Rita Ora

Once upon a time, a little baby girl named Rita Ora was born in Pristina. The year was 1990,

and big things were in store for her. Her full name was Rita Sahatçiu Ora. Her last name,

‘Ora’, means ‘time’ in Albanian, and ‘Sahatçiu’ means ‘watchmaker’ in Turkish. So, you

could say her name was all about time, and Rita wanted to make every second of her life

count!

When Rita was just a baby, her family had to leave Kosovo because of the war and move to

London, a big city full of red buses and people from all around the world. Rita was too young

to remember the trip, but that journey would become a big part of who she was.

Rita’s parents were strong and loving. Her mum used to be a doctor back in Kosovo, but in

London, she had to start over. She even had to ask little Rita’s big sister to help translate at

the doctor’s office! Rita’s dad opened a pub in a neighbourhood called Kilburn, and

sometimes Rita would sing there when she was just a kid.

Rita always had a spark. She was an opinionated little girl and always asked questions. She

joined a choir and loved performing. Her talent led her to a special school called Sylvia

Young Theatre School, where other famous people, such as Amy Winehouse, also studied. At

age 13, Rita got her first acting role in a TV show, and not long after, she acted in a movie.

But what she really loved was music.

One day, when Rita was 18, someone from a famous record label heard her sing online. He

was a superstar named Jay-Z and believed in Rita Ora and her voice. Rita got signed to a

music label and was now able to write and sing her own songs. Rita was over the moon!

Not long after this, Rita had her first breakthrough with a song called Hot Right Now. Soon

she was everywhere, opening shows for the band Coldplay, singing at huge music festivals

like Glastonbury, and even performing at the 100 th Anniversary of Albanian Independence.

Suddenly, the girl who once sang in a pub was singing in front of thousands of people!

Over the years, Rita didn’t just sing, she also designed clothes, acted in movies and helped

causes she cared about. She worked with big fashion brands like Adidas, designing fun and

colourful outfits. People loved her style, she was never afraid to wear something wild or

totally different.

She never forgot who she was or where she came from. From a little girl in Pristina to a

global star, Rita Ora’s story shows that no dream is too big and no voice too small to be

heard!

By Veronica Hibbert