Dua Lipa has spoken about the difficulties she faces as a woman in the music industry, admitting she finds it tough to be taken seriously as a songwriter.

The ‘New Rules’ singer, who was named Best British Breakthrough and Best British Female at the Brit Awards last month, co-wrote all but two of the songs on her debut album, released last year.

However, speaking to GQ magazine, she revealed she felt her abilities were often overlooked because she’s a woman.

She said: “For a female artist, it takes a lot more to be taken seriously if you’re not sat down at a piano or with a guitar, you know?

“For a male artist, people instantly assume they write their own music, but for women, they assume it’s all manufactured.”

Dua also discussed the Me Too movement, which has seen many prominent women in entertainment, as well as other industries, sharing their personal stories of sexual harassment. 

While Dua said this was not something she had first-hand experience of, she added: “I think [Me Too] is so important. You know, even from school, growing up with kiss chase or whatever, it’s been ingrained in our heads that boys will be boys and its harmless fun and no big deal and to brush things off.

“Like catcalling. To some it might not seem a lot, but it affects your mood, people get embarrassed about the way they dress.”

As well as her big wins at this year’s Brits, Dua also delivered one of the stand-out performances of the night, singing her chart-topping song, ‘New Rules’, while backed by a troupe of 140 all-female dancers.

Read Dua Lipa’s full interview in the new issue of GQ magazine.