Rita Ora (28) has nothing to complain about. She has been stringing together hit after hit for more than a year. In a small, cozy hotel in London, we talked about her new songs, her determination and her ambition - but also about the chaos in her apartment and the right way to behave during one-night stands.
event: Rita, you starred in all three parts of the soft sadomasochistic series "Fifty Shades of Grey" and performed in front of Pope Francis at the canonization of Mother Teresa. How does that go together, please?
RitaOra: It goes great together (laughs)! To be honest, I don't think the Pope knows the "Fifty Shades" films - but it's all me, it's all Rita.
Did you have a chat with the Pope?
No, no. I was just there at the ceremony in the Vatican and sang "What Child Is This". Like me, Mother Teresa is from Kosovo, that's what we have in common. I am really very proud and very happy about what I can do. But my mother was even more moved, you should have seen her (waves to her mother, who is also sitting in the room and nods vigorously).
You really are a family man, aren't you?
Totally. My sister is sitting there too (waves again).
Has your family always supported your artistic ambitions?
Totally. Our mother encouraged us to try our hand at creativity from an early age. She advised me to join the school choir and go to music school. Later, she also supported me when I applied to the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
In the song "Soul Survivor" you sing: "I started with nothing - I've got nothing to lose". Were you poor?
Not poor, but we certainly weren't rich. We were immigrants. We all gave everything for our new life in the UK, I really worked extremely hard. But if you took everything away from me now, I would still be Rita. It wouldn't break me.
You were one year old when your family fled Kosovo because of the Yugoslavian civil war and settled in London. What goes through your mind when you think about the fate of refugees?
Compassion. I want to give these people confidence. I think I am a good example of how a successful new life can emerge from an escape. That integration works. That migration is positive and enriching. I enjoy working with Unicef a lot to support refugees.
"We live in a world where people get bored quickly. That's why you have to constantly provide them with new content."
Have you experienced xenophobia in London?
No. Of course, when you start school you are asked: "Where are you from? Kosovo? Where is that supposed to be?" But people were all curious and not dismissive. I was also lucky that my class was very mixed
, full of different skin colors, races, religions and nationalities. We were very colorful and that's how I grew up. London is a very multicultural, open place anyway, where racism doesn't stand a chance.
Six years have passed since your first album. In pop, that's an eternity.
I know. But I had no other choice. There are times when shit just sticks to your foot.
You fell out with your former record company boss and one-time supporter Jay-Z, and the songs you had already recorded with your then boyfriend Calvin Harris were no longer allowed to be released after your break-up.
That's how it was, yes. I really experienced a lot of crap, there's no other way to put it. But it's clear: either something like that breaks you or it spurs you on.
Did the setbacks spur you on?
Not always either. I still remember the day I wrote "Soul Survivor" together with a friend. We were both at a point in our lives where we thought: "Damn, I'm about to give it all up." And then I picked myself up and fought. For a long time I was afraid my songs wouldn't be good enough, I was always a bit nervous. I got rid of these insecurities. Life presented me with so much material that I had no problems at all processing all the shit, but also the many great moments, into songs.
While you weren't able to release any music, you were still constantly present, sitting on the jury of "The Voice UK", hosting shows like the MTV Awards, starring in "Fifty Shades" and much more.
Yes, I was always there somehow. I didn't have a super plan for my career though, one thing led to another and it was also a lot of chance. But you have to take your chances when you get them. I worked damn hard. My role model is Jennifer Lopez. It's completely logical that she does very different things, movies, music, fragrances, fashion and a lot more. She's a "why not?" - person. That's how I see myself too. I'd rather fail than never try anything."
How high is the pressure?
High. You have to be hard-working, fast and flexible. We live in a world where people get bored quickly. There's so much you can look at on Instagram, Twitter or wherever. That's why you have to constantly deliver content that people will remember, photos, music, all sorts of things.
Are you a perfectionist overall?
A little bit, yes. With one exception: I'm terribly messy. I have everything lying around at home. It's impossible to just take someone there without having thoroughly tidied up first.
Which room is particularly messy?
All of them. No, in the bedroom. It looks terrible. There are clothes everywhere. I can hardly see the floor. Well, I guess you can't be good at everything. Oh, did I just praise myself?
You did!
Sorry. Yes, keeping things tidy is somehow not for me. It's only when I don't know how to get from the door to the bed that I tidy up a bit.
By the way, your voice sounds really grown-up when you talk like that. So deep.
Deep in the sense of masculine?
Not masculine. But deep.
Cool (laughs). I think that's good. I like that. I also think I sing much better and more expressively than I used to. With more character. I think I've finally found my place in music and in the world in general. A song like "Falling to Pieces", so jazzy and soulful, is something I wouldn't have dared to do a few years ago.
"I have girlfriends who do even more blatant things."
After breaking up with your musician boyfriend Andrew Watt, you are currently single. Are you good at fighting love battles?
I don't know, I hope not really. I don't want to be good at it, I don't like fighting at all. It's best if you ask my ex-boyfriends what they think.
(The sister answers:) "You're a good listener and love to communicate. I think that's good."
What is the song "Cashmere" about?
About a one-night stand. At the beginning. Then you realize that you really like the guy. So you leave something with him so that you have an excuse to see him again. In this case, a cashmere scarf.
Is that your usual approach in these cases?
I'm familiar with the concept. But I have friends who do much more blatant things.
Namely?
One of them sprays her perfume on the bed before she leaves. She wants the boy to still have her in his nose afterwards. Isn't that crazy? A bit, isn't it? I feel a bit queasy when I think about it.
Rita, you seem like a very fearless and intrepid person. Isthere anything you're afraid of?
Clowns! Terrible, they drive me crazy. And I can't watch magic, I find those tricks totally scary.
What has changed for you personally in the six years from "Ora" to "Phoenix"?
I've got older. Much older. 28! Wuuaaahh!
28 is still young!
Really, you think? 28 is only two years away from 30.
So 30 is old?
Yeah, 30 is old. What else is? But those of my friends who are already 30 say that you reach your absolute prime at 30, that you feel fantastic and very sexy. So let's wait and see (laughs). Maybe the old lady I'm going to become will be really cool.