Dua Lipa receives Atlantic Council leadership award for her music career and philanthropy

Dua Lipa was honored by the Atlantic Council on Thursday as one of the recipients of its 2021 Distinguished Leadership Awards.

The 26-year-old pop star will be celebrated at an awards gala on Nov. 10 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC, according to a statement from the nonprofit think tank.

The gala will also serve to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Atlantic Council, which promotes constructive U.S. leadership alongside its global allies.

“The recipients of the 2021 Distinguished Leadership Awards represent the best of the transatlantic relationship,” said Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, in a statement.

“At a time in history when unprecedented challenges demand exceptional leaders, it is a privilege to salute such an extraordinary group of laureates,” he added.

London-born Dua will be honored with the Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award for her distinguished musical career and for her commitment to philanthropic causes, including empowering the next generation of leaders and musicians in the Balkans.

The Grammy-winning singer was born in London to Kosovar Albanian parents and moved with her family in 2008 to Pristina after Kosovo declared independence before returning to London to continue her singing career.

The Atlantic Council in its statement cited Dua’s work with her Sunny Hill Foundation which aims to improve life in Kosovo.

Dua will be accompanied at the gala by Vjosa Osmani, 39, the fifth President of the Republic of Kosovo, who will deliver a special address.

The Atlantic Council will also present its Distinguished International Leadership Award to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, along with Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, co-founders of BioNTech, will also receive the Distinguished Business Leadership Award for their groundbreaking achievement of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine to gain FDA approval. .

The 2021 Awards will welcome current and former heads of state, foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, members of Congress and the Biden administration, military commanders, international business leaders and the media.

Dua won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2019 and also won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his Silk-City Electricity collaboration.

She released her second studio album Future Nostalgia in 2020 and it won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album earlier this year.

Last month, the self-proclaimed “alpha woman” received iHeartRadio’s Titanium Award for her hit song Levitating, reaching one billion audience turns on iHeartRadio stations.

She received the mid-show Titanium Award from host Ryan Seacrest, 46.