Dua Lipa - The Radical Optimist

By Alison Boulton

© Alison Boulton - published by Stellar / The Astrological Journal, 2024 / The Astrological Association of Great Britain / 11.12.2024

Listed by Time magazine as among the 100 most influential people in the world for 2024, the ‘dark pop’ singer-songwriter Dua Lipa has won seven Brit Awards and three Grammys so far. Her natal chart reveals a more complex picture than her image suggests – a Sun Leo with Moon in Cancer. The past is as vivid to her as the present…

Dua Lipa at Glastonbury in 2024
Source: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Dua Lipa, natal chart
22 August 1995, 0:18 h, Westminster, England
Source: Astrodatabank

Dua Lipa, British/Albanian popstar, model and official cool girl, headlined Glastonbury this year at the age of 28. Stepping out onto the iconic Pyramid Stage is unquestionably a major milestone. However, it was something that Lipa had been building up to since she began uploading her songs to the internet aged 15. She has admitted thinking about how a song will sound at Glastonbury even whilst writing it and joked on a recent podcast with DJ Nick Grimshaw, that she had been “planning” Glastonbury since birth’. 

A glance at her birth chart (using the Equal House system) and this doesn’t seem surprising. Lipa has Saturn in Pisces in the 10th house disposited by - and in mutual reception with - Neptune in Capricorn which itself is conjunct original and independent Uranus. Lipa is all about ambition, then, and making dreams real. These heavyweight planets link to chart ruler Mercury in the 3rd, tying in the theme of communicating as a major driver. Serious and committed Pluto in Scorpio in the 6th house of work, work, work gives a power boost to both Saturn and Uranus/Neptune.

Lipa has played Glastonbury before, but headlining is another level entirely and there were many exact transits to her natal chart reflecting what it meant to her. Importantly, Saturn in Pisces was opposite natal Mercury, and transiting Mercury trine natal 10th-house Saturn, also opposing Neptune. All these highlight the themes of realising dreams through communication. Sun and Venus in Cancer, both closely conjunct her 1st-house Moon on the day of the gig, illustrate how Dua Lipa felt at home on the Glastonbury stage. There is the sense that this was very much Lipa where she belonged. Finally, the MC at Glastonbury for the moment her set began is exactly trine her own 10th-house Saturn and 10th-house cusp, making it clear that this wasn’t just another concert – the venue was key.

Overall, Dua Lipa’s natal chart is impressively upbeat with both Luminaries, chart ruler Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto in domicile, suggesting that the energies they represent are able to operate in a strong, direct and relatively uncomplicated way. The 3rd-house Leo Sun is joined by cazimi Venus, indicating Girl Power at its most expressive, confident, vibrant and charismatic. Here is a woman who approaches life with her whole heart, who is passionate in her desires, who values both honesty and authenticity and lives to express herself. The 3rd-house Sun/Venus square Pluto, describing the powerful challenge of plunging into her own depths and transforming her power of self-expression into something communicable and accessible to the world.

Sun/Venus in Leo loves a party, and this combination is also a great reflection of Lipa’s status as queen of self-described ‘dark pop’. In fact, a key moment in her career was the release of her album Future Nostalgia on 27 March 2020. She became known as the ‘lockdown queen’ with imaginative, dreamy Neptune – which, incidentally, also has links to contagious disease and epidemics – opposing natal Mercury. Lipa’s natal Neptune was also hosting the Pluto/Jupiter conjunction of that Covid spring.

Lipa’s for real

Authenticity is a word that is sprinkled through Lipa’s interviews. Leo is an honourable sign: trusting, intuitive and steadfast. It burns brightly and draws others to warm themselves at its flames. She has said that what she likes about herself is that she stays “open-hearted”. She has also revealed that in a relationship there are always the “non-negotiables” and for her, disloyalty is a non-negotiable. Both these statements resonate with Sun/Venus in Leo. Here is a woman confident of her feminine side and unafraid to say what she stands for.

Lipa’s Sun/Venus conjunction is also linked to the nodal axis by close trine and sextile across the 5th and 11th houses, the axis along which individual self-expression, joy and the inner child (5th) is contrasted with groups and wider society (11th). The 11th-house South Node means Lipa is comfortable in a group setting and, in Aries, happy to lead. Aries ruler Mars sits in political Libra, and is, in its turn, disposited by the cazimi Venus. Unsurprising then, that for all her disco vibe, Dua Lipa is no lightweight but is vocal in her support of feminism and the struggle against sexism in the music industry. Equality in all forms is important to her as befits Mars and the North Node in Libra, and she is known for having raised a rainbow flag in support of the LGBT community during her 2018 tour.

A standout feature of Dua Lipa’s chart is the 1st-house third-quarter Moon in Cancer. In her book, The Eagle and the Lark, Bernadette Brady writes that the third-quarter Moon is very productive, likening it to the phase in the grape-cycle where the wine is made. Lipa’s Moon is exceptional because it’s completely unaspected. It makes literally no contacts, major or minor, with planets, angles or nodes, but sits in its own cardinal, water sign picking up every nuance from the outside world.

In the birth chart, the Moon represents the unconscious, the feminine side of ourselves. It is reflective and responsive. In Cancer, it fluctuates but it doesn’t really adapt. Cancer is tribal, family-orientated and often has one foot in the past. This sign is about belonging. Clearly, Lipa’s family and roots are very important to her.

So, Dua Lipa approaches the world with curiosity through her Gemini Ascendant and absorbs it instinctively through the feeling nature of her Cancer Moon. This Moon gifts her imagination, artistry and a certain enigmatic quality which belies the directness and look-at-me energy of the Leo Sun. The Cancer Moon senses what people want to hear and unconsciously processes and reflects back the feelings and nuances she encounters in her environment. It’s a Moon that is genuinely nurturing to those who are part of her clan.

This nurturing quality has been described as Lipa’s “big sister energy”, something she herself has identified. “She is such a big sister,” said songwriter Caroline Ailin, during an interview with ELLE magazine. “You process your feelings [with her], but you also walk away feeling empowered”. This is a great snapshot of Dua Lipa’s Moon and Sun combination.

The deep wound in the family

Dua Lipa has Chiron in the ancestral 4th house widely conjunct chart-ruler Mercury, and her background does suggest a wound deep in the family past which may feed into all aspects of who she is. She was born in London to Kosovo-Albanian immigrant parents who fled war-torn Kosovo in 1992. Both her grandfathers were historians, which resonates with the Cancer Moon. Her first language is Albanian which she speaks fluently. Issues of belonging and identity are close to Lipa’s heart.

Chiron describes her parent’s enforced immigration, but also perhaps, speaks to her own decision to leave Kosovo aged 15 – having returned there with her family at age 10 – and come back to London pretty much alone. She says she simply felt there were more opportunities in London, especially for musicians. Given her background, it’s to be expected that she is strongly supportive of refugees and was quoted in The Guardian newspaper as saying that in her experience, “no refugee leaves their country without having to”.

On 28 November 2022, while transiting Pluto was making a conjunction to Lipa’s natal 8th-house Uranus and trine 4th-house Chiron, Lipa was granted Albanian citizenship for promoting the country through her music. At that time, her progressed Moon had also returned to conjoin her natal Moon. In a very real sense, it seems, she had found her tribe.

Much of Dua Lipa’s birth chart revolves around themes of belonging and self-expression. But with Venus at the heart of the Sun, relationships will also be important to her. With the cazimi in the 3rd house, it’s notable that many of her songs are about exactly this. Her natal Descendant is ruled by Jupiter which sits in Sagittarius in the 6th house. Jupiter is another planet that is strong in its own sign but doesn’t have many aspects within the chart. This might suggest that her relationships operate in something of a bubble and are not always easily integrated into her busy daily life. However, Jupiter does suggest that they will probably be meaningful and a source of growth. In Sagittarius, Jupiter finds meaning and faith in freedom and adventure. Any long-term partner will have to be able to keep up.

Since January 2024 Dua Lipa has been in a relationship with actor Callum Turner which sources report looks pretty serious. Perhaps this British-born Sun Aquarian will be able to offer the honest friendship and space the superstar needs.

So, what might be on the horizon for Dua Lipa? In an interview with Zane Lowe back in May this year, she spoke of her approaching Saturn Return. This is one of those astrological terms which, like the Sun, Moon and Rising ‘Big Three’, has become a thing among many Millennials and Gen Zs. The last of the Millennials - Lipa with her Pluto in the final degrees of Scorpio among them – are now reaching this rite of passage. However, Saturn turned retrograde in June 2024 and is [as I write in July 2024] currently tracking back through the second decan of Pisces. There is still work to be done before it reaches Lipa’s natal Saturn at 23° Pisces on 20 March 2025.

In astrological terms, the Saturn Return is the initiation into true adulthood. The dawning realisation that this is who you are, the person you take forward into the future. So, if headlining Glastonbury and becoming an international megastar was part of the pre-Saturn Return growing phase, what comes next?

Dua Lipa has already branched out into conscious influencing of lifestyle trends through her newsletter ‘Service 95’, and her ‘At Your Service’ podcasts. There is a sense in which she is using these to promote a more eclectic concept of what constitutes British culture. Interestingly, the word ‘service’ is a great reflection of her 3rd-house Mercury in Virgo.

The 2024 Solar Return: a new inner journey?

Dua Lipa, solar return 2024

Dua Lipa, biwheel natal-Glastonbury 2024
Inner wheel: Dua Lipa, natal chart
Outer wheel: Dua Lipa at Glastonbury, transits on 28 June 2024, 22:00 BST -1:00, London, UK

Lipa’s 2024 Solar Return chart (shown – NB the precise Sun return occurs on 21 Aug) holds clues for the coming year. It has a Gemini Ascendant, just like the natal chart, and again the MC falls in Aquarius in the 8th-house of transformation. However, chart ruler Mercury is now retrograde at 25° Leo in the 2nd house conjunct the IC, suggesting a focus on values and maybe a rethink about how she communicates and approaches the world. This is also suggested by retrograde Neptune in the 10th house and repeated by North Node ruler Mars in Gemini in the 12th conjunct Jupiter. The idea of finding direction and meaning through quiet reflection definitely seems to be a theme here.

Twelfth-house Mars and Jupiter are at the apex of a mutable t-square. The opposition across the 3rd and 9th houses consists of a Moon/Saturn conjunction (Pisces 9th) and Venus in Virgo, exactly conjunct natal Mercury in 3rd. This mutability and 12th-house emphasis may suggest fatigue and indicate that perhaps Dua Lipa would benefit from a period of rest and retreat to reboot and reignite her creativity. 

The 2024 Jupiter/Saturn square is exact in this SR chart which could reflect the challenge of taking time out away from a world that wants so much from her. There may be a need to dive deeper into her own psyche too – especially as Saturn rules the 8th house. The Pisces Moon in the 9th also points to the possibility that a more spiritual journey may now be called for.

Descendant ruler Jupiter at the apex of the t-square might also indicate the difficulty of maintaining a serious relationship under the intense social pressure that accompanies fame. This could also be a theme of the Jupiter transits square to natal Mercury which are ongoing throughout the coming 12 months. How can Dua Lipa integrate her relationship more fully into her life? Perhaps 12th-house Jupiter is suggesting time away from the spotlight to focus on this.

This idea might also be implied by 12th-house Uranus which makes a close square to the 3rd-house SR Sun perhaps pointing to a radical change of direction and a need for time away from the ‘community’.

Overall, the 2024 SR chart seems to indicate that Dua Lipa may be looking for a period away from the limelight and an emphasis on more depth and spirituality in her life. It wouldn’t be surprising that someone who has worked so hard and achieved so much might feel the need to retreat a little and consider her future direction with care.

The Saturn Return is an opportunity to do exactly this. While it’s never going to be easy for someone so creative and driven (natal Sun square Pluto) to take a step back, the SR Mercury trine to Chiron and 6th-house Pars Fortuna may indicate that for the coming year, conscious self-care could be the best way forward.

Images

• Dua Lipa - Source: Wikimedia.com, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
• Horoscope Charts - Source: Alison Boulton and Astrodatabank

Author: Alison Boulton

Alison Boulton has been immersed in astrology since childhood when her Aquarian mother announced, with a hint of disapproval, that she was a Pisces, which felt entirely apt. A consultation with Liz Greene in her twenties led her to the FAS and in 1987 she obtained the Foundation certificate. Life interrupted her studies although she continued to read extensively and attend CPA seminars. In 2021, she returned to the FAS and has just been awarded the Diploma. Alison is based in the southern French countryside beneath a canopy of stars and has a growing astrological consultancy practice. Website: alisonsastrology.net.