Rita Ora has probably made more headlines about her personal life and alleged feuds with stars like Rihanna than her actual music. That’s not to say that she’s not a talented singer, but her private affairs seemed to attract the media’s attention more than her songs, but can the masses be blamed for that?
Back in May 2021, Ora was caught up in yet another viral moment when photos of the “I’ll Never Let You Down” songstress kissing her boyfriend, director Taika Waititi, and actress Tessa Thompson in Sydney, Australia.
According to Daily Mail, the trio had been relaxing and enjoyed drinks on a balcony when they shared a smooth with one another. This reportedly took place after “an all-night party,” the publication added as the accompanying photos showed Ora getting intimate with Thompson and Waititi.
When fans took a glimpse of the photos, many were convinced that the paparazzi images had been staged — almost as if Ora wanted to be caught in the moment of making out with two people.
Some argued on social media that she probably wanted the media attention given that she was set to drop a new single the following month, and in Hollywood, any publicity is good publicity when it comes to getting your music heard.
Does Rita Ora Hire Her Own Paparazzi?
After the revealing photos of Ora sharing an intimate moment with Thompson and Waititi, many began wondering how photographers would have known that the three of them would be relaxing on a balcony in Sydney.
Australia isn’t that known when it comes to celebs being stalked by paparazzi, and considering that Ora isn’t exactly an A-list artist herself, it seemed strange that there’d be a group of photographers who knew where to be to capture the pop star making out with two people at the same time.
People on Twitter were quick to share their opinions, with most saying the images appeared staged and had most likely been set up to leave the people talking.
Well, if that truly was the case, it certainly worked.
“Not Rita Ora, Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson slobbing each down in front of the paparazzi like that,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Another added, “Paparazzi took a shot of him with Tessa Thompson and Rita Ora, seemingly all three in a relationship with each other and apparently Marvel is angry at him?”
A third followed with, “nothing bad just an unexpected turn of events i guess ?? lol i hate feeding into paparazzi pictures, but those pictures of taika waititi, rita ora and tessa thompson just made my brain snap in half.”
While the “Let You Love Me” vocalist chose not to speak on the photos, many were quick to point out that Ora had been promoting her single “Bang Bang” at the time, lifted from her extended play, Bang.
In June 2021, Ora then revealed she was to release another song, titled You For Me, on July 2 with music producer and DJ Sigala.
In an Instagram post that month, she wrote, “Who’s ready for summer?! I’m sooooo excited to join @Sigala on this summer banger YOU FOR ME out July 2nd!! Here we go!!! ❤️☀️🌴 PRE-ORDER LINK IN BIO.”
In November 2018, Ora released her second studio album Phoenix — which was her first body of work under Atlantic Records since suing her former record label Roc Nation, claiming they neglected her career to focus on other artists such as Rihanna.
In December 2015, in the midst of her since-settled lawsuit with Roc Nation, a source had told The Sun, “Rihanna has never liked Rita and has been using her power at Roc Nation accordingly.
“This is the main reason the label’s execs have been uninterested in putting effort into promoting Rita. Songs that might be submitted to her are automatically given to Rihanna, who may then hold them for months before deciding she doesn’t want them.”
Since her rise to fame with her 2012 debut album, ORA, the “Radioactive” songstress has amassed an impressive $30 million net worth, most of which was achieved through her music career and lucrative deals on talent shows such as The X Factor UK, The Voice UK, and most recently The Voice Australia.
Ora announced at the end of 2020 that she has begun work on her third studio album, but considering how busy she’s been with her side projects, she may want to delay her next body of work when she finally has some more free time on her hands.
After all, she’s currently back and forth from Australia and UK while filming The Voice Down Under.
Some of Ora’s biggest songs include “Anywhere,” “For You,” “Black Widow,” and “Your Song.”
She’s also had a string of acting roles in movies such as the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, and Southpaw.
