Dua Lipa centre of RAYE row as she's accused of copying BRITs rival

02 March 2024 , 20:40

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Dance the Night singer Dua Lipa (Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima)

Dua Lipa is at the centre of a row over her visuals as fans claim she has copied her BRITs rival RAYE.

The Dance the Night star – who is up against RAYE in three categories at the awards – released new track Training Season last month with a video still of her in sharp focus, surrounded by a blurred crowd. But eagle-eyed fans claim it is just like the shot RAYE used to promote her 2022 single, Black Mascara.

Under Dua’s Instagram post promoting the single, one follower scoffed: “This is literally RAYE’s Black Mascara cover.” Another said: “What is it about stealing other people’s ideas instead of creating your own?” Another fan complained: “This is a blatant copy of RAYE’s Black Mascara single cover – down to the red hair and black leather top.”

The RAYE cover...

The con­­troversy is yet another headache for Dua’s management team, who have already been criticised over an image used by the singer to tease her smash hit, Houdini. The snap – which showed Dua with a key in her mouth – was quickly shot down by fans who spotted that the star’s teeth had not been touched up in the glossy image.

...and Dua Lipa's version

One source said: “There have been some issues since Dua parted ways with her former managers and this is the latest. Over time, these kinds of minor issues can add up if you’re not careful and damage a campaign. Some feel that the decisions being made around the campaign are tarnishing the album – which is a shame when the music itself has gone down so well. Hopefully, things will be much smoother in the future.”

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Dua, who opened last night’s BRITs, has had an incredible year so far, with Houdini giving her the most successful release of her career.

She also opened the Grammy Awards with a medley of Houdini and Training Season and is rumoured to be in the mix for Glastonbury later this year. Once this kind of slip-up is ironed out, there will be no stopping her.

Janine Yaqoob