Rita Ora inspired by Prince to take control

• Prince gave Rita Ora the motivation to take charge of her singing.
• Rita said that in the beginning, she had been “trained” not to upset the apple cart.
• The 32-year-old celebrity started her career with Roc Nation.

The late ‘Purple Rain‘ hitmaker, with whom she collaborated in 2013, had advised her that it was crucial to do this. The “Hot Right Now” singer signed a deal with record label BMG last year, and as part of the agreement, she was granted control of her own masters.

In a preview of her upcoming interview with Wonderland magazine, she reflected on Prince famously once saying: “If you don’t own your masters, your master owns you.”

Rita said: “He said it to me when I was with him but I never thought that was a possibility for me. I was like, ‘There’s no way. I’m not going to get on anyone’s bad side’. I’m now in a position where I own my own masters – I can control where we’re going, what we’re publishing.”

The 32-year-old celebrity started her career with Roc Nation, but she later sued the record company for their “unenforceable” contract. After they countersued, she finally reached an out-of-court settlement.

Rita said that in the beginning, she had been “trained” not to upset the apple cart.

She said: “I was a huge, huge pleaser back then. I was taught to do what everyone else wanted.”

The singer of “I Will Never Let You Down” was also influenced by Taylor Swift, whose fight over the ownership of her early master recordings led to her having to re-record the songs.

She said: “Taylor really did inspire me. It was a big leap to do this deal… it wasn’t smooth sailing.

Rita has now offered to give advice to new artists who are unsure how to protect their own work.

She said: “I’m always here to talk. Up and coming artists that really want to ask me about it, I’m here for it.”

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