Dua Lipa

The Hope And Ruin, Queen’s Road, Brighton, Sunday, January 17

BACK in 2007 The Hope hosted a show by little-known singer-songwriter Adele on the verge of releasing her breakthrough single Chasing Pavements.

Her life changed when she was named the BBC’s Sound of 2008 – the critic’s pick of the artists set to go big that year.

In the Sound Of 2016 longlist is 19-year-old London singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, fresh from scoring more than a million YouTube hits for the video for her dreamy electropop single Be The One.

Last year saw her recording in LA, Stockholm, New York, London and Toronto with Lana Del Rey producer Emile Haynie and Charli XCX’s Andrew Wyatt.

Her style mixes hip-hop and soul with classic pop – reflecting her own early influences.

“I’d be listening to Destiny’s Child, loads of hip-hop, Tupac and Biggie, while my dad would be nurturing me with Dylan and Bowie,” she says.

“It was such a mix up of genres, and I never knew exactly what type of music I liked, but I learned to be open to anything, as long as it was good.”

Lipa went to Sylvia Young Theatre School – also the alma mater of Amy Winehouse and Rita Ora – putting herself through when her family moved to Kosovo in her early teenage years.

Through posting stripped back covers of Chance The Rapper and Mila J on YouTube and Soundcloud she connected with songwriter Marlon Roudette and began working on some demos.

Songs such as Hotter Than Hell were inspired by her sleepless party nights, combining working nights with days in the studio, while Last Dance was written with Timbaland collaborator Talay Riley.

Her debut album, which has been written over the last two years, is set to land later in 2016.

Catch her in an intimate setting while you still can.

Doors 8pm, tickets £6. Call 01273 606312.