Dua Lipa Says It Took Two Years to Get Over Being Compared to a Pencil: 'It Was Humiliating'

Dua Lipa recently revealed that she took a break from social media following the unexpected but negative viral success of a video capturing her dancing.

The 28-year-old pop sensation recounted the moment when a video of her live performance went viral, with some likening her movements to a "pencil in a pencil sharpener."

In a candid discussion with The Guardian, Dua, who recently dropped her third studio album, "Radical Optimism," admitted feeling "humiliated" by the incident.

The trolling intensified after a particular comment surfaced beneath a YouTube video of her 2018 BRIT Awards performance of "New Rules," stating, "I like her lack of energy, go girl give us nothing!"

This catchphrase quickly morphed into a meme, sparking further commentary on her demeanor and capacity as a performer.

ALSO READ: Dua Lipa's New Album 'Radical Optimism' Plunges Ahead, Slowly Inches Her Off the Dancefloor

"When people took that snippet of me dancing online and just turned it into a meme, and then when I won the best new artist Grammy and people were like, "She's not deserving of it, she's got no stage presence, she's not going to stick around", she said.

"Those things were hurtful. It was humiliating. I had to take myself off Twitter," she added.

The "Don't Start Now" songstress revealed that performing and writing songs brought her the most joy, yet they also caused her distress, as she felt her efforts were going unnoticed.

She shared that at the time, she was still navigating who she was as an artist and performer. All of this hate and mockery were happening while she was barely 23-years-old and still growing up. She realized that she had to develop a tough skin and be resilient.

But it was easier said than done. Because it took her a while to recover from the whole insecurity-inducing incidents: 2 years to be exact.

While the Grammy winner never reached a point where she "couldn't get out of bed," she admitted that her emotions felt the most heightened during this period.

However, as Dua established her name, reputation, and skills, the British-Albanian star experienced a significant boost with the release of her 2019 single, "Don't Start Now."

The singer didn't hesitate to acknowledge that many people began to change their opinions on her performance skills after the song's success, which made her feel like she had finally proven them wrong.

In an earlier interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to talk about her newest album Radical Optimism, she also relayed how she mastered the art of dealing with hate and naysayers.

"I think whenever I see or feel or read anything that goes against what I know is coming, or what I've been doing, or how hard I've been working or whatever it is, I just kind of take a step back and I just go, okay, all of this is background noise and I should just stick on my path," she revealed.

ALSO READ: Dua Lipa Planned Her Third Album While Making Her First: 'I've Always Planned Ahead'

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