UK sensation and RocNation recording artist Rita Ora has been compared to Rihanna for plenty of good reasons. Stylistically they’re similar, and they both draw on an eclectic mix of pop, rock, hip-hop, and R&B in their music. But for me, the comparison comes in my reaction to their photos. They both have the ability to render me completely jealous, like, to an unhealthy point. Ya’ll have seen me go through it with RiRi‘s twit pics, and now here I am trying to figure out how Rita made the totally cliche, overdone schoolgirl look cool again. I guess booty shorts, red lipstick, and blonde hair never do get old. Check out Rita doing her thang for Complex Magazine‘s August cover shoot (hers is the alternate cover, alongside G.O.O.D. Music‘s), inside. Oh– and she’s dating Rob Kardashian???
Rita Ora talks early beginnings, and shouts-out A$AP Rocky and Azealia Banks:
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
“When I first got signed I was this random girl from London,” she recalls. “I was thinking my whole world was going to be turned around. I thought I was gonna be on Oprah next week with a new single. Three years later I’m just starting to come out. I wanted to release everything I’d ever recorded, but I was lucky enough to have someone like Jay to say, ‘This isn’t good enough. You have to find yourself.’ It was the best advice he could have given me—to be patient.” While working on her debut album, Ora (due out this fall) she’s had the opportunity to work with an A-list creative team—songwriting by Drake, The-Dream, and Ester Dean, and production by Stargate, Diplo, Fraser T. Smith, and will.i.am.
Despite all the advantages that come with her Roc affiliation, Rita understands that the buck stops with her. “You can add as much production as you want but if the music is shit no one is gonna listen to it,” she says. “It’s important that you know yourself musically. I was always that girl who loved music and thought of music as an escape route.”
Read the full story here. Rita goes on to talk about growing up in London, falling in love with 90s rap, the media-concocted Rihanna beef, and dating Rob Kardashian (yup).
I wasn’t a huuuge fan of the Complex interview as a whole. I did learn some fun facts about Rita, but I’m still not sure I know what she’s all about. Something about the story was a little generic, but she is a rising star, so maybe that makes sense.
Rita‘s kind of a big deal in the UK, especially after her ode to B.I.G., Party & Bullsh-t (re-titled How We Do). I definitely see the fun in her, but I haven’t fallen in love with her voice yet. Still, I’m interested in seeing what her new album will sound like. I’m gonna assume that Jay-Z knows what he’s doing here.
Rita Ora: How We Do
Check out Rita Ora‘s other annoyingly gorgeous pics from the Complex photo shoot on the next page!
I love me some Rita Ora. I first came across her listening to a track by DJ Fresh called “Hot Right Now”. Her vocals against the fast paced beat just had me shakin’ what my mama gave me all over the place.
I’m right with you, that is when I first discovered her too. I adore her!