Rita Ora facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rita Ora NF
Ora at an event at the Mondrian Hotel in London, October 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 Sahatçiu Ora (born November 26, 1990) is a British singer, songwriter, TV star, and actress. She was born in Pristina, which is now part of Kosovo. Rita became famous in 2012 when she sang on DJ Fresh's hit song, "Hot Right Now". This song reached number one in the UK.

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

Later, in 2014, Rita Ora was featured on Iggy Azalea's song, "Black Widow". This song became a top three hit in the US. In 2015, she was named an honorary ambassador for Kosovo. After leaving Roc Nation, she signed with Atlantic Records. Her second album, Phoenix (2018), had popular songs like "Your Song" and "Anywhere". Her song "Let You Love Me" made her the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top-ten songs in the UK. Her third album, You & I (2023), reached number six in the UK.

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

Early Life and Moving to London

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

Her family's original last name, Sahatciu, means 'watchmaker' in Turkish. They later added Ora to their name. In Albanian, 'ora' means 'time', and it made their name easier to say.

Rita's family moved to London in 1991 when she was a baby. They left Kosovo because of political reasons. She grew up in Notting Hill and went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School, which is a performing arts school.

Career Beginnings

Early Acting and Music Steps

Rita Ora started acting at age 13 in a British TV show called The Brief. She also appeared in the film Spivs in 2004. She began 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 to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. She qualified but later left the competition. She felt she wasn't ready for that challenge. Her manager believed Eurovision would not help her become a solo artist.

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

Musical Breakthrough and First Album

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

In 2011, Rita Ora shared covers of songs and videos about her album on YouTube. These videos caught the attention of DJ Fresh. He was looking for a female singer for his song, "Hot Right Now". Rita was featured on this song, which came out on February 12, 2012. It quickly became number one on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2012, Rita also opened for Drake's concerts in the UK.

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

Ora at Future Music Festival Asia in September 2013.

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

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

New Labels and Film Roles

Ora in an Adidas interview in 2016.

In 2014, Rita had two more top-five UK songs. "I Will Never Let You Down" reached number one. She also featured on Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow", which peaked at number four in the UK. This song also became her first top ten hit in the US. On December 14, 2014, Rita performed at Christmas in Washington. In February 2015, she was featured on Charli XCX's song, "Doing It", which reached number eight in the UK.

In 2015, Rita played Mia Grey in the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. She later played this role again in the sequels. She had hoped to contribute to the film's music but was asked to audition for the role instead. On February 22, 2015, she performed the song "Grateful" at the 87th Academy Awards.

In December 2015, Rita Ora decided to leave Roc Nation. She signed a new record deal with Atlantic Records in June 2016. In July 2016, Tyra Banks announced that Rita would replace her as the host of America's Next Top Model. On September 3, 2016, Rita performed at a concert in Rome for Mother Teresa's canonization.

Phoenix Album and TV Appearances

On May 26, 2017, Rita Ora released "Your Song", her first solo single in almost two years. It reached number seven in the UK. This song was the first single from her second album. The second single, "Anywhere", became her eleventh top ten song in the UK. Rita hosted the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12 in London.

Ora at the VMA Red Carpet in 2018.

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

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

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 2021 film Twist, based on Oliver Twist, Rita played the Artful Dodger. On February 12, 2021, she released the EP Bang with Kazakh producer Imanbek. In February 2022, Rita signed a new record deal with BMG.

Rita hosted the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards with Taika Waititi on November 13 in Düsseldorf, Germany. In February 2022, she was announced for a Disney+ series, a prequel to the 2017 film Beauty and The Beast. This project is currently on hold.

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

In October 2023, Kylie Minogue announced Rita Ora would open for her US tour in 2025.

Other Activities

Design and Fashion

In January 2014, Adidas announced a multi-year partnership with Rita Ora. She designed her own clothing, footwear, and accessories collections for their Adidas Originals brand. In 2016, she worked with Italian fashion brand Tezenis on a special lingerie collection. In 2018, Rita co-designed a shoe collection with Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti. After being the face of Escada, she co-designed a collection with them in 2019. In September 2023, Primark announced a multi-season fashion collaboration with Rita. Her first collection included 169 pieces, from knitwear to shoes.

Endorsements

Rita Ora has appeared in many advertising campaigns. 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 Italian sneaker brand Superga and Material Girl, a clothing line by Madonna. In September 2013, cosmetics brand Rimmel announced their partnership with Rita for makeup collections. She was also the face of two Donna Karan collections in 2014 and their perfume, DKNY My NY. In March 2014, she was in 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 Coca-Cola and Samsung Galaxy S6 ads. In 2019, she was the face of German brands Escada, Thomas Sabo, and Deichmann. In 2023, Rita appeared in the "London After Hours" campaign for Pepe Jeans.

Helping Others

Rita Ora has also been involved in charity work. On March 23, 2013, she performed at a charity event in Monte Carlo for the Princess Grace Foundation. On June 1, 2013, she performed at the "Chime for Change" concert in London. This concert raised money and awareness for issues affecting girls and women worldwide.

On November 15, 2014, Rita joined the charity group Band Aid 30. They recorded a version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to raise money for the Ebola crisis in West Africa. On March 9, 2016, she spoke about immigration and the Syrian refugee crisis at the We Day UK event in London. 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 considers herself spiritual but not religious. Her maternal grandfather was an Albanian consul to Russia. Her paternal 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 July 10, 2015, Rita Ora was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo. This honor was given by the then-president, Atifete Jahjaga, at the Embassy of Kosovo in London. Rita said she was "overwhelmed" by the honor.

In November 2020, Rita Ora apologized for breaking rules during a national lockdown by having a birthday party. She was fined for this.

Since 2021, she has been in a relationship with New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi. They 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)

Film and Television Roles

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 Pristina
• Albanian diaspora