Dua Lipa has been granted Kosovan citizenship and been hailed by the president as “one of the most iconic cultural figures in our country’s history”.
The singer was born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents and lived in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, between the ages of 11 and 15.
Now, in a ceremony hosted by the country’s president Vjosa Osmani, she has been officially named as a citizen of Kosovo, having been in the country to headline the Sunny Hill Festival on Friday night (August 1).
Welcome back home, Dua!
Today, by presidential decree, I had the honor of granting the citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo to one of the most iconic cultural figures in our country’s history, @DUALIPA.
Dua and Kosovo have always been inseparable. From the world’s biggest… pic.twitter.com/aNlME6pocG
— Vjosa Osmani (@VjosaOsmaniPRKS) July 31, 2025
Our pride, our voice to the world, Kosovo’s gem — welcome back home, @DUALIPA! pic.twitter.com/f8jdUM87tU
— Vjosa Osmani (@VjosaOsmaniPRKS) August 1, 2025
In a statement, Lipa said “it feels like my two sides are now one”, adding: “It completes the duality I have always had within. I love this country and this means so much to me and my family.”
Osmani added: “Dua and Kosovo have always been inseparable. From the world’s biggest stages to the hearts of millions, she’s carried our story with strength, pride, and grace. Our gratitude is endless for everything Dua has done, and continues to do for Kosovo.”
Lipa is now a citizen of the UK, Albania and Kosovo.
She had previously been named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo in 2022, which she described as “an honour and a privilege”, adding: “The youth of Kosovo deserves the right to visa liberalisation, freedom to travel and to dream big.”
In addition, ahead of the inaugural Sunny Hill Festival in 2018, Lipa was given the first ever key to the city of Pristina. In a tweet that showed Lipa alongside then-Mayor Shpend Ahmeti, she wrote: “Such an honour to be given the first key to the city of Prishtina, Kosovo… Thank you for your endless support.”
She caused some controversy in 2020 with a tweet in which she spoke about the rights of indigenous Kosovar Albanians.
She went on to say that the post was “never meant to incite any hate”, adding: “It makes me sad and angry that my post has been wilfully misinterpreted by some groups and individuals who promote ethnic separatism, something I completely reject.”
Lipa was also one of the celebrities to hit out at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s response to their open letter that called for the end of “UK complicity” in Gaza.
“Prime Minister, you’ve built your career as a human rights lawyer, defending the powerless and challenging injustice,” the response read. “In years to come, when you are asked whether you have done enough, what will you say?”
Elsewhere, Lipa was recently spotted at one of Oasis’ shows at Wembley Stadium, and released a mini-documentary about her own sold-out shows at the London venue in June.
