British singer Rita Ora, whose first bid to make it big in the United States became mired in litigation, released a giddy pop song Friday as she plans a new album and show.
The Kosovo-born artist, long an A-list star in Britain, put out “Your Song,” an uptempo dance number co-written with chart-topper Ed Sheeran.
“I don’t wanna hear sad songs anymore / I only wanna hear love songs,” Ora sings, her bright voice edging on raspy in the chorus.
She announced that the song would appear on her second album, her first since 2012 and her debut on prominent US label Atlantic Records.
In 2008, Ora was an early signing of rap mogul Jay Z when he set up Roc Nation, a label and entertainment promotion company.
But in 2015, the 26-year-old filed a lawsuit to exit the contract, saying Roc Nation had invested little time in her as Jay Z and his firm focused on other pursuits.
Roc Nation filed a countersuit but the two sides reached a settlement which allowed Ora to exit her contract, which was to last until at least 2019, and head to Atlantic.
Ora was separately announced as the host of the new US television singing contest “Boy Band” which will premiere on June 22 on ABC.
In a statement, Ora said that “Your Song” represented “everything I wanted to express.”
“It’s a song that’s full of positivity and about feeling on top of the world, like everything is going right and that’s where my life is right now,” she said.
Ora, who has appeared on British reality shows “The Voice” and “The X Factor,” has had several number one hits in Britain including “I Will Never Let You Down” and “How We Do (Party).”
In the United States, she has mostly been known for collaborations including DJ Fresh’s drum-and-bass hit “Hot Right Now” and Australian rapper Iggy Azalea’s “Black Widow.”
