This will sound so Americentric, but I’ve always considered Rita Ora more of a “local” British celebrity. She gets a lot of coverage in the British tabloids, where her profile tends to be just above the most famous football WAGs. In America, she’s not really known for her music, she’s just known as a British celebrity who sometimes shows up at American awards shows. That’s my take, maybe I’m wrong! Maybe there’s a thriving American market for all things Rita Ora. I also get that I’m not the target audience for her British GQ cover interview, the bulk of which is just Ora hyping the album she’s recording, which is her vocal love story with Taika Waititi. I think this marriage is a mid-life crisis from Taika, but again, none of this is for me. And that’s fine! Some highlights from GQ:

Her return to music: “I have this presentation I do for everyone I work with, so we’re all on the same page: what’s the language? What’s the purpose? What’s the connection? I tell everyone my journey. [With the album, I’m] capturing this moment in my life where I’m falling in love. There are things I talk about on it, very personal thoughts, about what it took for me to decide on this person, and to commit to him. With this album, I’ve just been very brave and confident…”

She finally owns her masters: “The position I got myself in [is what has changed]: owning my masters and having control creatively. I’m in a different seat on the bus now. I feel like I’m driving it! So now I’ve got this power, why don’t I give it a shot? My confidence grew as a songwriter. I can suggest things in the room and not feel silly about it. I’m way more confident about my ideas and my visions.

The British tabloids write about her differently now that she’s married to Taika: “I had a conversation with my girlfriends about this the other day: 100 per cent. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I just feel like maybe the world of journalism is thinking, “Now that’s off the cards, what are we going to do?” They’re having a crisis meeting! Once that opportunity is gone, they’re fortunately going to have to write about my work, which is what I’ve always wanted anyway.

The throuple speculation with Tessa Thompson & Taika: “I just chose to not acknowledge that because it’s ridiculous. I think when some things are so absurd, and it’s hard to fathom any sense of it, you just have to ignore it. I’ve taken that approach for a lot of things, because you don’t want to put energy towards something that’s nonexistent. It’s like trying to explain something that didn’t happen means you’re feeding into nothing. Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve had a lot of drinks and everyone’s your best friend? And then the next day you’re like, “I was talking to this person in the smoking area for four hours and I’ve got no idea who they are?” Literally – that [photo] was just a bunch of friends having a good time. They [Taika and Tessa] had a crazy schedule and everyone was letting loose. I love that. Each to their own.

The overwhelming tabloid attention: “Yeah, there have been moments where it’s been unbearable, and I’m like, “Maybe this isn’t worth it.” But you don’t want to give up your dream and everything you’ve done to get to this point for a moment in time that will eventually just move on. You don’t want to bite the bait and ruin everything you’re doing. You’re doing the dream job. I sing for a living. It’s insane. It’s not a normal job.

When she knew Taika was the right person: “When I didn’t feel a change, like my life just became better. We were really good friends for six years, and I went to Australia and we both had separate jobs, and we didn’t really know that many people out there. It was nice to see a familiar face and our universes just collided. That was it.

[From British GQ]

I don’t doubt that the British tabloids can be overwhelming for their local celebrities – the British tabloids are a protection racket and as long as you keep providing them with a steady stream of scantily-clad selfies and romantic drama, they’ll be on your side (sort of). Which brings me to my larger thought: Rita works with the tabloids, correct? Like, you can call it “playing the game” or whatever, but that’s how she’s so well-known – for being in the Daily Mail and the Sun, for her relationships, for her clothes, for her selfies. It feels like she’s convinced Taika to play the game too. As for the throuple thing with Tessa – it was honestly a fun gossip story and they looked like they were having a good time. It also seemed like Marvel made some calls and got Taika to stop f–king around.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Instar and cover courtesy of British GQ.