Rita Ora has opened up about coming out publicly earlier this year.
In May, the British performer revealed that she had relationships with females in response to the backlash of her single Girls.
The controversial track, which saw Rita collaborate with Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha and Cardi B, contained lyrics such as: “I ain’t one-sided, I’m open-minded, I’m 50-50 and I’m never gonna hide it.”
After negative feedback from queer artists such as Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani, Rita told fans: “Girls was written to represent my truth and is an accurate account of a very real and honest experience in my life.
“I have had romantic relationships with women and men throughout my life and this is my personal journey.”
In a new interview with Stylist, Rita said the controversy surrounding the pop track is a “really sensitive subject” for her.
“It was my story and I knew it was going to be a bit of a shock for people because I’d never spoken about it in public before.”
She explained further: “I don’t think I would be doing this today if it wasn’t for the LGBTQ community and I would do anything for them as well as all my fans.
“This was a moment in time when I wanted to give confidence to girls who are trapped and feel like they can’t tell their parents that they are gay. I wanted to give people that bit of hope to get through it. It was my story and my truth.”
When asked if she was worried about coming out publicly, Rita confidently told Stylist: “I wasn’t scared. I waited for a reason, because none of the times before felt right. I’m an adult, I felt like this was something I needed to do to move forward.
“I’m very proud of who I am and my journey to get here – everybody has to go through these things to learn about themselves.”
Girls will be featured on Rita’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, Phoenix, which is due for release tomorrow (23 November).
The album will also include the massive top ten hits Your Song, Anywhere, Lonely Together (with Avicii) and Let You Love Me.
The latter track became Rita’s 13th top ten single in the UK, and broke the record for most top ten hits by a British female artist.
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