From a quick Google search, you’ll find hundreds of thousands of results where Rita Ora is described as the full package and someone who’s very talented to say the least. By 2012, at the age of 22, Ora had shot to fame – but what was her first song?
Rita Ora’s first song was ‘R.I.P.’ featuring Tinie Tempah released as part of her debut album in 2012. Prior to this release, Rita featured as the female singer on DJ Fresh’s single ‘Hot Right Now.’
Read more below about how Ora progressed from a measly club singer to a sensational pop star with the whole package included.
From Club Singer to Pop Star
Rita Sahatçiu Ora is a singer and songwriter born in Kosovo in 1990, moving to London before the age of one due to civil unrest in the country.
Ora’s first musical performance arrived when she was only a high-schooler at performing arts school, Sylvia Young Theatre School. She sang at London clubs. She kept on performing at such clubs all through high school and in the end, was recognized by individuals including DJ Fresh from Jay-Z’s record name Roc Nation.
She signed a deal with Roc Nation in 2008, with whom she later settled a $1.8 million lawsuit over a contract dispute. From right off the bat, she was compared with another of Jay-Z’s greatest finds – Rihanna. Together, Jay-Z and Ora rejected her first album attempt and started from square one once again.
“The best thing Jay-Z ever taught me was patience,” Ora revealed, “He’s like the best older brother a girl could ever have.”
She made her US debut in 2012 out of a Los Angeles bar brimmed full of record execs, and her first single, ‘R.I.P.,’ came out about fourteen days after the fact. Her debut self-titled album, Ora, was released in August of 2012 appearing at number one on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Song chart. Suffice it to say, Ora had taken us all by surprise at this stage.
Just by taking a look at the directors that Ora has collaborated with across the entirety of her career, it’s very clear that she has worked with some of the greatest directors that there are (this even includes the popular Canadian ‘Hotline Bling’ rapper, Drake).
Since rapidly evolving in the industry, she has gained a lot of money and a lot of fame. The songstress has millions of fans, with her current Instagram followings in 2020 standing at 16.1 million with an equal number of fans who follow her on Spotify.
So far, out of the seven top ten hits of hers on Billboard 100, five of those have reached the top position coming in at number one. Amongst her number one hits are popular songs including: ‘R.I.P.’, ‘Your Song’ and ‘How We Do (Party).’
Not Slowing Down
Rita announced she was working on her third album in 2020, following the release of her second, 2018 album Phoenix. To Music Week, Ora spoke of her intentions for the album.
“I have a crazy, amazing, exciting direction for my third album, I want to turn people on their heads, turn things around 360° and introduce some live instrumentation, experiment sonically, work with people I’ve never worked with before and do some more soulful tracks.”
And it doesn’t look like Ora will be slowing down as she later said: “I’ll continue making amazing pop music, experimenting with other producers and creating a new sound, sonically being proud, I’ve always had such a husky tone to my voice, I’ve always felt, ‘Oh, it’s not strong enough’. You put these doubts in your own head. I’m more confident in my craft… [I’m] starting to put things into perspective.”