Dua Lipa ignites the stage with hit songs in CBS special at Royal Albert Hall

Thanks to some radical optimism, Dua Lipa's dream of performing at the Royal Albert Hall has come true.

The "Training Season" singer, 29, sang her hits in London with the backing of a 53-piece orchestra in "An Evening with Dua Lipa," a primetime special that aired Sunday on CBS.

In between the performances, the special included behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the Grammy winner. While recalling the start of her music career, Lipa remembered having a music teacher, Ray, who changed her life at Sylvia Young Theatre School by believing in her.

"He heard my really deep voice," she remembered, noting she had not seen him in a decade. "He was like, 'You've got something special. Use it.' Sometimes, all it takes is one thing for them to say and that carries you on for the rest of your life. He completely changed my life."

While Ray was being interviewed for the special, Lipa surprised him by walking in, and they both got emotional seeing each other again.

"You made such a big difference for me," she told him. "You just pushed me and you made me believe in myself, and you made me feel like I had something worth pushing for. I really think it's the reason why I'm here right now."

Getting choked up, Ray told her that this "mean so much" and said she already said thank you "by being a great student."

Earlier in the special, Lipa said she always wanted to perform with only an orchestra to "make it about the music in a way that I'd never done before," and it was "so moving" to hear her songs with an orchestral arrangement. She performed a collection of her hits including "Houdini," "Training Season," and "Dance the Night" from "Barbie."

"This has been a dream of mine forever," she said. "When I was younger and I would drive past the Royal Albert Hall, I'd be like, 'Oh, maybe one day I can perform in there.'"

In one section of the special, Lipa returned to the venue where she performed her first show in New York in 2016.

Elton John surprises during 'An Evening with Dua Lipa' special at Royal Albert Hall

Elton John also made an appearance so he and Lipa could perform their song "Cold Heart." In interviews, the two discussed their friendship, and the special included footage of them meeting for the first time in 2021. They have known each other since John asked Lipa to perform during an Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar party.

"I just absolutely adored her, and that was the start of our friendship," John said.

Lipa added that she feels "so lucky" that John has "taken me under his wing like this and has always supported me."

How to watch 'An Evening With Dua Lipa'

"An Evening With Dua Lipa" is available to stream on Paramount Plus.