Rita Ora

Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter. In 2012, Ora released her debut album, Ora which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom. It also spawned three number-one singles "Hot Right Now", "How We Do (Party)" and "R.I.P." which made Ora the artist with the most number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart in 2012. Ora has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Ora was nominated for three awards at the 2013 BRIT Awards, including the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act.

Rita Ora was born in 1990 in Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia (today Kosova) to Kosovar-Albanian parents and moved to the United Kingdom when she was 1. She grew up around Portobello Road in West London, and attended St Cuthbert with St Matthias CE Primary School in Earls Court, following which she graduated from Sylvia Young Theatre School and then St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College. Today she lives in Kensington, London. Ora began singing from a young age. In 2004, she appeared in the British film Spivs. She auditioned for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You on BBC One to be the British contestant for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, but later withdrew from the competition after a few episodes as she did not feel ready.

In 2007, Ora had her first music release when she appeared on Craig David's track titled "Awkward" and then again in 2008 on "Where's Your Love" featuring Tinchy Stryder, for which she also appears in the music video. Ora began singing in bars in and around London, and in 2009 an A&R told Roc Nation about Ora, a few days after Ora flew out to New York and met Jay-Z. In 2009, Ora made a cameo on Jay-Z's video for "Young Forever" and "Over" by Drake. Ora caught the attention of Jay-Z and he signed her to Roc Nation, for which she was featured in a commercial for Roc Nation + Skullcandy Aviator Headphones.

Throughout 2011, Ora released videos of herself working on her debut album. These videos became viral. On 14 December 2011, DJ Fresh and Ora released the music video for "Hot Right Now" on YouTube. The single was released on 12 February 2012 and reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart. On 24 February 2012, Ora visited New York's Z100 radio station alongside her Roc Nation label boss Jay-Z, to premiere "How We Do (Party)", her debut single and the lead single from her upcoming studio album. "How We Do (Party)" borrows its familiar refrain from The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Party and Bullshit". She took two years to completely finish her first studio album. will.i.am, Ester Dean, Drake, The-Dream, Kanye West and Stargate all worked with Ora on her debut album.

When speaking about the sound of the album and its concept, Ora said it "definitely has pop in it, but (...) you can hear influences of jazz in there, you can hear influences of Monica and Aaliyah, and then you can hear Gwen Stefani.” She has also stated the album will be influenced by her father's record collection which, in addition to reggae, also includes such artists as Eric Clapton and B.B. King. Her first solo record, "R.I.P." featuring Tinie Tempah, was released as her first UK single on 6 May 2012. The video directed by Emil Nava was recorded in Hackney, East London, and released on 4 April 2012. Produced by Chase & Status, the song debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming her first solo UK number 1, and second overall. In May, Ora became a guest judge on the ninth series of The X Factor in the UK, with the auditions filmed at the O2 Arena, London.

Whilst touring with Coldplay, she later announced that the album would be named Ora. Ora was released on 27 August 2012 and debuted at the top the UK Albums Chart. Her video, "Shine Ya Light", sees the singer return to Kosovo from where she originated, riding with a flank of bikers and gigging for excited hometown crowds. Ora was nominated for Best UK/Ireland Act, Best New Artist, and Push Artist at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Ora will embark on her eight-date UK Radioactive Tour on January 28 through to February 9, 2013. On 14 January 2013, Ora revealed that her second album would be clearer and have more direction than her debut; "I definitely know what I want more and it's pretty straightforward with what I'm trying to say with this second album". Whilst on tour, Ora performed a song called "Fair", which she announced will be on her sophomore album which will be out in summer of 2013. On 26 February 2013, she revealed to Digital Spy that she had been working with Dev Hynes for the second album and that the record show different angle to a "party girl".

Ora will feature on the newest single from American rapper Snoop Dogg. The video for the track, titled 'Torn Apart', was shot in January in Thailand.

Ora credits Gwen Stefani as her idol and biggest influence, saying in an interview “Do you know how much I love that woman? I love everything about her." Ora has also named Beyoncé Knowles as a major influence and a mentor, in addition to talking about her admiration at being able to have one of her idols, Knowles, give her feedback on her debut album. Her other musical influences include Rihanna, Aaliyah, India.Arie, Christina Aguilera, Brandy, Monica, Madonna, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Vybz Kartel and Sade. Ora has mentioned her admiration for Rita Hayworth as an early inspiration for wanting to pursue an acting career. For fashion inspirations, Ora also cites Gwen Stefani as her most influential style icon. In addition to Stefani, Ora has drawn great inspiration stylistically from Marilyn Monroe and Daphne Guinness through fashionable trends in both vintage clothing and retro wear.

Ora is of Kosovar Albanian ethnicity and possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range.

The discography of Rita Ora, a British singer-songwriter, consists of one studio album, seven singles (including two as a featured performer), one promotional single and seven music videos. Following several uncredited appearances on songs by British artists such as Craig David and Tinchy Stryder, Ora was signed to Roc Nation, a label run by American rapper Jay-Z, in 2009. Ora collaborated with British drum and bass producer DJ Fresh in 2012 on the single "Hot Right Now": the song peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, and appeared on many other singles charts across Europe. Ora also released her debut studio album, Ora, in 2012, and it topped the UK Albums Chart as well as reaching number two in Ireland. Ora spawned three singles: the first two, "How We Do (Party)" and "R.I.P." – a collaboration with British rapper Tinie Tempah, both reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, making Ora the first artist of 2012 to have three consecutive singles reach that position. "How We Do (Party)" and "R.I.P." also achieved commercial success worldwide, with both reaching the top ten in Australia and "How We Do (Party)" being certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), as well as topping the Irish Singles Chart. "Shine Ya Light", the third single from Ora, was solicited to mainstream radio in the United Kingdom on 17 October, 2012.

Rita Ora was signed to American rapper Jay-Z's label Roc Nation.

Ora's first music release was in 2007, when she appeared on Craig David's track "Awkward". In 2008, she also featured on another of David's tracks, "Where's Your Love" featuring Tinchy Stryder, for which she also appears in the music video. Ora began singing in bars in and around London, and in 2009 a A&R told Roc Nation about Ora, a few days later, Ora flew out to New York and met Jay Z. In 2009, Ora made a cameo on Jay-Z's video for "Young Forever" and "Over" by Drake. Ora caught the attention of Jay-Z and he signed her to Roc Nation, for which she was featured in a commercial for Roc Nation + Skullcandy Aviator Headphones. Throughout 2011, Ora released viral videos of herself working on her debut album. On 14 December 2011 DJ Fresh and Ora released "Hot Right Now" on YouTube. Ora spoke on the album saying "I wanted my first album to be about what I wanted to listen to when I heard an album." Ora spoke on the time spent on recording her debut album saying "They gave me three years to do my album; two years to find myself and a year to record it."

For the recording of the album, Ora enlisted the help of producers and writers such as will.i.am, Ester Dean, Drake, The-Dream, Stargate and J. Cole and producers including The Runners, The Monarch, Stargate, Chase & Status, The-Dream, will.i.am, Major Lazer, Michael Linney, Brandon Linney, Fraser T Smith, Chris Loco, Daniel Stein, Wez Clarke, The Invisible Man, Greg Kurstin, Jules De Martino, Diplo. Ora spoke on working with Drake on her debut saying "He’s given me some great songs which I was honored to take."

Ora described the album cover saying: "Everything was inspired basically by being bossy, by being independent, and by taking your own," Ora said. "We made sure that everything had character. Everything about my pictures, I wanted them to be moments and to be something that you caught." Ora worked with photographers Gomillion and Leupold. Ora spoke on the title of the album saying "The title represents more than just her last name. Ora is my surname, but it also means time in my country, Kosovo, and it definitely took me a long time to get this album - three years to be exact". On 22 July, the official deluxe version album cover was revealed.

Ora said that the US edition of ORA will differ from the UK edition. The album was set to be released in the United States in early 2013. She also stated in an interview that the US edition of the album would be like a second album. Ora later explained that she had decided not to release ORA in the US. She said that her second studio album will mark her US debut. The album is due to be released in summer 2013.

When Ora spoke on the album she said "The crazy thing is I wanted the album to sound exactly like the subway, almost as if its just so free and raw". When speaking about the sound of the album and its concept, Ora said the album "definitely has pop in it, but (...) you can hear influences of jazz in there, you can hear influences of Monica and Aaliyah, and then you can hear Gwen Stefani." Ora described the sound of her album saying "The way I sing and the way I am and the way I look is still very the same but you can hear my influences," she says. "Like, I love No Doubt and Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen. It’s old school mixed with a pop kind of stream with a grit. It’s got attitude to it but it’s not ignorant. It’s just a cool f—ing album in my eyes.".She has also stated the album will be influenced by her father's record colllection which, in addition to reggae, also includes such artists as Eric Clapton and B.B. King.

ORA has received mixed reception from music critics upon release. Digital Spy gave the album three out of five stars saying "She rarely colours outside the lines, but when she does - in the case of gentle ballad 'Hello, Hi, Goodbye' - it points to an artist with brighter prospects than a sub-par Rihanna. In fact, if the album's anthemic bonus tracks 'Young, Single & Sexy' and 'Meet Ya' are anything to go by, Beyoncé's crown is the one she's really gunning for." The Guardian gave the album mixed reviews saying "Rita often sounds a bit lost amongst the aggressive bravado (the Diplo-produced 'Facemelt') or modern self-empowerment numbers ('Shine Ya Light', 'Roc the Life')."

ORA debuted at number one on the UK Album chart, with first-week sales of 41,509 copies: this marked the second UK-domiciled singer from Eastern Europe to top the chart. Throughout 2012 the album sold 242,500 copies, becoming the thirty-fifth best selling album of the year.

"How We Do (Party)" was released as the album's lead single in North America, Australia and New Zealand on 20 March 2012. The song was written by Victor Alexander, Kelly Sheehan and Bonnie McKee, the song borrows lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1993 single "Party and Bullshit". The single peaked at number 5 in New Zealand and at number 9 in Australia. The song debuted at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 62. It was released as the second single in the UK, on 12 August 2012, Ireland and the rest of Europe. The song reached number 1 in Ireland, becoming her first number-one single there. It also reached number 1 in the UK, becoming her third number one single and making Ora the first artist in 2012 to post three number 1 singles on the UK charts.

"R.I.P." featuring Tinie Tempah, was released as the lead single in Ireland on 4 May 2012, in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2012 and the rest of Europe. The video directed by Emil Nava was recorded in Hackney, East London, and released on 4 April 2012. Produced by Chase & Status, the song debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming her first solo number-one single, and second overall. It was released as the album's second single in New Zealand, Australia and North America.

"Shine Ya Light" was officially released as the third UK single on 4 November 2012. It has currently peaked at number ten in the UK Singles Chart, making Ora the first artist to post four top 10 UK singles overall in 2012. It also served as a third single in Ireland.

"Radioactive" was released as the album's third US single, and fourth overall on 11 February 2013 in the UK. This was confirmed by Ora during her interview on 96.5 KISS FM in Cleveland. She shot the video for the single on 12 November and was published on 10 December 2012.[34] 'Radioactive' was released in the United States on 26 February 2013, via digital download.

"Facemelt" will be the fifth single from the album. The music video for the song will be released April 30 on Hunger TV.

"Roc the Life" was released in the United Kingdom on 23 July 2012 as a promotional single. The official music video premiered on 17 September 2012. It features video footage of Ora on her UK Tour filmed by her photographer/videographer Conor McDonnell.

"Young, Single & Sexy" charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 54 due to strong digital sales from the deluxe album. "Love and War" featuring J. Cole charted at number 193 in the album's first week of release. The song also entered the UK R&B Chart, peaking at number 36.

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