After six years of speculation, Rita Ora has responded to rumors that she would be “Becky with the beautiful hair” from Beyoncé’s “Sorry”.
The song in question is featured on Beyoncé’s famous album Lemonade album. Like many tracks on the record, “Sorry” alludes to Jay-Z’s affair. The singer refers to the mysterious woman as “Becky with the beautiful hair”. Of course, many Beyhive members struggled to figure out who the woman behind the lyrics was, which led to a number of theories circulating online.
Ora’s name was introduced into the conversation after she posted a photo with lemons in her bra and something that appeared to be a “J” necklace shortly after the album was released. In a new interview for Louis Theroux’s TV series, Interviews with Louis Théroux…Ora finally put that rumor to bed.
Theroux said: “When Beyoncé got her album, there was a mystery woman who supposedly Jay-Z cheated with. Then at some point in 2016, with Lemonade in the air, you posted a picture of yourself with lemons on your bra and a ‘J’ around your neck.
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Ora replied with a laugh: “Oh my God, it was literally a coincidence. I didn’t even think about it, I swear. And it wasn’t a J, it was an R. They did it. flipped over, then it looked like a J.”
Theroux went further to ask if the post was an effort to generate buzz around the “Ritual” singer, to which Ora replied, “No, there was nothing… No, it was my own design with a company underwear called Tezenis that I was working with.”
She added: “That’s what I mean, man. A pinch of salt. You have to take things with a grain of salt. And that’s what’s crazy. I just had to sit down until a good friend of mine, Katy Perry, gives me a hilarious badge that read “not Becky”.
Ora released her latest album, Phoenix, in 2018. The singer sued her record label, Roc Nation, in 2015, claiming the company neglected her. The settlement was reached in 2016. Last month, Ora teased new music coming in early 2023.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic