45 Facts About Rita Ora

Rita Sahatciu Ora is an English singer and songwriter.

Rita Ora rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK.

Rita Ora was born on 26 November 1990 in Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia, to Albanian parents.

Rita Ora's mother, Vera, is a psychiatrist and her father, Besnik Sahatciu, is a pub owner, having previously studied economics.

Rita Ora has an older sister, Elena, and a younger brother, Don.

Rita Ora was born as Rita Sahatciu, but her parents later added Ora to the family surname so it could be easily pronounced.

Rita Ora's family left Kosovo for political reasons, because of the persecution of Albanians initiated with the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

Rita Ora grew up in Notting Hill, in West London, and attended a performing arts school, Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Rita Ora began performing at open mic sessions around London and, occasionally, in her father's pub.

Shortly after, Rita Ora's management got in touch with the American label, Roc Nation, and told them about her.

Rita Ora signed a recording deal and a publishing deal with Roc Nation in December 2008, and was one of their first signees.

Rita Ora made a cameo appearance in Jay Z's video for "Young Forever".

Rita Ora featured on the single that was released on 12 February 2012, debuting at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

In September 2012, it was announced that Rita Ora would be the opening act on the UK concerts from Usher's Euphoria Tour set to start in January 2013.

On 28 November 2012, Rita Ora performed as a special guest at the concert held in Tirana, Albania for the 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania.

In January 2013, Rita Ora embarked on her first UK tour, Radioactive Tour, to support her debut album.

Rita Ora was nominated for three awards at the 2013 Brit Awards, including the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act.

In January 2013, Rita Ora revealed that her second album would be clearer and have more direction than the first one.

On 14 December 2014, Rita Ora performed at the 2014 telecast of Christmas in Washington, filmed at the National Building Museum.

In February 2015, Rita Ora featured on Charli XCX song, "Doing It", which debuted at number eight in the UK.

On 26 May 2017, Rita Ora released her first solo single in almost two years, titled "Your Song", which peaked at number seven in the UK.

In January 2018, Rita Ora released the song "For You", from the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Freed.

On 18 September 2018, Rita Ora revealed the title of her second studio album, Phoenix, and its release date, 23 November.

In September 2019, Rita Ora confirmed to Marie Claire that she had begun working on her third studio album.

In February 2022, Rita Ora signed a record deal with Berlin-based music label, BMG.

Rita Ora originally approached the production hoping to contribute to the film's soundtrack and instead was asked to audition for the role of Mia Grey by the director of the film, Sam Taylor-Johnson.

In 2010, Rita Ora featured in a commercial for Skullcandy headphones.

Rita Ora was the face of the label's fragrance, DKNY My NY, inspired by New York City.

Rita Ora designed her own apparel collections for the brand, including footwear and accessories.

In 2018, Rita Ora co-designed a shoe collection with the Italian footwear designer, Giuseppe Zanotti.

Rita Ora hosted the BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards, alongside Grimshaw, several times.

In July 2016, Tyra Banks, the creator of America's Next Top Model, announced that Rita Ora would replace her as host of the revamped show which aired on VH1.

Rita Ora hosted the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on 12 November in London, at Wembley Arena.

In September 2019, Rita Ora was announced as a judge for the UK version of the music game show, The Masked Singer, which aired on ITV in January 2020.

Rita Ora co-hosted the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards with Taika Waititi, on 13 November in Dusseldorf, Germany.

On 23 March 2013, Rita Ora performed at Bal de la Rose du Rocher in Monte Carlo in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation.

On 1 June 2013, Rita Ora performed at the "Chime for Change" charity concert at Twickenham Stadium, London, which raised funds and awareness for girls' and women's issues around the world.

Rita Ora's mother is Catholic and her father is a nominal Muslim.

Rita Ora's paternal grandfather, Besim Sahatciu, was a film and theatre director.

On 10 July 2015, Rita Ora was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by then-president, Atifete Jahjaga, at the Embassy of Kosovo in London.

Rita Ora, who was joined at the ceremony by her parents, and former British Prime Minister and his wife, Tony and Cherie Blair, stated she was "overwhelmed" by the honour.

Rita Ora dated Scottish DJ Calvin Harris from 2013 until June 2014.

In 2016, Rita Ora began a relationship with American musician Andrew Watt.

In November 2020, Rita Ora broke the COVID-19 restrictions by having her birthday party at a West London restaurant during a period of national lockdown.

Rita Ora had recently returned from Egypt and was supposed to be isolating for 14 days as a result.