Dua Lipa has continued to celebrate Australian music on the local leg of her ‘Radical Optimism’ tour, surprising fans at her second Melbourne show on Wednesday, March 19th, with a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn”.
The British pop star launched her Australian run with a five-night residency at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, delivering a 22-song, four-act set that has kept fans on their toes.
Just two nights earlier, she had already paid tribute to Australian music icons with a high-energy cover of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”. Now, she’s slowed things down with an emotional take on “Torn”, the track that made Imbruglia a household name in 1997.
While many associate “Torn” with Imbruglia, the song has a long and complicated history. Originally penned in 1991, it was first recorded in Danish in 1993 by Lis Sørensen before American rock band Ednaswap covered it in 1995. The following year, Trine Rein took it to the top ten in Norway with her own version before Imbruglia’s take became the definitive hit, turning the song into an enduring Australian pop classic.
Imbruglia herself was thrilled with the tribute, taking to Instagram Stories to share her excitement.
“OMG!! I love you Dua Lipa,” she wrote, adding, “My home turf… My heart is full”. Fans at Rod Laver Arena echoed the sentiment, singing every word back as Lipa put her own smooth spin on the late-’90s anthem.
With three more Melbourne shows before she moves on to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, there’s a growing sense of anticipation about what other surprises Lipa might have in store.
The question now is whether she’ll keep the Aussie covers coming – will she pull out a Kylie Minogue banger next? A Savage Garden deep cut? Maybe even a Powderfinger throwback? If Lipa’s setlist so far is anything to go by, she knows exactly how to win over an Australian crowd.
Check out Dua Lipa’s cover of “Torn” below.
