If Rita Ora was hoping to get a slightly easier time of it over in Australia, then things aren’t going to plan. The poor lamb just can’t catch a break at the minute.
Partly that’s the fault of Channel 7, who spent months trying to get positive coverage for their revamped version of The Voice by hinting Mariah Carey was lined up to be a judge – only to end up revealing they’d given the seat to Rita instead.
Local press coverage hasn’t helped boost her profile either. After news of her breaking UK Covid guidelines and skipping the quarantine queue in Oz, comparisons have been drawn between Rita’s comparatively flashy isolation in a luxury Sydney suite and that of beloved homegrown pop queen, Kylie (who did hers quietly, in an unassuming Melbourne hotel).
Headlining Sydney’s Mardi Gras must have seemed like a surefire way to get good press, but the announcement has bristled with LGBT music fans who are still annoyed at her ‘gay-for-play’ single Girls a few years back.
And now, to top it all off, her new single – which samples Harold Faltermeyer’s synth classic Axel F – has been released on YouTube, to a Gen-Z comments section that basically reads “lol is this the crazy frog???” all the way down. |