Don’t start now, TikTok haters: Dua Lipa reclaims ‘lazy’ dance on ‘Tonight Show’
Dua Lipa on Thursday reclaimed her infamous “lazy†dance moves after being bullied on TikTok in 2017, when critics told the singer that she looked like she was “putting a shoe on in a rush†while performing the restrained choreography.
The pop star told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show†that she brought the move back and will continue doing it on her Future Nostalgia Tour. She also gracefully taught Fallon the dance as he struggled to match her rhythmic hip movements.
The singer expressed how the online intimidation caused her “a lot of grief.†But she grew from it and looked at the incident with a fresh perspective, she said, it became a push that she appreciates and that furthered her career as a performer and an artist.
“It made me work harder. I went in and did more rehearsal,†Lipa told Fallon. “I just wanted to become a real performer, and I think that was kind of the thing I needed.â€
Dua Lipa is nominated for six Grammy Awards, second only to Beyoncé. But unlike the music of many of her chart peers, her songs resist a closely personal read.
The 26-year-old has since collaborated with music legend Elton John on the mashup hit “Cold Heart.†Lipa described the experience to Fallon as a massive “pinch-me moment†for her.
While touring, the pop singer said, she opens her Grammy-nominated “Don’t Start Now†with the now-iconic dance move as an act of affirmation. Lipa has been promoting her new album, “Future Nostalgia,†since February, with a recent show happening this past Monday at New York’s Madison Square Garden. She told Fallon the concert exceeded all her expectations as the audience “rode the wave,†with the floor shaking from the fans rocking to her music. Lipa will be touring North America until the end of March, with shows in Los Angeles on March 22 and 23.
The “Tonight Show†appearance had no shortage of surprises; Fallon ended her segment with one of Lipa’s fans — an 80-year-old man named Papa Richy who went viral on TikTok in 2021 for his delightful reaction after his granddaughter surprised him with tickets to a Lipa concert.
The super fan was invited onstage to dance with the pop singer, crossing that off his bucket list.
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