The Studio 2054, the new dynamic virtual concert:

(article produced when studying journalism at Edinburgh Napier University)

On the 27th of November 2020, the British singer Dua Lipa, gave a virtual concert called Studio 2054 live stream. It took place in an ancient printing facility which is now the Printworks venue for art and culture events in London. Over 5 million viewers watched the concert and its 16 songs from their laptop.

It was a complicated wager for the 25 years old singer who released her second album during lockdown in March 2020. This album is called “Future Nostalgia” and despite the pandemic situation, it has been a real success with 6 nominations for the Grammy Awards.

Studio 2054 is a reference to the unforgettable and world-famous disco night club Studio 54, which was the most prominent address in the early ‘80s in New York City.

Her live stream concert reflected the disco atmosphere of her second album. In truth, the place of the concert looked like a sort of underground garage and disco night club of the ‘80s. There were multiple neon lights, flashy colors, glitters on the singer and her 25 dancers’ outfits, and some dancers were even roller skating. The ratio aspect format was purposefully in 4:3 to produce a square image imitating those old retro and vintage videos of the ‘80s.

Dua lipa dragged us in her extremely dynamic one hour performance. She never stopped singing and dancing while moving from one stage to another, her dancers following her to the rhythm of the pop music. Sequences were very well managed, and the show went smoothly.

Besides, during the concert, we had the chance to see several guests performers invited by Dua Lipa. Kylie Minogue, FKA Twigs, Angèle, or even Elton John participated to the live stream. The objective was to try and create the conditions of a normal concert.

Dua Lipa aimed at producing a whole atmosphere of partying despite the current pandemic situation. Instead of a repetitive speech that could have reminded us of this 2020 disastrous year, Dua Lipa took this challenge of a virtual concert.

Culture and art have been especially affected by the pandemic situation. Whether people appreciate them or not, initiatives such as Dua Lipa’s virtual concert, represent an interesting alternative for artists to keep performing.