British singer Rita Ora is heading to Chicago and she's bringing the party with her.
Her hit, "How We Do (Party)," has made her a staple at clubs, combining The Notorious B.I.G.'s tagline "party and bullshit" with her own unique soul sound. Working with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation has landed her three consecutive hits on the UK singles chart and has her poised to take over the United States with her upcoming debut album, Ora.
Windy City times talked with her about fashion and her gay BFF on the phone recently.
Windy City Times: Hi, Rita. Where in the world are you right now?
Rita Ora: I'm in New York. I have been in America for a few months. I went to Australia and Japan as well. I have mainly been in the States and haven't been back to London for, like, three months.
WCT: Do you live in London?
Rita Ora: Yeah, well I live in a hotel now! All of my clothes are in London. [Both laugh.]
WCT: It is life on the road. You have to get used to it.
Rita Ora: I know. … It is fun. I like it.
WCT: You were born in Yugoslavia, right?
Rita Ora: Yes, I was born in Kosovo, and I moved to London when I was one with my parents. I have lived in London my whole life. I am quite British in that way, like in my habits and stuff, food, shopping, clothes, music. There are a lot of London influences.
WCT: You have Albania in your ancestry, I read.
Rita Ora: Yes; I am from Kosovo, which is right next to Albania, so they speak Albanian and so do I.
WCT: You started singing when you were very young?
Rita Ora: I went to stage school from the age of 11 to 16, so I was singing all throughout then. Even when I was in primary school I was in the school choir. We would go to Switzerland and do showcases.
WCT: So the story goes that you were in singing in a barand the next thing you know you were singing for Jay-Z.
Rita Ora: I was singing a few of my songs at a local bar and this woman saw me; this was about three years ago, and she knew I wasn't signed to a label. She said she knew the perfect person for me to talk to. She put me on the phone to a guy that runs Roc Nation. He wanted me to send him a song and a photo. I did; then he phoned me [and] asked me to come to New York. I told him I was working in a shoe store and needed a few weeks to make some money for the flight. He told me not to worry, and he would get me the ticket. So that was how it all started. I was off to New York on my own and came back with a whole suitcase of new shoes and a contract!
WCT: That's wild. Who is your favorite shoe designer, by the way?
Rita Ora: I have got loads. I have been wearing Diane Von Furstenberg recently. She has some cool new ones. There is a print on the shoe and then it goes underneath the shoe as well.
WCT: She was just in Chicago last week.
Rita Ora: Oh, yeah? I get new shoes like every day. I am a big fan of sneakers, Trainers, as well because I worked in a Trainer store on the weekends when I was in school. That's when I fell in love with Jordans.
WCT: It works with your style. You have a hip-hop attitude with a soulful voice.
Rita Ora: Awww, thank you. A lot of people say I have a soulful voice. That is why people like my acoustic tracks as well. I see it online when people write underneath the videos.
WCT: What do you do to take care of that mezzo-soprano voice?
Rita Ora: I need to take care of it better than I am. I am a bit ill right now. I have been doing so many shows and meeting new people. People say that I shouldn't talk the rest of the time but I can't help myself.
WCT: What can you do? I watched your video for "R.I.P." and loved that you used a sample of Nneka. She is adorable and so talented.
Rita Ora: I brought her out one time when I performed it on stage. I did it at a festival in London and she came out onstage with me. She sang her bit. It is online somewhere. You can check it out.
WCT: I will look that up.
Rita Ora: She is so sweet. "Heartbeat" is a really good song. She won an award for it. I thought it was genius that the producers thought of putting it on there because I was a big fan of it before I worked with them. It was really nice.
WCT: I heard you are a big Gwen Stefani fan. Have you heard the new No Doubt record?
Rita Ora: I have heard several songs. I think she is really cool and has a great style. She can just wear track suits and looks cool all the time. She has her belly out and wears belly tops with great abs. Hopefully I get to meet her when I do X Factor in London. I think she will be on the same night. If she is there, I will get to meet her.
WCT: Would you like to have a clothing line like Gwen?
Rita Ora: I would love to have a clothing line. Even now onstage I try to create pieces together. So probably later on down the line I would love to do something.
WCT: Watching the "How We Do" video, there were tons of gay friends in it.
Rita Ora: Yes, I have loads of gay friends! My best friend, Kyle, actually dresses me on a day-to-day. He is my stylist as well. He's gay. He's like really gaylike all-the-way gay. He should have been a girl!
WCT: Will he be with you when he comes to Chicago?
Rita Ora: Not this time. I will be with my U.S. stylist. He was with me last time I think.
WCT: Sorry I missed him.
Rita Ora: He's loads of fun. He's teaching me makeup stuff.
WCT: That's way more gay than I am! I'm the gay that doesn't know about makeup or boobs.
Rita Ora: Oh, you are the gay that no one knows about.
WCT: Well, they know… [Laughs]
Rita Ora: But girls will still chat you up?
WCT: A littleyou will see when we meet face to face. Do you have a favorite drink?
Rita Ora: It would have to be Jack Daniels.
WCT: You were just in Tennessee, too.
Rita Ora: I was and found a big bottle of Jack Daniels!
WCT: Don't brush your teeth with it, like Ke$ha. When does your first album come out in the United States?
Rita Ora: It will be out early next year. I'm super-excited because I have been doing some new songs. I am going to add some songs to the album for the United States version.
WCT: What was it like working with will.i.am and Kanye West on it?
Rita Ora: I worked with will. He's super cool. He writes, produces and everything. We were thinking what would capture me in the sound. We had a good time and that comes across in the track. It is about falling in love and enjoying it.
I worked with Kanye, but not actually on the album. He's a musical genius. I really respect him as well.
WCT: Your singles are doing well in Chicago. [The DJs] play them on the radio.
Rita Ora: Really? That's great. I love Chicago. Last time I was there I saw the beach and was amazed by it. I think it is one of my favorite cities in the States. There is a lot going on. Thank you for coming to see meit will be so much fun!
Look to party with Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea at The Mid, 306 N. Halsted St., on Friday, Oct. 26. Visit www.themidchicago.com for more information and tickets.