Dua Lipa hits back at jokes about her always being on holiday: ‘It’s work hard, play hard’

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

Dua Lipa has hit back at jokes on social media that dubbed her the “vacanza queen” for frequently posting photos of herself on holiday.

The 28-year-old pop star toured heavily in 2022, with her Future Nostalgia world tour kicking off in February and wrapping in November. She then also played Christmas shows that December.

She subsequently took time to travel in 2023 and was frequently pictured in locations like Cannes and Ibiza, which led many fans online to joke that she is constantly on holiday.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lipa bristled at how her vacations have been characterised. “I think people are quick to forget,” said Lipa. “I was on tour up until the end of December. I felt like I missed out on so much time with my family and friends. It shows how short our attention span is, which is why music comes out so much faster.”

She continued: “Of course, I was going to f***ing holiday and chill [during] the year that I was just going in the studio and had some time off. As long as I’m doing my job, hitting my deadlines, and getting my s*** done, then I will find a way to relax, too. It’s really work hard and play hard. Why not?”

Generally, Lipa’s fans have been supportive online, with some declaring her recent comeback track “Houdini” the “song of the decade” before they’d even heard it.

Last November, a short snippet of the singer’s collaboration with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker sparked widespread excitement about the he comeback.

“Am I hearing song of the decade because I fear I might be,” one top comment on the snippet read, while another social media user echoed: “This really is gonna be song of the year huh.”

When “Houdini” was released, The Independent music critic Helen Brown gave the song a five-star review.

“Dua Lipa fans can relax – she may have dumped her management, but new single ‘Houdini’ shows the 28-year-old pop star’s tendon-twanging formula remains unchanged,” wrote Brown.

“The track comes bubbling up from a cauldron of distortion, before Dua Lipa takes a breath, nods a brief ‘OK’ and that elastic bass line snaps to attention. Its stomp and phrasing half-conjures the ghost of The Jackson’s 1980 hit, ‘Can you Feel It?’.

“Aptly titled, the song finds the singer in the role of a romantic escapologist (ie easily able to extricate herself from entanglements), throwing down the gauntlet to her latest mark. ‘Catch me ‘fore I go… Maybe you could be the one to make me stay?’”