Rita Ora reveals why she waited to come out publicly
The 'Let You Love Me' singer says opening her about her sexuality was something she "needed to do".
By Will Stroude
Rita Ora has opened up about her decision to come put publicly earlier this year.
The ‘Let Me Love You’ singer, 27, revealed in May that she had had romantic relationships with both men and women after her track ‘Girls’ sparked a backlash over what some saw as a straight artist profiting off the LGBT experience.
Ora later revealed that the song, which featured Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha and ardi B, was based on her own romantic experiences with people of both genders, and was “an accurate account of a very real and honest experience” in her life.
Speaking to Stylist about the controversy, Rita, who releases her long-awaited second studio album Phoenix on Friday (November 23), revealed that there was a “reason” she had never spoken about her sexuality beforehand.
“That was a really sensitive subject for me; it was my story and I knew it was going to be a bit of a shock for people because I’d never spoken about it in public before,” the former X Fator judge said.
“I don’t think I would be doing this today if it wasn’t for the LGBTQ community and I would do anything for them as well as all my fans.
“This was a moment in time when I wanted to give confidence to girls who are trapped and feel like they can’t tell their parents that they are gay. I wanted to give people that bit of hope to get through it. It was my story and my truth.”
She added: “I wasn’t scared. I waited for a reason, because none of the times before felt right. I’m an adult, I felt like this was something I needed to do to move forward.
“I’m very proud of who I am and my journey to get here – everybody has to go through these things to learn about themselves.”