Following the release of her debut album, Ora, in 2012, which spawned the hit singles “How We Do,” “R.I.P.” and “Radioactive,” things were looking up for Rita Ora, who’d been signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation since 2008 when she was just 18.
As time went by, however, Ora’s fans became frustrated with the record label, which they believed was not promoting or marketing the British singer enough for her to crossover and ultimately become the next big mainstream artist.
Her debut album had a limited European release, and while Ora was eager to push out a project in North America, several delays and supposed creative differences delayed the singer to drop a project stateside until 2018… by which time she had already departed Roc Nation.
The “Let You Love Me” hitmaker felt undervalued and unappreciated at her previous label, which she believed was more focused on other artists under its roster, including Rihanna, who became Roc Nation’s main priority ahead of the release of 2016’s Anti.
Rita Ora’s Feud With Jay-Z
While Rita and Jay-Z shared a pretty good working relationship at the start of the blonde beauty’s career, things took a drastic turn when Ora decided to sue her ex-boss' company in a desperate attempt to get out of her contract with the music mogul.
Supposedly, Ora had many disputes with the label about finally getting to put out a full-length project in the US. The 30-year-old was convinced that she was no longer a priority to the company, which was noticeable by the fact that Ora was still struggling to drop an album in the US.
In court documents, she argued that while she has recorded several albums ready for release, the changes within the company had ultimately put her music on the sideline as Roc Nation focused its attention on sports management and its Tidal streaming service.
On top of that, a huge marketing campaign was spent on Rihanna’s album Anti for its January 2016 release, which was prepared months ahead of time, which meant Ora would have to wait to get her music out yet again.
During this time, The Sun had also reported, “Rihanna has never liked Rita and has been using her power at Roc Nation accordingly. This is the main reason the label’s execs have been uninterested in putting effort into promoting Rita.
“Songs that might be submitted to her are automatically given to Rihanna, who may then hold them for months before deciding she doesn’t want them.”
In her complaint, obtained by Hollywood Reporter, her lawyer wrote, “When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist. As Roc Nation’s interests diversified, there were fewer resources available and the company suffered a revolving door of executives.
“Rita’s remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company. Rita’s relationship with Roc Nation is irrevocably damaged. Fortunately for Rita, the California legislature had the foresight to protect its artists from the sorts of vicissitudes she’s experienced with Roc Nation.”
Roc Nation countersued Ora in February 2016, seeking $2.4 million in damages. The suit alleged that the label had spent millions of dollars in marketing recording and other costs, which were “instrumental in guiding Ms. Ora to her current level of success and fame.”
Later that year, the case was settled and Ora was let go of her contract with Roc Nation before she inked a new deal with Atlantic.
She went on to release her sophomore record, Phoenix, in November 2018. It was her first album release in the US since ORA was only available in Europe.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Ora opened up about her fears of suing Jay-Z’s firm when she made the decision in wanting to leave the label. She was concerned about his reaction and how it could ultimately affect her career down the line.
"I definitely had a bit of worry and yeah, I was fearful of my life because this is my life. My music is all I know so for me I was definitely scared.
“I want to find the right word here, and maybe this is my interpretation, but I do feel I got discriminated against because I was a woman,” she told the Sunday Times. “I almost felt—maybe this is just my interpretation—I could have had a better chance if I’d been male.”
In February 2021, Ora released an extended play titled Bang, which features the singles “Bang” and “Bang Bang,” which peaked at No. 16 on the US Top Dance/Electronic Albums.
The Yugoslavian chart-topper is already said to be working on her third studio album, and though she hasn’t made any mentions of a release date yet, we’re sure it’ll drop faster than anything Ora released while under the Roc Nation umbrella.