When a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Albania, thousands of people found themselves displaced from their homes and forced to rebuild. For pop star Rita Ora, who was born in Kosovo to Albanian parents, the disaster hit close to home.
Ora announced her response on Instagram: “We have decided to choose a family to sponsor to rebuild their home during the devastation of the earthquakes in Albania and myself directly help these families as much as I can!”
The musician, fashion guru, and actress announced she will pause work on her third album to spend time in Albania, helping the family named Sala rebuild their destroyed home.
Rita Ora Rises to Fame
Long before she had the means to return and help Albanian earthquake victims, Ora herself had to flee her home, at the age of one. Her Albanian parents were forced to flee Kosovo among thousands of other refugees in the 1990s.
Ora’s family eventually settled in England, where the young refugee grew up. The singer got her first big break at age 18 with an introduction to Jay-Z. She soon signed a contract with his record label, Roc Nation.
Her first album, self-title Ora, released a few years later, quickly went platinum.
Building a Public Persona
Despite the success of her first album, Ora faced a number of musical setbacks after that – including a conflict with the record label that would not be resolved for some time.
Yet even without cranking out much music for several years, Ora’s celeb persona never stagnated. Instead, she built her brand on a well-rounded public image, including her signature eccentric fashion style and a number of acting credits.
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“I’m in a peculiar, really specific situation,” the singer explains. “Where I guess I’ve built my brand [in the States] before I let the music do the talking because it was the only freedom I had because of where I was at with the contract at that time.”
However, Ora did turn back to music, releasing her second album, aptly titled Phoenix, six years after her first in 2018. Her third album is now is progress.
Rita Ora Looks Back to Albania
While Ora works on her third album, she looks for ways to incorporate her Albanian roots – even if that means pausing that work for a time to offer aid to families in her home country.
“I can speak fluent Albanian because we spoke it in the house,” Ora reveals. “I’ve been back to Kosovo quite a lot. When someone expands to do something out of our country it’s a big deal because there aren’t many opportunities, unfortunately.”
“I wish I could translate Kosovan music into my album. I tried but it doesn’t work yet. I’ll do it though. And I definitely want to play shows over there in the future and raise some money.”
Fans may see some of the influences of Ora’s roots in her upcoming album, scheduled for release next year. In the meantime, Ora’s rebuilding charity fund is accepting donations here.
