Dua Lipa’s “so excited” for ‘SNL,’ anticipating “the maddest experience of my life”Dua Lipa’s “so excited” for ‘SNL,’ anticipating “the maddest experience of my life”

Cindy Ord/Getty Images for TIME

Dua Lipa has made the list of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2024. She headlined the TIME 100 Gala on April 25 in New York City, which was recorded for an ABC TV special airing May 12. On the red carpet, she told TIME about her upcoming stint hosting and serving as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on May 4.

“I’m so excited. I’m really, really looking forward to it. I’m just going to throw myself into what could quite possibly be the maddest experience of my life and just have fun with it,” she said of the appearance, which comes a day after she releases her new album, Radical Optimism.

Asked if she’d asked any comedians for tips ahead of the gig, Dua said, “I did. I hung out with Bowen Yang for a bit, so I was like, picking his brain a little before I get into, into all the madness.”

The last time she appeared on Saturday Night Live was back in 2020. Since then, she’s had some acting experience: a cameo in Barbie and a more substantial part in the comedy spy movie Argylle.

Dua wore a sheer Chanel gown to the TIME 100 Gala, which she attended with her reported boyfriend, British actor Callum Turner. She performed a handful of songs, including “Illusion” and “Training Season.”

In other Dua news, she’s offering a unique piece of merch to go with her new album: a replica of the notebook in which she wrote 97 songs for the project. The $30 keepsake includes scanned pages of handwritten lyrics from Dua’s notebook, as well as photo collages and blank pages, the album itself and a hand-signed art card.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.