Rita Ora’s new album reflects how much she has “grown up” over the “past few years”.
The 32-year-old pop star – who is married to filmmaker Taika Waititi – has revealed that writing her new LP ‘You and I’ from her diary entries made her realise just how much has changed in her life.
Rita is quoted by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column as saying: “Over the past few years, I’ve just grown up. My life evolved. I started journaling and those journals turned into songs. If you’re being vulnerable with your songs you have to be honest.
“That is the magic. Diving into songwriting with this album has been an eye-opener.”
The album documents the chapters of her relationship with her director spouse.
Rita, who has co-written each of the tracks on the record, said in a statement: “This album really means a lot to me.
“It’s like my diary of the last few years, it’s my sound and it just feels so true to me and who I am today.”
As well as announcing the follow-up to 2018’s ‘Phoenix’, which is out on July 14, the singer also shared her and Fatboy Slim’s re-working of his 90s hit ‘Praise You’, ‘Praising You’, in April.
The pair’s collaboration came after they had a chance meeting in the fields of Glastonbury festival.
Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim recalled: “From a chance meeting late one night in the Naughty Corner at Glastonbury a friendship and collaboration grew that on paper may look unlikely. Yet here it is, and it has a life of its own!”
The 59-year-old ‘Right Here, Right Now’ hitmaker praised Rita for breathing “new life” into the song.
He told her in an interview with The Big Issue out now: “While we’re blowing smoke up each other’s a****, you breathe new life into it. I’ve listened to that tune an awful lot and it is easy to get jaded about it, but you’ve definitely taken it in a different direction for me.”
Rita wrote from the perspective of being head-over-heels in love.
She said: “The way I wrote it was being madly in love with someone and having fun with that person. When you love a person you do praise them. You feel like they can do no wrong. So that’s what my version of the record is about.
“And dancing in your feelings, because it’s the best feeling in the world.”
The promo to accompany the tune was helmed by Academy Award winner Taika, 47, who Rita tied the knot with last year.
‘Praising You’ followed the release of Rita’s solo single ‘You Only Love Me’ earlier this year, which marked the singer’s first release on BMG, and both tracks are on the new album.
The ‘Anywhere’ singer poured her heart and soul into the emotional pop song about “feeling vulnerable at the very start of her romantic journey.”
Her other half’s voice memo is played at the start of the track.
Pre-order ‘You and I’ now via Rita’s official store and all other major platforms.