Rita Ora has finally responded to the backlash over her latest song “Girls.” The singer posted a screenshot of an apology written on her iPhone Notes app to Twitter saying,
“Hello everyone reading this girl’s was written to represent my truth and is an accurate account of a very real and honest experience of my life. I have had romantic relationships with women and men throughout my life and this is my personal journey.
“I am sorry how I express myself in my song is hurt, anyone. I would never intentionally cause harm to other LGBTQ + people or anyone. Looking forward, I hope that continuing to express myself through my art will and power my fan to feel as proud of themselves as I’m learning to feel about who I am. I’m ever thankful to my Vans for teaching me to love myself no matter what. I have strived to be a contributor to the LGBTQ+ community throughout my entire career and always will be. Love, Rita.”
— Rita Ora (@RitaOra) May 14, 2018
Many have been calling out her collab with Cardi B, Charli XCX, and Bebe Rexha including other LGBTQ+ artists.
On her Twitter, Hayley Kiyoko called the song “tone deaf” saying that while she supports and applauds artists who are opening up more and more about their sexual identities” artists need “to use [their] platforms to move the cultural needle forward not backwards.”
“A song like [Girls] just feels the male gaze while marginalizing the idea of women loving women.” Pointing to some of the song’s lyrics, she wrote “I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life. This type of message is dangerous because it completely belittles and invalidates the very pure feelings of an entire community.”
“We can and should do better,” she concluded.
Real talk ? pic.twitter.com/9EbZd5dYZq
— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) May 11, 2018
Kehlani also chimed into the convo surrounding the collab tweeting that, while she supports the artists behind the “bisexual bop,” the backlash wasn’t about them but the message they’d chosen to send.
“[H]ate to be THAT guy but there were many awkward slurs, quotes, and moments that were like ‘word? Word’.”
every artist on the song is fantastic, and very much loved and supported by me… by all of us. but this isn’t about talent. it’s about choice.
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
hate to be THAT guy but there were many awkward slurs, quotes, and moments that were like “word? word”
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
and don’t make this personal.
i have an incredible song out with one of the artists, and would love to work with the other three as well. & have met them all and respect them.
there. were. harmful. lyrics.
period. love y’all. ?— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
Seeing as the song was inspired by Katy Perry’s 2008 “I Kissed A Girl” the backlash it’s received isn’t all that surprising. Perry’s song faced a lot of controversy back in 2008 for its depiction of queer female sexuality and for queerbaiting. Perry later even admitted in a video with Glamour that the song included “a couple of stereotypes” that she’d like to fix, given the chance.
At the same time, many are coming in defense of Ora, pointing out how she was simply speaking on her personal experience with her sexuality through her own music, what artists do all the time. Some felt that it was also unfair that Ora had to come out just to justify that experience seeing as many critiques saw the song as another straight singer using queer women’s relationships for views.
good morning @RitaOra pic.twitter.com/DPYUMPgPp6
— deep sea baby (@grinchhands) May 12, 2018
rita ora writing a song where she literally says “i’m 50/50 and i’m never gonna hide it” and then skirting around actually claiming she’s not straight irl……. way to make it obvious ur just capitalizing off the wlw community’s desperation for representation in pop music pic.twitter.com/Jv0ctK2cOn
— georgia ✨ (@zamothac) May 12, 2018
Tired of audiences thinking an artist writes lyrics for the audience and not for themselves and about their own experiences. If Girls didn’t resonate with you, it didn’t resonate with you – write your own song. Rita Ora isn’t writing your lives, she’s writing her own. https://t.co/iFSCWfbwsg
— b ✨ (@iambri_97) May 14, 2018
She shouldn’t have to apologise for expressing HER sexuality but she did anyway. #GIRLS is fun and full of love, can everyone just enjoy it how it should be??!! Thank you @RitaOra for shining a light on freedom of expression ? https://t.co/1ExrJtAq1M
— Caoimhghin Brady (@CaoimhGaga) May 14, 2018
