Quick bingo: Two names you never thought you’d read together in a sentence? Dua Lipa and Narendra Modi. And yet, it may come to pass. According to reports, the Albanian singer-songwriter could take the stage at the 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup’s opening ceremony before the final on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In video conversations with KL Rahul, Kane Willaimson and Shubman Gill ahead of the final, the singer revealed that her ideal jersey would feature her lucky number 22 (KL’s is number 1); her favourite songs to perform live are ‘Levitating’, ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Physical’, ‘Pretty Please’ and ’Love Again’; and the two songs she would sing at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Cricket World Cup would be ‘Physical’ and ‘One Kiss’. Known for her captivating dancing skills, Lipa generously imparted dancing tips to Daryl Mitchell, stating that every performance was enhanced by having fun.
Dua Lipa became a household name for anyone nursing a broken heart in 2017 with her breakout hit, ‘New Rules’. She then swiftly entered her disco era and surpassed multiple records, including becoming the first female artist in Spotify history to have multiple albums reach 10 billion streams. The pop star also rounded off the end of last year with a Grammy for her album Future Nostalgia. Lipa recently took down all her posts and teased the release of her latest single, ‘Houdini’, on Instagram, proving that pop music is so back.
As the World Cup final draws closer, we’re all set to witness history unfold before our eyes. If India wins the final, it will be our third victory at the ODI World Cup (The first win came in 1983 when India beat the West Indies in the final; the next in 2011, when we defeated Sri Lanka). This will bring us one step closer to beating Australia’s record of being the most successful team in cricket history with five trophies under their belt. If rumours of Lipa performing are true, it could add even more excitement to the tournament. As we count down the days till the final, we’ve compiled a mix tape of seven songs we hope to make it onto the setlist if Lipa arrives in India: