Dua Lipa continued her tradition of performing geographic-minded covers during the singer’s visit to Chicago this weekend, bringing out Windy City native Chaka Khan on Friday before performing an Earth, Wind & Fire classic on Saturday.
At her first Radical Optimism show at the United Center on Friday, Lipa welcomed the Rock Hall-inducted Khan to the stage to join her on the 1983 Rufus single “Ain’t Nobody.” “I GOT TO SING WITH THE QUEEN OF FUNK,” Lipa exclaimed on social media following the duet:
The following night, Lipa delivered another funk classic from a Chicago act, this time performing a faithful rendition of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ubiquitous “September”:
Dua Lipa’s Australian and New Zealand tour — where her regional covers trend started — saw the singer perform the likes of AC/DC, Lorde, and Kylie Minogue, while also bringing out guests like Troye Sivan, Tame Impala, and Crowded House’s Neil Finn. The local covers have continued — though less frequently — as the tour headed to Europe, with Lipa covering Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” in Madrid.
When the trek reached the U.K. at London’s Wembley Stadium, Lipa performed Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” with help from that group’s singer Jay Kay. The following night at the same venue, she brought out Charli XCX for a rendition of that singer’s “360.”
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The tour then shifted to Liverpool, where Lip performed the Zutons’ “Valerie” — popularized by Amy Winehouse” — with the group’s singer Dave McCabe. The next show, in the birthplace of the Beatles, Lipa covered the Fab Four’s “Hey Jude.” In Dublin, Lipa did “a song by a late Irish legend,” Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
The Radical Optimism Tour has since crossed the Atlantic, opening with two shows in Toronto last week with two more regional covers, Nelly Furtado’s “Like A Bird” and Mustafa’s “Name of God.” Following the Chicago shows, Lipa next heads to Boston, home of artists like Pixies, Aerosmith, and the Modern Lovers to name a few possible options for the singer.
