Few pop stars today are as cultured as Dua Lipa. Born in Kosovo and raised in London, the singer-songwriter has become a full-fledged global phenomenon, whose tours have taken her around the world and back. Thus her versatility, impeccable fashion sense, and fierce independence make her the perfect fit for YSL Beauty’s newest fragrance, Libre Le Parfum. A sexy, sensual update to the house’s original Eau de Parfum, its searing saffron, orange blossom, and light lavender notes lasts all day (I can confirm this) and leave a trail everywhere, not unlike Lipa herself. Her chameleon-like quality allows her to constantly be on the go and simultaneously live in the in-between, straddling the worlds of masculine and feminine—and solitude and chaos—with aplomb.

Not only is she a fashion and beauty icon—Lipa is a fierce advocate for women’s rights. As of late, she’s taken on heavier topics of gender inequality and toxic masculinity on her hit podcast At Your Service, speaking with entertainment industry power players like Riz Ahmed and Megan Thee Stallion about how to best navigate these tenuous topics in 2022. Her keen insight is rare for someone who’s only just reached her late twenties, and she embodies everything the YSL woman stands for.

For her latest campaign, Lipa finds herself in the blue lagoons and black beaches of a remote world, removed from the noise of societal influences and focused on becoming her best self. To accompany the campaign, she recorded a blistering cover of George Michael’s iconic song, “Freedom.” As he succinctly put it almost 30 years ago, “Gotta have some faith in the sound, it’s the one good thing that I’ve got.” Lipa harkens on the past and present to propel herself into the future with her genre-defying music that has solidified her as a superstar with a future that is as bright as her sound. Here, she sat down with ELLE on a balmy June day in the south of France to discuss all things YSL Beauty, covering that iconic song, and all her travel beauty tips.