Rita Ora's new track 'Proud' makes her feel "confident".
Rita Ora
The 27-year-old singer penned the track based on fan-submitted stories of acceptance which were written as part of her collaboration with Absolut's Open Mic Project, and has said she hopes the track gives her fans the credit they deserve.
She said: "I love the little bit of confidence and cockiness you get [with 'Proud' lines like], 'Go ahead, beautiful, you're looking so good/ So good, finger to the haters like you love them so good. I can't wait for people to put up their middle fingers while they listen to this song like, 'Yeah!'"
Rita admits the title of her track might be an "obvious" word to use, but says the simplicity of it is "amazing".
She added: "I felt like it was an obvious but amazing word. I definitely got inspired by every single person's story, and I tried to blend it together - the journey and the struggle of [getting] the win at the end."
The 'Your Song' hitmaker created the song for the fans who submitted their stories, but she admits the track has just as much relevance to her own life as well.
She said: "It's important to me because of my background and how much I [had] to fight to get to even this point in my life. Also, just as a little girl growing up in Kosovo and refugeeing from Kosovo to the UK and starting a new life with incredible schools, having the chance to have my dreams come true thanks to my parents. It ends up being about everything - the industry, being a woman right now, having the ability to speak out and be heard."
Rita also thanked fellow female musicians Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus for helping to boost the star's confidence.
Speaking to Billboard, she said: "Katy Perry and Miley [Cyrus], they've been so amazing and I think it just really helped me build my confidence and help me believe in what I was doing."
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