Rita Ora used to make cups of tea at a recording studio in exchange for free recording time as a struggling wannabe pop star.
Rita Ora used to serve tea to pay for recording time
The 'Hot Right Now' hitmaker opened up about her entry into the music industry and how she couldn't afford to pay for a space to record a demo when she was a teenager.
Talent show judge Rita, 31, told contestant Ethan Conway on 'The Voice Australia': “I interned at the recording studio when I was 16, just so I could get free studio time because I couldn’t afford to do a demo.
"It is very expensive.
“I would make people tea and then, after everybody left, the producer who owned the studio said, ‘OK, you’ve got an hour’, and I would run in and record a demo.”
After years of struggling and performing at open mic nights, Rita got an in at Jay-Z's Roc Nation record label and signed a recording and publishing deal in 2008.
The now-millionaire has since left Roc Nation and has established herself as an actress, starring as Mia Grey in the 'Fifty Shades' franchise, as well as roles in 'Dodger' and 'Southpaw'.
Rita recently admitted she initially struggled to adjust to being famous, but she still thinks of herself as being a "normal person".
She reflected: "It is definitely a shock to your system because it is something you’ve never experienced before … People ask me all the time, ‘What is fame like?’ And it’s really hard to explain fame if you’re not in it. It’s a very weird concept.
"I don’t really think about it as a reality … I don’t bring it home with me. I love to think of myself as a normal person."
The 'Body on Me' singer is often told by fans that she's remained "down to earth" in spite of her fame and success.
But the 'I Will Never Let You Down' hitmaker considers the attention she receives to be part and parcel of being in the public eye.
She said: "Everyone who meets me says, ‘Wow, you’re super down to earth.’ But I’ve always been like this. And when I go outside, I know, now it’s work time.
"People might come and talk to you. People may come and take pictures of you. It’s just something that comes with the territory."
Rita is conscious of her fame, but she won't allow outside influences to dictate how she lives her life.
The pop star - who is dating acclaimed filmmaker Taika Waititi - shared: "You have to also realise what you signed up for and pick the places where you’d like to keep them private. My friends say to me all the time: ‘Gosh, you sometimes forget that you’re known.’ And I’m like, ‘I know - it’s so weird. But I’m not going to stop living.'"