Recently, Rita Ora released the sixth collection for adidas Originals, and will also replace Tyra Banks as the host of the TV show “Top Model in American”. She clearly has no time to rest.
Rita Ora – A Life Story
Rita Ore is only 25 years old. Her family moved to London from war-torn Kosovo when she was one year old. For several weeks, Rita and her sister were in the orphanage until their parents received official refugee status. Now her mother Vera works as a psychiatrist, and her father Besnik has his own pub. From an early age, the girl knew that she wanted to be a singer, and tried to turn her dream into reality by enrolling in the Sylvia Young Theater School in London. “The teachers specialized in musicals, but my voice didn’t suit them,” she recalls, “so in the lessons I annealed – turned a sentimental aria into a hot R’n’B hit. I didn’t sit out in the corner, it was always the loudest and grooviest. That’s left.
At 16, Rita decided to drop out of school. “I began to prepare for A-levels, and then I spat at everything. I asked my parents to let me do nothing and make music for a year. I performed at my dad’s in a pub, helped at the bar.” More and more people came to listen to the young talent. Soon she had a manager. And in 2007, Craig David invited Oru to participate in the recording of his track Awkward. A year later, she almost became a member of the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest. “At the audition, I sang in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” She then signed with Jay Roc Nation. Her three debut singles soared to the first lines in the British charts. There was an album Ora.
Having gained a foothold on the musical Olympus, she rushed to conquer other peaks: she was a mentor and judge in the British versions of the Voice and X-Factor shows, and received roles in the films 50 Shades of Gray and Left-Handed. Last year, she was even nominated for an Oscar – not as an actress, but as a performer of the Grateful song from the picture “Behind the Scenes”.
“When I came to show business, there was no clear plan – first I’ll release an album, and then I will star in a movie. I went with the flow and did what seemed interesting at a particular moment.” – says Rita.
She had to overcome many difficulties. When in 2014 the girl broke up with singer and producer Calvin Harris, the young man forbade her to use the tracks to which he had a hand in the new album. Now Rita suppresses any attempt to talk about Harris – “I do not want people to know me only thanks to my love relationship”.
The problems did not end there: in December last year, she sued Roc Nation, where she recorded from the age of 18. The singer was going to break the contract. The company responded with a counterclaim. The settlement agreement was signed in June. Rita changed the label and can release music again.
But even before the trial, there were rumors that Oru and Jay Z were not only connected by business relations, and the mysterious rival “Becky”, about whom Beyonce sang in the hit Sorry, is Rita. Ora silenced the gossips by posting a photo with Beyoncé. The caption read: “Family.” “No matter the circumstances, I am glad that this experience has been in life. Jay is one of my idols, and Beyoncé is the queen. I will not cease to appreciate what they gave me and taught me.”.
