SINGAPORE - Much like an energetic and glamorous aerobics instructor, British singer Dua Lipa led a sold-out crowd of 5,000 through an almost 90-minute workout of sorts, as she powered through one smash hit after another at her first concert in Singapore at The Star Theatre on Friday (May 4).
The brunette, who dressed the part in a purple sports bra top and form-fitting pink joggers and sneakers, hyped up the crowd with a pre-recorded voiceover encouraging the crowd to "be your most unapologetic you" and "dance the night away".
It seemed the only breathless ones were the crowd, as within the first 15 minutes, she seamlessly transitioned from Blow Your Mind (Mwah), to a mash-up of Dreams and Sean Paul duet No Lie, a cover of Wale's My Love and then quickly into Lost In Your Light.
The latter may have been originally a duet with American R&B singer Miguel, but she made the groovy electro-pop ballad her own.
Her athleticism and ability to belt out songs flawlessly while dancing across the stage was as impressive as her command of the crowd as a performer in a one-woman show, sans dancers and backed only be a three-piece band.
Every hair flip, outstretched hand and coy, over-the-shoulder look elicited screams from the audience that skewed young and female.
The lack of production, not that she needed it, kept all eyes firmly on the singer in a set that weaved between high energy numbers such as Be The One, complete with Zumba-like choreography, and slower, pensive numbers such as Thinking 'Bout You and New Love, where it was just Lipa and her guitarist.
The stripped down version of the songs put her smoky, sultry voice on full display, like a young Amy Winehouse in a jazz club, complete with a solo spotlight.
With her model good looks and statuesque frame, it is hard not to fall in love with Lipa, but the fact is she never missed a note, whether she was in full voice on an acoustic number or bouncing across the stage.
With only one album to her name, it helps that all her tracks are bangers, whether it was faithful renditions of singles that put her on the map such as Hotter Than Hell, or high-profile collaborations such as Scared To Be Lonely with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix, which got the head-banging rock treatment for her live show.
While she did not perform her latest smash hit One Kiss, a collaboration with DJ-producer Calvin Harris, she scored major brownie points nonetheless, saying that Singapore is one of her favourite places in the world, adding: "I'll come back any time you'll have me."
Naturally she saved her biggest tune New Rules for the end, but it was the sassy IDGAF (which stands for I Don't Give a ****) that got the crowd exorcising the heartbreak and pesky exes from their lives in solidarity, as she encouraged everyone to put their middle fingers in the air.
It felt like a moment of release, just as much for the singer as it was for the crowd, who continued humming the tune as they trickled out of the venue.
