ABC/Image Group LAOn Tuesday, Variety announced that Adam Levine is its Hitmaker of the Year, but he isn’t the only one being honored by the publication.
At Variety‘s annual Hitmakers brunch on December 1, Dua Lipa and Bebe Rexha will also receive awards. Dua is being named Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while Bebe — who, like Dua, is Albanian — is being named Songwriter of the Year.
While Dua is being honored for what she’s done in 2018, she’s currently hard at work on her next project: her sophomore album. Speaking to Variety, she explains, “I know the kind of songs that I want. That’s something I left in the hands of the producer before. Now, I have a lot more creative control.”
Dua is working with a producer on the new album but, she notes, he’s “not afraid to take risks.” So far, the singer says the songs she’s recorded have a “fun, nostalgic feel,” which is a result of her listening to a lot of Prince and OutKast. Speaking of OutKast, Dua says André 3000 is on her list of dream collaborators for the new album, as is Frank Ocean.
“I love to work with artists who people don’t necessarily expect me to work with,” says Dua, who just in the last few months has collaborated with opera singer Andrea Bocelli, K-pop girl group BlackPink, Mark Ronson and Diplo’s latest project, Silk City.
Dua also reveals that her new album is “conceptual,” but adds, “If I told you how, I’d have to tell you the album title.” Stay tuned.
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