A few weeks ago, I’d seen Rita Ora’s name pop up on a list of expected music releases. After 4 years of waiting, it was really nice to know for certain that new music was really coming. The list didn’t provide any information about the release, and so the waiting game started.
I’ve written about her feud with Jay Z’s Roc Nation a couple of times for my own website. Situations like these have always sparked my interest. From the outside, it’s so hard to imagine why a company would want to hold back one of their successful artists, not to mention the first artist they had signed.
Rita had originally signed a publishing deal with Roc Nation and I think that already explains the intent of the label. She was expected to write. Quickly after signing, she’d already faced delays in releasing her own music through the label, but in 2015, years into stardom, it became clear the wait for a follow up of her debut album, “Rita” (from 2013) would be a long wait.
Last year, Rita managed to settle her differences with the label (even claiming they left on good terms) and she was freed from her contract. Atlantic is now her home and they have no trouble releasing music at all.
Her new single is called “Your Song” and it marks a new start. The romantic song is all about finding new love and wanting to let go of any negativity.
The initial idea for “Your Song” came from Ed Sheeran, who had apparently sent Rita the track to see if she were interested. She was and together they wrote the rest of the song, with the finishing touches coming from producer Steve Mac, which explains the electro pop sound. Steve Mac comes from the house scene, but has made a successful switch to mainstream electro-pop. He has worked with Anne-Marie, Clean Bandit, Zara Larsson and has also worked with Ed on “Shape Of You”. No doubt that the new Rita Ora track is sounding completely up-to-date. No corners were cut.
Luckily, the track doesn’t sound generic either. It’s fresh with a few interesting variations and a nod to all the current musical trends. Rita’s voice is well suited for this genre, as she’s proven many times before. It’s assumed that this is the lead single for her long awaited second album. Fingers crossed. So far, it’s not letting me down.
