Emails have revealed that Dua Lipa’s father has contacted World Cup officials and has agreed to help organize the tournament’s opening ceremony.
In messages received by the Mail on Sunday, Dukagjin Lipa, who heads communications agency Republika and represents his daughter, offered to mediate between organizers and musicians.
The documents detail how the singer’s Kosovo-born father, known as Dugi, first approached Qatar’s World Cup organizing body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, in 2020.
In the messages, which spanned almost two years, the 53-year-old said, “I’m representing my daughter” and boasted about the success of one of her live stream events.
He also talks about his connections to other chart-toppers like Calvin Harris, Miley Cyrus, Shawn Mendez and Camila Cabello.
Dua Lipa later said she would refuse to play at the opening ceremony due to Qatar’s human rights record, while Mr Lipa told the Mail on Sunday she was unaware of his contact with organizers.
When pop queen Dua Lipa quashed rumors that she would be performing in Qatar, her duet partner and LGBT champion Sir Elton John no doubt applauded. However, emails reveal that their manager father, Dukagjin Lipa, spent two years negotiating with the Qataris to land the chart star for the World Cup
Dua Lipa is managed by her father, who has approached the World Cup organizers to offer his services. Pictured: Dua Lipa with her father Dukagjin Lipa
In an email to Qatar officials, Dukagjin Lipa said he represented “my daughter, the artist Dua Lipa, and I am ready to discuss artist performance plans with the Supreme Committee.”
In one of the messages, Mr Lipa discusses the success of a recent live stream involving his daughter, saying it has 5 million viewers – “the largest ever for a live stream event anywhere in the world”.
In another email, Mr Lipa says he was approached “with a specific request for Dua Lipa and the opening ceremony”. Mr Lipa told the Mail on Sunday his daughter was unaware of his contact with World Cup organizers and he told them his daughter “would NOT be involved”.
In his first email on March 9, 2020, he wrote: “I am representing my daughter, artist Dua Lipa, and I am very interested in discussing with the Supreme Committee artist performance plans for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”
In January 2021 he wrote: “Just wanting to follow up on my previous email and was wondering if it would be possible for us to discuss any opportunity that arises where we can help?
“We recently streamed a live performance of tracks from Dua’s new album as well as performances by other artists to 5 million viewers, which was the largest ever for a live stream event anywhere in the world.” One committee member replied, “It’s fantastic of you to hear and know that Dua is being proposed, helped by knowing that she is interested too.”
The tournament’s hosts have come under fire for their treatment of LGBT people. Pictured: England captain Harry Kane wears a rainbow armband in a training session
The documents detail how the singer’s Kosovo-born father, known as Dugi, first approached Qatar’s World Cup organizing body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, in 2020
In April this year, Mr Lipa expressed his concerns about the negotiations, saying: “I was approached with a specific request about Dua Lipa and the opening ceremony and I wanted to get in touch with you regarding this and make sure we don’t talk to those.” wrong person.’
The revelations come after London-born Dua Lipa’s recent statement, posted to her 87million followers on Instagram, claimed that an appearance at the Qatar tournament was never in sight.
Last month, the 27-year-old singer said: “There is a lot of speculation at the moment that I will perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. I will not perform and have never been involved in negotiations for a performance.’
Her comments were welcomed by human rights activists after the football tournament sparked controversy over Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and the criminalization of same-sex relationships. In an interview with Variety last week, the Cold Heart singer – who recently duetted with Sir Elton on stage in Los Angeles – said the Qatar event was “opposite”. [her] beliefs’.
The Mail on Sunday revelations overshadow London-born Dua Lipa’s recent statement, shared to her 87million followers on Instagram, claiming an appearance at the Qatar tournament is never in sight
Last night her father said: “In 2020, in my personal capacity as organizer of the festival, I had several email exchanges with the Qatar World Cup marketing team.
‘Dua was not involved or aware of this exchange or any other conversations. When I introduced myself I gave them my full background including my portrayal of Dua. But I made it clear that I am not talking to them with their thoughts in mind, and made that very clear when they asked me if my research related to Dua.
“That was in early 2021, at a time when Qatar (since winning the World Cup contract) had made multiple pledges to reform its labor laws and change its human rights record. As the conversation continued and the World Cup approached, it became very clear that those promises would not be kept, so I stopped talking to them. Since then I have been approached by several people associated with the World Cup in Qatar to whom I have made it very clear that Dua would NOT be involved.