DUA LIPA is riding the crest of an enormous wave – and there's no slowing down.
After the singer flew me out to Amsterdam as the first British reporter to see her in action on the 80-date Radical Optimism world tour, I'm blown away by how much she's developed as a performer.
In each country so far, including Japan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, Dua is held up as a goddess by her fans.
And in Amsterdam she gets a rapturous reception after speaking to the sell-out audience in Dutch — which is no easy task.
"Amsterdam is like a second home for us," Dua's dad and manager Dugi tells me as we catch up over Negroni cocktails before the concert, where I congratulate him on the success of the shows so far. "It's all for the fans," he adds with a smile.
"We want them to come to the show and have a great time."
It's impossible not to enjoy the two-hour set, in which Dua smashes her way through high-energy dance routines as pyrotechnics explode all around her and confetti falls from the ceiling.
New tracks from her latest No1 album, including Training Season, End Of An Era and Falling Forever, go down a storm with the crowd as Dua whips into classics such as One Kiss and Be The One.
By playing venues this size — more than 18,000 are at the Amsterdam show — Dua could be forgiven for putting all the focus on to her stage performance.
But at every gig she goes into the audience to speak to her fans.
One sobbing boy, Mattice, can't believe his luck as Dua leans in for a hug, prompting her to joke: "Please don't cry, we've only just started the show. It's not that bad is it?"
Also among the lucky few are a couple due to marry in the next two days, and a superfan wearing a shark's head in a nod to the Radical Optimism album's artwork — with Dua saying as he takes it off: "Oh, you're cute."
Her good humour continues and after losing an impromptu game of truth or dare, she picks the latter and is asked to perform the original dance from One Kiss, which has become pop legend.
Smiling for the cameras that beam her picture around the arena, Dua dutifully carries off the move and the crowd, who have been right behind her from day one, go absolutely bananas.
Back on stage, she then goes into Scared To Be Lonely in a tribute to her collaborator, DJ Martin Garrix, who is also watching in the crowd, before nailing Physical, Hallucinate and Illusion.
The arena is transformed into a rave, with the audience hooked on every word, before Dua brings the focus on to her powerful vocals.
'You're cute'
She makes light work of Be The One and Anything For Love — which is even more impressive given that she has spent 90 minutes going through physically demanding choreography while barely stopping for a break.
The energy then fires back up to boiling point for an insanely good four-song encore of New Rules, Dance The Night, Don't Start Now and Houdini, with Dua's high- intensity just as impressive as at the start of the evening.
She has concerts in Italy and Belgium to go before she will return to the UK for two huge back-to-back shows at Wembley Stadium, on June 20 and 21, and two gigs at Anfield in Liverpool on June 24 and 25.
The four dates will see her perform to more than 250,000 fans.
It is an incredible comparison when you think that the first Wembley show will take place 3,000 days after her first ever live appearance in the capital, at the 250- capacity Oslo Hackney venue in East London.
By the time Dua has finished the UK leg of the tour — before moving on to the US — she will have performed to almost one million people.
Rising pop stars should take note . . .
Dua is living proof that you can become a superstar thanks to hard work, good grace and a bloody good voice.
SABRINA IN SHAWN DIG
SABRINA CARPENTER has taken aim at her ex Shawn Mendes yet again in new single Manchild.
Their 2023 fling inspired much of her chart-topping album Short n' Sweet, but it is still giving her inspiration for songs, as she seemingly lays into the hunk on the track released yesterday.
She sings: "Half your brain just ain't there," before adding: "Why so sexy if so dumb? And how survive the Earth so long?"
It is expected to be the first song from her next album, which is impressive given it has only been ten months since her last one came out.
When she announced the title, many fans believed it would be about actor Barry Keoghan, who she dated for a year until December.
But in a caption on Instagram, she said she wrote the track shortly after completing work on Short n' Sweet, at which time she was still in love with Barry.
Sabrina said: "Not only was it fun to write, but this song became to me something I can look back on, that will score the mental montage to the very confusing and fun young adult years of life."
In another nod to Shawn, who is very close to his parents – while Barry's mum died when he was 12 – she sings: "I choose to blame your mom."
I doubt Mrs Mendes will be too pleased.
MARIAH REVERTS TO TYPE
MARIAH CAREY is teaming up with visual genius Joseph Khan – the man behind her All I Want For Christmas Is You video – for new single Type Dangerous.
She is preparing to film a vid to accompany the track, which came out yesterday.
It is the first she's put out in seven years and is the debut song from her upcoming 16th studio album.
"I'm so excited to finally be releasing Type Dangerous into the world," Mariah, left, said.
"I've been locked up in the studio for quite some time working my behind off on new music, and I'm thrilled for the unveiling of it to my fans, starting with Type Dangerous."
Those going to Capital's Summertime Ball with Barclaycard will hear her belt out the song at Wembley next Sunday, before she headlines Brighton Pride on August 2 and performs at the Sandringham Estate on August 15.
Welcome back, Mariah. We've missed you.
OASIS ARE ROTTEN FOR JOHN
SEX PISTOLS rocker John Lydon says he's probably one of the only British music stars who'll be giving the Oasis reunion a wide berth.
When I asked if he would be heading down to one of the shows, the singer, aka Johnny Rotten, told me: "No. They're my mates but I hate their music.
"It's very difficult for me to go to other people's gigs. People don't leave me alone and let me enjoy myself.
"I knocked it on the head a few years ago. I love dancing, you're enjoying yourself and some a***hole will stand right in front of you and waffle banal nonsense which is distracting you from the point and purpose."
Speaking to me from his tour of the UK with his band Public Image LTD, he added: "I love Noel, because he just says it like it is.
"Him and Liam make me laugh when they do interviews because they are so witty and on it in a working class, quick-as-you can way."
DIANA ON HIGH SEAS
DIANA ROSS is swapping arenas for the ocean waves, as godmother of Royal Caribbean's newest ship Star of the Seas.
The title has been given to her as she's agreed to perform on the maiden voyage in September, when it will make its debut in Orlando.
And Diana will be fresh from her UK tour, which starts this month.
The Chain Reaction singer said: "I've always felt a deep connection to the ocean and the magic it represents – peace, adventure and awe.
"When Royal Caribbean reached out to invite me to be the godmother of Star of the Seas, I knew it was something truly special."
WELL done to the brilliant Anna Lapwood after her new album Firedove went straight to the top of the Classical Album Official Charts.
The organist recorded it at Nidaros Cathedral in Norway and said: "I'm very proud of it."
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