Dua means love

DUA LIPA'S first solo show in the city last Thursday night was lit.
Just ask any one of her adoring female tween/teen fans who not only made up the bulk of the crowd at the densely packed KL Live at Life Centre but who also waited in line as early as 11am.
The 22-year-old English pop star was part of the lineup at Good Vibes festival last year, but returned on May 3 as part of The Self-Titled Tour, in support of her eponymous 2017 debut album.
Before she made her presence felt on stage, DJ duo BATE – Ethan Curzon and Yeoh Wai Hong – took to the decks for a half-an-hour set warming up the crowd with the latest hits, ending with their first single, One I love.
When Dua exploded on stage with Blow Your Mind (Mwah), her young fans lost their collective chill.
Fans scream at concerts all the time. They also push and shove, in an attempt to get closer to the stage. But the vibe from fans on Thursday night was slightly different.
There was pushing and accidental elbow hits on the head from recording Insta-Stories, but all that came with an apologetic smile and 'sorry.'
Some girls were even helping each other get a better view of Dua, crouching down and tiptoe-ing, even if it meant they would lose precious 15-second intervals of the performance.
Perhaps it was the pop star's high-octane energy, shaking her head left to right vigorously to the music, or her constant thank you's and I love you's after each song, or simply because her first name means love.
"You guys having a good time so far?," she asked the screaming crowd. "That's what I like to hear.
"For those of you that are hot and sweaty, and for those of you who aren't this next song, I'm gonna need every single person in the building to move, to dance, to sing, to scream!"
Dua's vocal skills were amplified when she slowed it down for Garden and Thinking 'Bout You, where her voice felt rich and soulful, something you're bound to feel weirdly happy about when you watch your favourite singer live.
In a spoken intro to Homesick, with only the piano playing in the background, she left this message with fans: "Allow yourself to love the way you do but always protect your heart."
It's not hard to see why she has such a large following of particularly young female fans, not only because of her empowering themes in her music but also due to the fact that she's always appreciative of them.
"So, Kuala Lumpur, this next song was the first song I ever released and it started this whole journey for me ...
"So, I'm gonna start where it all began," she said before delving into New Love.
Even when the receiver to her in-ear-monitors fell off during another spunky performance of Hotter Than Hell, the singer played it cool without missing a beat.
When she left the stage, there was not a word of arguably her two greatest hits, IDGAF and New Rules.
And then it happened. After a flash on the screen warning for explicit language, Dua got the crowd even more hyped, crouching down to get closer and inviting them to sing along.
Dua's show certainly left the crowd happy and satisfied (myself included), who were still singing along gleefully while exiting the venue.