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"I Am Sorry": Rita Ora Apologises After 'Girls' Receives Backlash From U.S Stars
14 May 2018, 17:21
People jumped to the defence of Rita's new single with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charli XCX!
It's a total anthem and we can't get enough of this absolute summer banger from Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha and Cardi B, but the song has recently faced some criticism from other stars over its representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
Rita took to Twitter to respond to some of the negative comments from people who had claimed lyrics in the song were harmful to the LGBTQ+ community...
> WATCH: Rita Ora Faces Her Fears In A Game Of 'Truth Ora Dare'
— Rita Ora (@RitaOra) May 14, 2018
American singer Hayley Kiyoko was one of the voices who spoke out against the lyrics of the song and in a statement on social media, she claimed that 'Girls' did more harm than good, although she acknowledged that this wasn't the aim of the artists involved.
Real talk pic.twitter.com/9EbZd5dYZq
— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) May 11, 2018
Kehlani was another high profile artist who made strong comments about the content of the lyrics, claiming 'there. were. harmful. lyrics.' in a series of tweets..
every artist on the song is fantastic, and very much loved and supported by me... by all of us. but this isn’t about talent. it’s about choice.
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
hate to be THAT guy but there were many awkward slurs, quotes, and moments that were like “word? word”
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
and don’t make this personal.
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 11, 2018
i have an incredible song out with one of the artists, and would love to work with the other three as well. & have met them all and respect them.
there. were. harmful. lyrics.
period. love y’all.
However people were out in force to defend the single and claimed Rita & co can sing about what they want and their own experiences in any way they please...
rita and bebe are bi sweetie they can sing about what they want to if it’s about them
— muir (@Igbttoni) May 11, 2018
again and? just because a bunch men wrote the song doesn’t mean girls not stand by that? Bey didn’t wrote lemonade all by herself but people got the message. Your point is completely invalid at this point pic.twitter.com/lgvwd6FBo4
— #freeLatifa (@penisshilton) May 11, 2018
please do your research 3/4 of the girls on the track are bisexual. possibly 4 if rita is aswell. y’all like to take everything negatively and make it a problem for NO reason.
— ً (@grandekordei) May 11, 2018
Thanks for this. But I think people are drawing more out of these lyrics that what they are on a surface level. This song is not about the sexuality of everyone. It's about these singers sexuality. Why do all songs have to apply to specific groups of people?
— Cory Frieberg (@coryfrieberg) May 12, 2018
They’re tellin THEIR story. Not hers. We can’t pretend like women like this don’t exist just because we want to move forward. That’s ridiculous. Over sensitive.
— Jazzo (@itsJazzo) May 12, 2018
“I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life.” Good for you! But a lot of girls do need to drink wine to feel confident enough to kiss other girls. Maybe, perhaps, all wlw songs don’t have to be about your specific experience?
— Alyssa Storm (@akstorm_) May 12, 2018
Speaking to Billboard about the meaning of the song, Rita explained, "I just really wanted to show a side of me that just represents freedom and the belief [that you should] really be what you want to be. It’s not actually that deep. It really is just about that. It’s a free message, and for me, really fun. It’s just a fun record."
She went on to add, "Growing up, I was a huge Spice Girls fan. I just loved it when I saw people coming together and doing something that is extra powerful together, rather than separately."
So with various opinions floating around on the internet, one thing is for sure - 'Girls' has certainly got people talking!
Plus it's a total bop.
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