瑞塔·奥拉

Rita Sahatçiu Ora (Albanian: [ˈɾita sahatˈtʃiu ˈɔɾa]; née Sahatçiu; born 26 November 1990) is a British singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single "Hot Right Now", which topped the UK singles chart. In 2008, she signed with American rapper Jay-Z's label Roc Nation. Ora released her debut studio album, Ora (2012), which debuted atop the UK Albums Chart and produced the UK number-one singles "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)".

In 2014, Ora featured on Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's single, "Black Widow", which peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. The following year, she was named an honorary ambassador of Kosovo. After parting ways with Roc Nation, Ora signed with Atlantic Records to release her second studio album, Phoenix (2018). It produced the singles "Your Song", "Anywhere", and "Let You Love Me"; the latter made Ora the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top-ten songs in the UK. Her third studio album, You & I (2023), debuted at number six in the UK.

Ora has been a judge on television talent shows including The X Factor UK (2015), The Masked Singer UK (2020–2024), and The Masked Singer US (2024–present), as well as a coach on The Voice UK (2015) and The Voice Australia (2021–2023). She played Mia Grey in the Fifty Shades film series (2015–2018).

Early life

Rita Sahatçiu was born on 26 November 1990 in Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia (modern-day Kosovo), to Albanian parents. Her mother, Vera (née Bajraktari), is a psychiatrist and her father, Besnik Sahatçiu, is a pub owner; he studied economics. Ora's mother is Catholic and her father is a nominal Muslim. Ora has an older sister, Elena, and a younger brother, Don. Her maternal grandfather, Osman Bajraktari, was the Albanian consul to Russia (then part of the Soviet Union). Ora's paternal grandfather, Besim Sahatçiu, was a film and theatre director. The surname Sahatçiu is derived from saatçi (Turkish for 'watchmaker'); her parents later added Ora (Albanian for 'time') to the family surname so it could be easily pronounced.

Her family left Kosovo for political reasons, due to the persecution of Albanians initiated with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. They moved to London in 1991, when Ora was a baby. She grew up in Notting Hill in West London and attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Career

2004–2011: Career beginnings

Ora's first acting role at 13 was in an episode of the British drama series, The Brief; she later appeared in the British film, Spivs (2004). She also began performing at open mic sessions around London and, occasionally, in her father's pub. In 2008, she auditioned for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You on BBC One to be the British contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 and qualified, but later withdrew from the competition after a few episodes as she "did not feel ready" and thought "that challenge wasn't for her." Her manager, Sarah Stennett (who also worked with Ellie Goulding, Jessie J and Conor Maynard), later told HitQuarters that she reassured Ora that performing in Eurovision would hinder, rather than help her chances to make it as a solo artist.