When did Dua Lipa make her debut? Career, lifestyle, and more are explored as a singer celebrates her 30th birthday

Dua Lipa just turned 30, and it feels like a big checkpoint in a story that’s been moving briskly from the very top. She was born on August 22, 1995, in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents and spent part of her childhood in Kosovo before coming back to the U.K. as a teenager. At 15, she was already quite serious about music as she took classes and worked toward the dream she had carried since she was little. By 2014, she had signed with Warner Bros., and the following year, her first single New Love, was introduced to the world.

Since then, she's risen to fame with chart-topping hits, prestigious awards, and a lifestyle that's artistic in terms of intellect, style, and general "it-girl" ness. With her third studio album out and a worldwide tour underway, this birthday is a milestone for her.

From there the climb was quick with chart-topping songs, Grammy wins and a growing influence that went beyond music. Today, her career is as much about the records she sets as the way she utilises her platform, spanning fashion to activism.

A look back at Dua Lipa’s debut, career milestones and evolving lifestyle as she enters a new decade of her life

Dua Lipa’s debut came with the release of “New Love” on August 21, 2015, a synth-pop ballad she co-wrote which marked the start of a career that would soon explode onto the global stage. This track earned her a long-list nomination for the BBC’s Sound of... 2016 and set the tone for future successes. Soon after, “Be the One” became a sleeper hit across Europe, followed by the official launch of her self-titled debut album in June 2017.

Over the years, Dua Lipa has shaped a refreshing career built on a blend of pop, disco and R&B influences, earning seven Brit Awards, three Grammys and a reputation as a boundary-pushing artist featured in Time's influential lists. Her second album, Future Nostalgia (2020), solidified her place in the pop firmament, while her third, Radical Optimism (2024), showcased a mature creative vision and debuted atop the UK charts.

Outside of her music, Dua Lipa’s lifestyle has turned into its own kind of story. She helped start the Sunny Hill Festival in Kosovo, a project close to her roots, and built Service95, her own platform that runs like a mix of a newsletter, podcast, and book club. She’s also stepped into acting, with appearances in Barbie and Argylle. In recent interviews, she’s opened up about how making her next album has been tough but exciting, and how she’s learning to stay real online while keeping parts of her life just for herself.

Her 30th birthday pictures showed both sides of her - playful and so so glamorous. She spent time in Jamaica, then headed to Ibiza for a bigger celebration, wearing bold, glittering outfits that caught attention everywhere. Friends, family and her fiancé, Callum Turner, were by her side seemingly throughout. Even Vogue joined the celebration and shared a list of 30 of her most memorable fashion looks over the years.