I'm Obsessed With Dua Lipa's Very Good Bookclub, 'Service95'

Launched earlier this year, and spawned from her former BBC podcast At Your Service, the book club brings together her many far-flung beach and plane and backstage reads into a series of fascinating conversations with fascinating authors. The most recent of her interviews is, quite fittingly, Margaret Atwood, whose books remain perpetually of-the-times as political conditions deteriorate stateside.

In the interview, Lipa tells Atwood: “I couldn’t imagine at 15 years old that there was any danger of that becoming a reality, whereas now re-reading it at 30 years old in today's climate, it’s quite terrifying." Atwood says that when she first published The Handmaid's Tale, Americans told her "that would never happen here."

Jokes on us, I suppose.

In their conversation, Lipa explains that "There has been a revolt in the US," to which Atwood responds: "There's been a power grab takeover." Lipa continues, saying "The borders are a bit unclear, democracy's been replaced with a totalitarian, religious dictatorship." They're talking about The Handmaid's Tale, to be clear, but the themes resonate!

It's not just one fascinating conversation with Atwood though, that I got sucked into while out with the flu, curled up around my computer, listening to the soothing resonance of Lipa's voice. I quite enjoyed her conversation with Emma Cline, author of The Guest, who's sort of like the Sally Rooney to gay guys who's Lena Dunham is John Early. (That's a compliment to both.)

It is not unsurprising that Lipa has such insightful commentary on books, seeing as her previous BBC podcast was similarly chock-full of conversations with people that others might describe as luminaries. But it is a breath of fresh air in a pop landscape that doesn't necessarily prioritize meaningful conversation amongst mega-stars like Lipa, what with the current trend of influencer-on-influencer interviews that dominate the press cycle these days.

For more historical leaning interviews, I quite liked this chat with biographer Jennifer Clement on Basquiat's muse, which chronicles the impact of the AIDs crisis and the artist's personal life. Fascinating stuff!

After digesting most of these from the comfort and safety of the influenza nest I built on my boyfriend's bed, I can't say I'd like to see more pop celebrities start book clubs like Service95. Perhaps it's because so much of Lipa's public image is intertwined with her various selfies posed up against best-sellers and indie cult classics, alongside interviews chock full of commentary on her political positions, worldview, and more.

For now, I'm perfectly happy with a cozy fall fire and Emma Cline's The Guest, which I've started a re-read of in light of their book club interview earlier this year. Fingers cross the flu passes me over quickly, but if not, I might need to dig out that weatherworn grade school copy of The Handmaid's Tale while I'm at it.

Image via Getty