Dua Lipa Granted Kosovo Citizenship, declares “Welcome Back Home”

Pop superstar Dua Lipa has officially been granted citizenship of Kosovo, a move she described as completing a “duality” she has always felt. Teh singer, who was born in London to Kosovar-Albanian parents, received the honour in her ancestral homeland, expressing deep gratitude and a profound connection to the contry.

A Momentous Occasion for the Global Icon

The citizenship ceremony, attended by dignitaries including the UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, marked a meaningful personal milestone for Lipa. Sharing her joy on social media platform X, Lipa stated, “It completes the duality I have always had within. I love this country and this means so much to me and my family.”

Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Vlora Dumoshi, presented lipa with her citizenship, hailing her as “one of the most iconic cultural figures in our country’s history.” dumoshi’s sentiment was echoed by others, with one post on X celebrating Lipa as “Kosovo’s gem – welcome back home.”

The singer is currently in Kosovo for the three-day Sunny Hill Festival, an event she co-founded with her father in 2018. Lipa headlined the festival on Friday, sharing her emotional connection to the city that shaped her.”Sharing this night with you all, in the city that shaped me, surrounded by so much energy, joy, and pride… it’s hard to put into words what it means,” she wrote on Instagram.

Deep Roots and ongoing Commitment to Kosovo

Lipa’s connection to Kosovo runs deep. She has consistently spoken about her love for the country and has actively worked to promote its image and support its communities. In 2022, she was appointed an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by the president, a title she embraced with pride, stating it was an “honour and a privilege to be able to represent my country all over the world and to continue my work and efforts globally.”

Beyond her honorary title, Lipa has also established a charity dedicated to assisting vulnerable communities in Kosovo, demonstrating a tangible commitment to her heritage.The Sunny Hill Festival itself was conceived with the aim of “chang[ing] the rhetoric of what peopel think about Kosovo and it being war-torn,” as Lipa explained last year.

A Global Citizen with Three Nationalities

With this latest growth, Dua Lipa now holds citizenship for three countries: Britain, Albania, and Kosovo. She was granted Albanian citizenship in 2022 in recognition of her role in promoting the country through her music and global fame.

The UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, shared a photograph with Lipa on X, expressing pride in the pop star. “The UK and Kosovo are proud to call this pop star ‘one of our own’,” he commented, underscoring the shared gratitude for Lipa’s contributions.

The ceremony saw Lipa greeted by a children’s choir performing a rendition of her hit song “Levitating,” a fitting welcome for an artist who has brought so much joy and recognition to her ancestral homeland.