On June 27, British singer Dua Lipa collaborated with the legendary Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto to launch a new cultural initiative, the Manifesto Library.
The event took place in the bookstore's new cultural auditorium, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza. The inauguration was held as part of the BABELL – City of Books international literary festival, attended by such prominent figures as Salman Rushdie and Nobel Prize laureate Olga Tokarczuk—authors whose works are featured in the new library’s collection.
At first glance, this might seem like unusual news for the music world. However, that is exactly why it commands our attention.
We are accustomed to musicians releasing albums, going on tour, and staging elaborate shows. Yet, increasingly, they are also serving as guides into the realms of ideas, literature, and culture.
The Manifesto Library is more than just a place to store books.
It is a curated collection of one hundred books designed to inspire, provoke thought, and broaden perspectives. Each volume in the collection has either faced censorship or sparked significant public controversy. Some titles were banned in schools due to themes of race or sexuality, while others were restricted to certain groups of readers. According to Dua Lipa, there are cases where authors paid for their words with their lives. The collection is organized around four core themes: Power, Control, Voice, and Memory.
The project originated from Service95, a platform Dua Lipa founded in February 2022. Since June 2023, the singer has hosted the Service95 Book Club, engaging in conversations with world-renowned authors like Margaret Atwood, Olga Tokarczuk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Percival Everett, and others, while sharing the literature that has shaped her worldview and creative process.
The location chosen for this new library is also deeply symbolic.
In 2026, Livraria Lello will celebrate its 120th anniversary. Established in 1906, it is widely considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Its neo-Gothic woodwork, iconic red bifurcated staircase, and stained glass featuring the motto «Decus in Labore» (“Honor in Labor”) have long symbolized a devotion to literature and the arts. The building was also recently designated a Portuguese National Monument.
By merging contemporary music culture with this historic site, Dua Lipa reminds us that inspiration rarely stems from a single artistic field.
Music can lead the way to a book.
A book can lead to a new thought.
A thought can transform a person's inner state.
And inspiration is born exactly where that inner state encounters a new understanding of the world.
It is fascinating to observe how the role of the modern artist is evolving.
Today, performers increasingly share not only their music but also the elements that shaped their inner lives: the books, films, ideas, people, and stories that influenced their craft. Through these projects, they act as bridges between different cultural spheres, helping their audience embark on that same journey.
In this way, music becomes part of a much broader cultural dialogue.
It no longer exists in isolation from literature, cinema, science, or art.
It connects them all.
What did this event add to the world's resonance?
Every book is a journey into the world of someone's thoughts. Every musical composition is a journey into the world of feelings.
When these two worlds meet, something greater than a mere cultural project is born.
An opportunity is born to continue the conversation. It is not just about hearing a song. It is about discovering the ideas that inspired its creator.
This may be why such initiatives are becoming increasingly vital.
They serve as a reminder that culture is not made up of isolated works of art.
It is a unified space where music, literature, painting, theater, and science constantly inform and inspire one another.
And it is within these intersections that new stories, new ideas, and new meanings come to life.
