Pop singer Rita Ora has made a public apology for her latest single “Girls” after it received backlash from queer musicians including Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani.
The song, which includes lyrics like “Sometimes, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls/Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls," was labelled by Kiyoko as a “tone-deaf” version of queer and lesbian relationships.
On social media, Kiyoko wrote: “I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life. This type of message is dangerous because it completely belittles and invalidates the very pure feelings of an entire community.”
She continued: “We can and should do better.”
In response, Ora shared a message on Twitter and Instagram, defending the song as representative of her "truth" but vowing to do better in the future.
“'Girls' was written to represent my truth and is an accurate account of a very real and honest experience in my life," she wrote.
She added: “I have had romantic relationships with women and men throughout my life and this is my personal journey.”
“I am sorry [if] how I expressed myself in my song has hurt anyone. I would never intentionally cause harm to other LGBTQ+ people or anyone."
Ora said that she hoped to empower her LGBTIQ+ fans in the future.
“Looking forward, I hope that continuing to express myself through my art will empower my fans to feel as proud of themselves as I’m learning to feel about who I am," she wrote.
“I’m ever thankful to my fans for teaching me to love myself no matter what. I have strived to be a contributor to the LGBTQ+ community throughout my entire career and always will be.”
Ora had previously described the song as a "gender-fluid freedom anthem".
