Rita Ora is like a chameleon.
But this constant transformation isn’t just limited to the pop star’s looks.
And yeah, okay, Ora’s much-talked about love life kept her name in the news as well.
But obviously, her stardom didn’t happen overnight.
Here’s a look at Ora’s constantly evolving career (and looks).
In search of a better life
Ora is a refugee andproud of it.
“That word (refugee) carries a lot of prejudice,” Ora toldThe Evening Standard.
“But it also made us determined to survive.
To make ends meet, her father, at one point, worked two jobs.
But I didn’t care.”
Nor should she have.
Puberty came early – too early
Ora isn’t shy about showing off her curves.
But Ora who’s beenthe face of Tezenis lingerie wasn’t always so comfortable in her skin.
But apparently she had to give herself a pep talk to get to this point.
“You have to come to terms with loving your body,” Ora explained toCosmopolitan.
That’s where it starts."
Gwen Stefani wannabe
It’s no secret that Gwen Stefani had a big influence on Ora.
That’s what I want to do."
But it wasn’t just Stefani’s lips that she wanted to replicate.
And to drive the rebellious point home, she apparently didn’t do a whole lot of bathing.
“I wouldn’t be smelling that great,” she toldMarie Claire.
Fortunately, Ora grew out of that phase, except for the hair and lipstick part.
“What am I doing here?”
It was clear from an early age that Rita Ora had talent.
“Right from the start I was, like, ‘What am I doing here?'”
Ora toldThe Evening Standard.
But things didn’t quite work out that way.
Her long-awaited debut album,Ora, wouldn’t hit shelves until 2012.
1 singles in the UK (via theBritish Phonographic Industry).
“I have more things to talk about now than I did then,” she said.
Little did Ora know that waiting would become a common theme during her time at Roc Nation.
She’s been linked to a laundry list of bold names, includingBruno MarsandA$AP Rocky.
News) that hepulled those tracksfrom the record.
We’re going to go out on a limb and guess that maybe had something to do with it.
Most notably, she scored a small role in theFifty Shadestrilogy as Christian Grey’s sister (viaElle).
She also dabbled in modeling, landing endorsement deals with Madonna’sMaterial Girlline in 2013 andAdidasin 2014.
In other words, Ora did everything but the thing she most wanted to do.
“What else would I have done?”
“But is it fulfilling for me?”
she toldThe Guardian, referring to her side gigs.
“That’s the question.”
It wouldn’t be Ora’s last regrettable tattoo.
She covered up a feather tattoo stretching across her arm and hand with a rose tattoo.
“I thought it was the prettiest planet,” she said.
Designers came calling
Ora’s wardrobe leaned heavily on vintage clothing early on in her music career.
“I was in a stage where I didn’t have that many options,” she toldRadio.com.
“I worked with what I had.”
Now Ora has significantly more options to work with and she’s certainly taking full advantage.
She hasn’t completely left the vintage stores and her rebellious side behind, however.
“I’ve always been wearing crazy looks,” Ora toldClash.
It was time for action.
Roc Nation countered with a $2.3 million suit of its own, claiming Ora still owed them albums.
Sounds messy, right?
It was one of the easiest separations ever."
Ora would later accuse Roc Nation of sexism in an interview withThe Times(via theDaily Mail).
Ora toldWmagazinethat, like the Phoenix, she had “evolved” and become a new version of herself.
“I feel like now the groove is in,” Ora toldNylon.
