Rita Ora facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rita Ora NF
Photograph by Oliver Mark, Berlin 2018
Born	Rita Sahatçiu (1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 34) Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo)
Citizenship	United Kingdom Kosovo
Education	Sylvia Young Theatre School
Occupation	Singer songwriter television personality actress
Years active	2004–present
Works	Discography
Spouse(s)	Taika Waititi ​ (m. 2022)​
Relatives	Besim Sahatçiu (grandfather)
Musical career
Genres	Pop electropop R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	BMG Atlantic Roc Nation Columbia
Signature

Rita Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu on 26 November 1990) is a famous British singer, songwriter, TV star, and actress. She was born in Pristina, which is now part of Kosovo. Rita became well-known in 2012 when she sang on DJ Fresh's hit song, "Hot Right Now". This song went straight to number one in the UK.

In 2008, she signed with Jay-Z's music company, Roc Nation. Her first album, Ora, came out in 2012 and also topped the UK charts. It included two number-one songs: "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)". These hits made her the artist with the most number-one songs in the UK that year.

Later, in 2014, Rita Ora sang on Iggy Azalea's song "Black Widow". This song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2015, she was made an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo. After leaving Roc Nation, Rita signed with Atlantic Records. She released her second album, Phoenix, in 2018. This album featured popular songs like "Your Song", "Anywhere", and "Let You Love Me". With "Let You Love Me", Rita became the first British female solo artist to have thirteen songs in the UK top ten. Her third album, You & I, was released in 2023 and reached number six in the UK.

Besides her music, Rita Ora has been a judge or coach on many TV talent shows. These include The X Factor UK (2015), The Masked Singer UK (2020–2024), and The Masked Singer US (2024–present). She was also a coach on The Voice UK (2015) and The Voice Australia (2021–2023). As an actress, she played Mia Grey in the Fifty Shades movies (2015, 2017, 2018).

Early Life and Family History

Rita Ora was born on 26 November 1990 in Pristina, which was then part of SFR Yugoslavia. Her parents are from Albania. Her mother, Vera, is a psychiatrist, and her father, Besnik Sahatçiu, owns a pub. Rita has an older sister named Elena and a younger brother named Don.

Her birth name was Rita Sahatçiu. The name Sahatçiu comes from a Turkish word meaning 'watchmaker'. Later, her parents added Ora to their family name. In Albanian, 'ora' means 'time', and it made the name easier to say.

Her family moved from Kosovo to London, England, in 1991 when she was a baby. They left for political reasons because of problems in Yugoslavia. Rita grew up in Notting Hill, West London. She went to a performing arts school called Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Music Career Beginnings

Rita Ora's first acting role was at age 13 in a British TV show called The Brief. Soon after, she appeared in the British movie Spivs (2004). She also started singing at open mic nights in London and sometimes at her father's pub.

In 2008, she tried out for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You on BBC One. This show was to pick the British singer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. She qualified but later left the competition. She felt she wasn't ready and that it wasn't the right challenge for her. Her manager, Sarah Stennett, believed that Eurovision would actually make it harder for her to become a solo artist.

Soon after, Rita's manager contacted the American music company, Roc Nation. Rita signed a music deal with Roc Nation in December 2008. She was one of the first artists to sign with them. She even appeared briefly in Jay Z's music video for "Young Forever" (2009). After signing, Rita recorded an album, but her label suggested she work on more songs for her first official album.

Musical Breakthrough with Ora

Ora in Pristina, Kosovo during filming of the "Shine Ya Light" music video in September 2012

In 2011, Rita Ora posted covers of songs and videos about making her first album on YouTube. These videos caught the eye of DJ Fresh. He was looking for a female singer for his song, "Hot Right Now". Rita sang on the single, which came out on 12 February 2012. It went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2012, Rita also opened for Drake's Club Paradise Tour in the UK.

The first UK single from her album, "R.I.P." (featuring Tinie Tempah), was released on 6 May 2012. This song also went to number one in the UK, becoming her first solo number one. On 12 August, "How We Do (Party)" was released. It reached number one in the UK and Ireland. This was Rita's second solo UK number one and her third overall in 2012.

While supporting Coldplay on their Mylo Xyloto Tour, Rita announced her first album would be called Ora. The album was released on 27 August 2012 and debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart. Rita was nominated for several awards at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. In September 2012, she was set to open for Usher's tour in the UK, but the tour was delayed. "Shine Ya Light", released on 4 November, became her fourth UK top ten song in 2012. On 28 November 2012, Rita performed in Tirana, Albania, for the 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania.

In January 2013, Rita started her first UK tour, the Radioactive Tour, to support her album. She was nominated for three awards at the 2013 Brit Awards. She also shared that her second album would be clearer and more focused. On 24 May 2013, Rita was a main performer at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. On 28 June 2013, she performed at Glastonbury.

Moving On: New Music and Films

In 2014, Rita had two more top-five UK songs. "I Will Never Let You Down" went to number one. She also sang on Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow", which reached number four in the UK and became her first top ten song on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. On 14 December 2014, Rita performed at the Christmas in Washington TV show. In February 2015, Rita sang on Charli XCX's song, "Doing It", which reached number eight in the UK.

In 2015, she played Mia Grey, Christian Grey's sister, in the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. She later played this role again in the next two movies. Rita had originally wanted to contribute a song to the movie's soundtrack. Instead, the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, asked her to try out for the role of Mia Grey. On 22 February 2015, at the 87th Academy Awards, she performed the song "Grateful" from the movie Beyond the Lights.

In June 2016, it was reported that Rita signed a new music deal with Atlantic Records. In July 2016, Tyra Banks announced that Rita Ora would take over as host of the TV show America's Next Top Model. On 3 September 2016, Rita performed at a concert in Rome for Mother Teresa's canonisation. She sang alongside other Albanian artists.

Phoenix Album and More Success

On 26 May 2017, Rita Ora released her first solo song in almost two years, called "Your Song". It reached number seven in the UK. This song was the first single from her second album. Her previous attempts at a second album were lost due to legal issues with her old label, Roc Nation. The second single, "Anywhere", became her eleventh top ten song in the UK, reaching number two. Rita hosted the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on 12 November in London.

In January 2018, Rita released the song "For You" with Liam Payne. This song was part of the soundtrack for the movie Fifty Shades Freed. On 18 September 2018, Rita shared that her second album would be called Phoenix and would be released on 23 November. On 21 September, she released the album's fourth single, "Let You Love Me". This song reached number four in the UK. It was Rita's 13th top-ten song, breaking a 30-year-old record for most top ten songs by a British female solo artist.

From March to April 2019, she went on the Phoenix World Tour in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In April 2019, Rita released "Carry On" with Norwegian producer Kygo. This song was for the movie Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, in which she also had a small role. On 31 May, she released "Ritual" with Tiësto and Jonas Blue. In September 2019, Rita confirmed she had started working on her third album. She said she wanted it to be something new and different.

Recent Projects and You & I

Since January 2020, Rita Ora has been a judge on the UK version of The Masked Singer. From 2021 to 2023, she was a coach on The Voice Australia. In the January 2021 movie Twist, which is based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Rita played the Artful Dodger. On 12 February 2021, Rita Ora released an extended play (EP) called Bang with Kazakh producer Imanbek. In February 2022, Rita signed a new music deal with BMG.

Rita hosted the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards with Taika Waititi on 13 November in Düsseldorf, Germany. In February 2022, it was announced that she would act in a Disney+ show. This show is a prequel to the 2017 movie Beauty and The Beast. She was set to play a "fugitive with surprising abilities". However, this project has been put on hold for now.

On 27 January 2023, she released the song "You Only Love Me". This was the first single from her third album, You & I. On 19 April, she released "Praising You" with Fatboy Slim. She also announced that her album would be released on 14 July. You & I reached number six in the United Kingdom. In September 2023, Fox announced that Rita Ora would join the American version of The Masked Singer as a judge.

On 11 October, Australian singer Kylie Minogue announced that Rita Ora would be opening for her U.S. leg of the Tension Tour in 2025.

Other Activities

Design and Fashion

In January 2014, Adidas announced that Rita Ora would work with them to design clothes for their Adidas Originals brand. Rita designed her own collections, including shoes and accessories. In 2016, she worked with the Italian fashion brand Tezenis on a special lingerie collection. In 2018, Rita co-designed a shoe collection with Italian shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti. After being the face of Escada, Rita also helped design a collection with them in 2019. In September 2023, the retailer Primark announced a fashion partnership with Rita Ora. The first collection, which Rita helped design, included 169 items like knitwear, denim, and accessories.

Endorsements

Rita Ora has appeared in many advertisements for different brands. In 2010, she was in a commercial for Skullcandy headphones. In 2011, she was part of Calvin Klein's CK One campaign. In 2013, she was the face of the Italian shoe brand Superga. She was also the face of Material Girl, a clothing line by Madonna. In September 2013, the makeup brand Rimmel announced they would work with Rita Ora on makeup collections.

She was the face of two Donna Karan collections in 2014. She also promoted the brand's perfume, DKNY My NY, which was inspired by New York City. In March 2014, Rita was part of Marks & Spencer's "Leading Ladies" campaign. Later in 2014, she was the face of Roberto Cavalli's Autumn/Winter campaign. In 2015, she appeared in ads for Coca-Cola and Samsung Galaxy S6. In 2019, she was the face of several German brands: luxury fashion label Escada, jewelry company Thomas Sabo, and shoe retailer Deichmann. In 2023, Rita appeared in the "London After Hours" campaign for Pepe Jeans.

Charity Work

Rita Ora has used her fame to help others. On 23 March 2013, she performed at a charity event in Monte Carlo to support the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. On 1 June 2013, Rita performed at the "Chime for Change" charity concert in London. This concert raised money and awareness for issues affecting girls and women around the world.

On 15 November 2014, Rita joined the charity group Band Aid 30. They recorded a new version of the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to raise money for the Ebola crisis in West Africa. On 9 March 2016, she gave a speech about immigration and the Syrian refugee crisis at the We Day UK event in London. This event was organized by Free the Children. In April 2019, she became one of UNICEF UK's ambassadors.

Personal Life

Rita Ora's mother is Catholic, and her father is a nominal Muslim. Rita says she is spiritual but not religious. Her grandfather, Osman Bajraktari, was an Albanian consul in Russia. Her other grandfather, Besim Sahatçiu, was a film and theater director. Rita speaks Albanian. She is also a fan of the English football club Manchester City.

On 10 July 2015, Rita Ora was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by the president, Atifete Jahjaga. This ceremony took place at the Kosovo Embassy in London. Rita said she was "overwhelmed" by this honor.

Rita Ora dated Scottish DJ Calvin Harris from 2013 to 2014. In 2016, she started dating American musician Andrew Watt. They were together for two years, broke up, got back together briefly, and then broke up again in 2019. Since 2021, she has been in a relationship with New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi. They got married in August 2022 and live in Los Angeles.

Discography

• Ora (2012)
• Phoenix (2018)
• You & I (2023)

Tours

Headlining

• Ora Tour (2012)
• Radioactive Tour (2013)
• The Girls Tour (2018)
• Phoenix World Tour (2019)

Supporting

• DJ Fresh – DJ Fresh Tour (2012)
• Drake – Club Paradise Tour (2012)
• Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto Tour (2012)
• Kylie Minogue – Tension Tour (2025)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rita Ora para niños

• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2010s
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
• List of people from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• List of people from Pristina
• Albanian diaspora