Rita Ora

Rita Sahatçiu Ora (ˈɾita sahatˈtʃiu ˈɔɾa; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studio album, Ora, released in August 2012, debuted at number one in the United Kingdom. The album contained the UK number-one singles, "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)". Ora was the artist with the most number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart in 2012, with three singles reaching the top position. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, Ora was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo in 2015. Ora's second studio album, Phoenix, was released in November 2018. The lead single, "Your Song", reached the UK top ten, and the subsequent singles, "Anywhere" and "Let You Love Me", reached the top five in the UK. "Let You Love Me" made Ora the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top ten songs in the United Kingdom. Her third studio album, You & I, was released in July 2023. Ora was born on 26 November 1990 in Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia (modern-day Kosovo), to Albanian parents. Her mother, Vera (), is a psychiatrist and her father, Besnik Sahatçiu, is a pub owner, having previously studied economics. Ora has an older sister, Elena, and a younger brother, Don. She was born as Rita Sahatçiu (surname derived from the Turkish word saatçi, which means "watchmaker"), but her parents later added Ora (ora means "time" in Albanian) to the family surname so it could be easily pronounced. Her family left Kosovo for political reasons, due to persecution of Albanians initiated with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. They relocated to London, England in 1991, when Ora was a baby. She grew up in Notting Hill, in West London, and attended a performing arts school, Sylvia Young Theatre School. Ora began performing at open mic sessions around London and, occasionally, in her father's pub.