Rita Ora

Born in former Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), Rita Sahatçiu Ora (November 26, 1990) grew up in London and, showing her talent for singing at a young age, studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. It led to a part in the movie Spivs (2004) and she made her first recording singing with Craig David on his track “Awkward,” followed by “Where's Your Love” with Tinchy Stryder. Rita Ora then began appearing in clubs in her own right and went on to star with Jay-Z in his video for “Young Forever” and in the video for “Over” by Drake. Jay-Z subsequently signed her to his Roc Nation label and she worked with DJ Fresh on “Hot Right Now,” which rocketed to Number 1 in the UK on its release in 2012. Subsequent singles “How We Do (Party)” and “R.I.P.” featuring Tinie Tempah followed suit, while her debut album Ora – on which she worked with will.i.am, Kanye West, and Stargate – topped the UK Album Charts that same year. By then, such was the strength of her popularity and personality that Rita Ora became a guest judge on the ninth series of the UK TV show The X Factor. She began working on her second album in 2013, releasing its first single “I Will Never Let You Down” in 2014. The single debuted at Number 1 in the UK, her third single to do so. She featured on Iggy Azalea's 2014 single “Black Widow,” which earned her a Number 4 and countless awards, as well as breaking the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her song “Grateful,” which appeared in the film Beyond the Lights. In 2015, still under contract with Roc Nation, she filed for early release citing that she had only been allowed to release one album in seven years. After a counter-lawsuit for breach of contract, Rita Ora and Roc Nation settled in 2016. She later signed a new deal with Atlantic Records and released a new solo single “Your Song,” which became her ninth Top 10 UK single. Her second album Phoenix was released in 2018 and included the single “Let You Love Me,” which peaked at Number 4 in the UK, breaking the record for most Top 10 songs by a British female solo artist. 2019 saw the release of the singles “Carry On” and “Ritual,” followed by “How to Be Lonely” in 2020. The following year, she collaborated with Kazakh DJ and producer Imanbek on the EP Bang and reached Number 53 on the UK charts with the dance-pop banger “Big,” featuring Gunna and David Guetta. Her first studio album since 2018's Phoenix arrived in 2023. You & I was propelled by three singles: "Praising You" featuring Fatboy Slim (a refit of his 1998 hit "Praise You"), "You Only Love Me" (which went to number 57 in the UK) and "Don't Think Twice."

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