Energy is Everywhere in Dua Lipa’s Intimate Orlando Concert

Dua+Lipa+performs+at+The+Social+on+March+9.

Darius Cornejo

Dua Lipa performs at The Social on March 9.

Dua Lipa brought the crowd together with intimate ballads, positive messages, and feisty, meaningful synthpop. As soon as Lipa took the stage at The Social in Orlando on March 9, the small venue came to life. The 21-year-old English singer started off with “Last Dance,” awakening the audience and preparing them for heavier bops later in the concert.

Lipa, an up-and-coming artist, found fame by singing and posting covers of hit songs on YouTube at age 14. The 21-year-old English pop star is currently on the North American leg of her self-named “Dua Lipa Tour.”

After her first song, Lipa danced around for two more songs until she switched to a darker tone with “Room for 2.” This is where the audience could’ve best appreciated her strong, raspy vocals as the instrumentals were subtle, allowing her vocals to dominate. The singing, not only in this song, but all her numbers, were near perfect. Lipa has the ability to chant fierce, colorful songs as well as intone somber, haunting songs.

Her next track, “Hotter than as Hell,” was for the ladies at the show. In honor of International Woman’s Day, Lipa made a mini-speech on how much everyday women inspired her work. She continued with the rest of her set list, doing an amazing job of spreading her most popular songs throughout the whole performance rather than singing them in the beginning or end.

Dua’s U.K. style mixed with mainstream pop made for an interesting combination. The nine song playlist was upbeat and wildly entertaining.

“I just heard about Dua Lipa literally like a month ago, but I love her music and great fashion sense,” said Gabby McCain, 19. “The tickets were a really good price and I loved the venue. I’ve never been to The Social before, but this was a really cool little place,” McCain added.

“Dua’s been one of my favorite up and coming artists since 2015. I’m really into EDM and love when tracks add a female vocal to it. She is super talented, and I can’t wait until she really makes it big,” said 19-year-old, Ken Fernandez.

After singing “Be The One,” Lipa left the stage, but the audience demanded an encore. The audience was so engaged and chanted her name until she finally came back and ended the night with her most energetic and fun song, “Blow Your Mind (Mwah).”

Alli Diaz, 19, said, “She was so happy to be there and was so into her performances. Between her songs, she would interact with us for a bit. She was so sweet and so nice. She really cares for her fans and she was having so much fun.”

After the concert, Lipa held a meet and greet at the side of the venue, talking with many of her fans and even receiving gifts such as candy and drawings. Although she didn’t get to everyone in the crowd, she was able to talk to most of the people, having conversations, taking selfies, and getting to know her fans.