No more catfights: Rita Ora says female pop artistes have to back each other

Enough of the cat fights. Female pop artistes need to do more to support each other, says British singer-songwriter and actress Rita Ora.

“When you see support from one girl to another publicly, it makes other people think “wow, you know what, it’s not always a cat fight, it’s not always against each other, it actually works”,” she says in an interview in Singapore last week.

“But people will get bored with these things, they like to see fights and controversies, gossip. I think that we all need to stick together and shut that down.” Feuds between pop stars, including those between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry as well as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, have made headlines in recent years.

Ora, 28, walks the talk. she sings on R.I.P., a new single released by Mexican singer-songwriter Sofia Reyes that also features Brazilian singer Anitta.

In 2018, she also released Girls, a female empowering anthem that features American rapper Cardi B, American singer Bebe Rexha and British singer Charli XCX. In 2014, she was also featured on female rapper Iggy Azalea’s hit song Black Widow. Her mother, cancer survivor and psychiatrist Vera Ora, is also one of her biggest inspirations. She recently modelled for a post-mastectomy swimwear range.

“I am so proud to be the daughter of my mother because my mum is a soldier. She is a psychiatrist for the NHS (National Health Service) and basically is still a mother, beat breast cancer and still looks incredible.

“I think for her to do a swimwear line for women – whether they are pregnant or not, or have been through surgical procedures from cancer or chemotherapy – for her to represent that is so bold and so strong.

“She’s also in her 50s and she looks like that and I am just really am proud of her, so I want to encourage her to do more of that.” The music career of Ora, one of Britain’s most successful female pop stars, is at a high.

Let You Love Me, a single from her second album Phoenix (2018), became her 13th British Top 10 hit. She currently holds the record for having the most UK Top 10 singles by a British female artiste.

Comparing Phoenix to her debut album Ora, released in 2012, she says: “I really saw myself evolve as a writer because I got more in tune with my feelings, I started to understand what it’s like being a woman, especially being a woman in power and in control of her own career.” She got busy with television and film work in the big gap between her two albums. She was a judge and coach on reality television shows The X Factor, The Voice UK and America’s Next Top Model.

She also had a recurring role in the Fifty Shades Of Grey film trilogy (2015 to 2018) as the younger sister of billionaire Christian Grey.

She hopes to take on more acting roles even as she is currently busy with a world tour, as well as work on her third album.

“I think music and acting are both so important to me and I don’t think you need to choose anymore. Lady Gaga is a prime example of someone who can do multiple things.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network