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Dua Lipa was born within the UK to Kosovar-Albanian mother and father
Within the UK, there’s a music competition someplace within the nation nearly each week in the course of the summer season.
Highlights embody the summer season kick-off with Radio 1’s Massive Weekend in Might, the dominance of Glastonbury in June, Latitude in July and a flurry of financial institution vacation concert events in Studying and Leeds in August.
Some may argue that British music lovers have an excessive amount of selection.
In some components of the world, it is not possible to bounce in a discipline with your mates, lukewarm beer in hand, fighting dry shampoo, dangerous cellphone sign and chanting ‘Oggy, oggy, oggy, oi, oi, oi’.
Dua Lipa and her father Dukagjin needed to alter that by launching the Sunny Hill competition within the household’s hometown of Pristina in Kosovo – part of the world the place few worldwide artists tour.
“I wish to change the rhetoric that individuals use in the case of Kosovo and the truth that it’s ravaged by battle,” Dua defined earlier this 12 months.
“Once I lived in Kosovo, no artist I needed to see got here.”
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Dua Lipa and her father Dukagjin wish to undertaking a constructive picture of Kosovo
Dua was born within the UK however moved to Pristina as a toddler after a battle within the late Nineties that left greater than 10,000 individuals lifeless as Kosovo fought for independence from Serbia.
It said the in 2008though some international locations – together with Serbia – refuse to recognise it.
“It took longer than we needed to rebuild the nation,” says Dukagjin.
He says it was “at all times a dream” to have one thing like Sunny Hill in Pristina, having labored within the reside music trade for years earlier than Dua turned a world pop star.
In 2018, 10 years after Kosovo declared independence, Sunny Hill was launched, headlined by Dua. Tens of 1000’s of individuals celebrated as their very own success turned massive.
But it surely turned more and more troublesome to persuade different worldwide artists to carry out, and the next 12 months the New Guidelines star turned to her buddies Miley Cyrus and Calvin Harris to ask them to headline, each performing within the area for the primary time.
That modified the best way different acts and their administration groups seen the competition.
“We’re actually performing above expectations when it comes to the line-up,” Dukagjin advised BBC Information.
“Once I speak to the artists about coming, I say, ‘Look, you could not have the tequila you need in your rider, however belief me, you might have the very best sound gear you should buy.’”
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Burna Boy was one of many headliners at this 12 months’s Sunny Hill Competition
In accordance with his most up-to-date knowledge, about 40% of holiday makers got here from outdoors Kosovo, noting that this share can be strongly influenced by the diaspora within the nation, as individuals with household right here carry buddies.
Some had come all the best way from Chicago within the US to see artists like Bebe Rexha, Burna Boy, Stormzy and DJ Snake carry out on the primary stage final weekend.
Groove Armada, Black Espresso and Griff had been additionally on the invoice.
Kosovo reportedly has the youngest inhabitants in Europe, with greater than half estimated to be beneath 30 years previous.
Journey restrictions, till earlier this 12 monthsmeant that native musicians didn’t have the flexibleness to carry out elsewhere on the continent.
“It is not that simple being a musician,” explains singer La Fazani, who has carried out at Sunny Hill a number of occasions.
“The one means you possibly can actually make residing is by taking part in nightclubs.”
He lately gained a serious TV present within the nation, however he says he wouldn’t be capable of carry out reside in entrance of 1000’s of individuals with out Sunny Hill. He hopes Lipa’s visitor checklist may give his profession a lift.
“Sunny Hill is without doubt one of the greatest turbines of a constructive picture of Kosovo,” he says.
“There are lots of people from worldwide document labels right here and I hope I’ve caught the eye of somebody who may be fascinated by what I do.”
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Dukagjin, who simply noticed his daughter carry out at one of many world’s greatest festivals, says: “Glastonbury is one among a sort.” He is aware of it is going to be troublesome for his Sunny Hill undertaking, which passed off for the primary time in a brand new, everlasting location to accommodate the rising viewers, to realize such a standing.
Nevertheless, he says buddies within the music trade, reminiscent of Coachella proprietor Paul Tollett, say the undertaking reminds him of Glastonbury within the Eighties, and that there are plans to make it greater than only a reside music competition.
“I really like artists who keep in Pristina for an additional day or two and get the possibility to satisfy native artists and share concepts.
“And that they get in contact with individuals from the music trade. Hopefully subsequent 12 months we are able to create a motion with some workshops,” says Dukagjin.
You may study extra in regards to the Sunny Hill Competition and the way Kosovo is making an attempt to alter its picture on Enterprise Day by day.
Hearken to Newsbeat reside at 12:45 and 17:45 in the course of the week – or hear again right here.
Dua Lipa’s Sunny Hill Competition goals to alter Kosovo’s picture
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