rita Ora), Lipa just received a once-in-a-lifetime honor from the country — and she didn't wait to express her ecstatic appreciation. 

Dua Lipa is a citizen of the world, now more than ever. Granting her Albanian citizenship, President Bajram Begaj wrote in a November 27 tweet that Lipa has made Albania "proud with her global career and engagement in important social causes." Taking her oath of citizenship in Tirana (Albania's capital city)'s city hall, Lipa posed joyously with Mayor Erion Veliaj, per her November 27 Instagram share. "Thank you President Bajram Begaj and Mayor @erionveliaj for this honour," she wrote, adding in Albanian, "Faleminderit, po ndihem shume krenare," which translates to "Thank you, I'm feeling very proud." 

The next day, Lipa also offered Instagram followers a sneak peek of her historic performance that night to honor Albania's 110th anniversary of independence from the Ottoman Empire. "110 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE... so happy to be in Tirana, Albania ~ as the newest citizen to perform for you all tonight," Lipa captioned the post, noting that the show also marked the end of her 2022 Future Nostalgia tour.

Lipa's indelible mark on Albanian culture and history is a trait that runs in her family. After all, Seit Lipa, her grandfather, once headed up the Institute for the History of Kosovo, per BBC.