Solo Artist of the Week: Rita Ora

http://www.facebook.com/RitaOra

We continue Girl Power Week here at Bands That Need Love Too with our Solo Artist of the Week, Rita Ora! I've seen her name here and there, pretty much on tumblr because a girl I follow is quite a big fan of her, and I always make a note to myself to give her a listen, and then never do. Luckily, thanks to The Hits Radio (again) I finally heard her.

I honestly didn't know who I was listening to when the song came on, probably because I was only half paying attention (you know, because I listen to the radio when doing homework) but I quickly switched my attention because, wow, how boss is this girl's vocals and her track?

Admittedly, she's a little more known than I like to write about, what with her twitter having 900,000+ followers, but I can justify it if we pretend no one in American knows her. (Which, isn't a LIE per say. I mean, I did have to listen to British radio to hear her.) But I digress.

After falling in love with the song, R.I.P., I took to youtube to find all I could from Ms. Ora. What I found was a strong, soulful voice backed by rockin' dance beats that'd make anyone wanna move. I mean, that's kind of the main requirement for Girl Power Week if you haven't noticed. Rita Ora is the music you put on when you just want to have a good time. Her music is the music you blast while driving downtown through the city you love.

One of her singles, "How We Do (Party)," lyrically reminds me of Katy Perry's TGIF, only I personally think Ora rocks it so much better. Why I never heard it on the radio is beyond me. "R.I.P." is a harder song with heavier beats and showcases her voice better, which is probably why I love it so much. That, and it just makes me feel like the biggest badass.

In my own, humble opinion, Rita Ora has everything to make it big. She has the voice (as is apparent in her acoustic stuff), she has beats, and she has the looks. (Honestly, the girl is freaking gorgeous, and much like with Little Mix, I would LOVE to go on a shopping adventure with her.) That, and she just seems to be a pretty cool person. I mean, she cites Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie and Gwen Stefani as some of her influences. That's just... boss.

Let's just add her to the list of awesome talent coming from the UK, yeah?

America, you'd be remiss if you didn't learn to love her, like... now.

Go Download: Here in the US of A, you can pick up her single "How We Do (Party)" on iTunes! And if you're in the UK or Ireland, you can preorder her debut album 'ORA' which is set to drop August 28. No word on when it'll be out in the US though :(

And in case you needed proof of how amazing her voice really is...

Emeli Sandé

http://www.facebook.com/emelisande

 Now, I know it has been a while. But for good reason. Not only have I been away trying to be a good student so that I can one day do this for a living, but I've also been away trying to find someone that I would be excited to talk about. I've come across so many acts that sound just like each other, and while I can appreciate them all, I was looking for something new and exciting. That new and exciting something came to me in the form of Emeli Sandé.

 My love for the Scottish soul and R&B singer is all due to tumblr. While perusing the One Direction tag (Yeah yeah, I know. I'm a fangirl. What can I say.) I saw a post about a song called "Read All About It Pt III." Now, I don't know what it was that pulled me to it, because it obviously was NOT One Direction-- though it did tie in and belong in the tag after I found out the reasoning-- but I just had to listen to it. Maybe it was because of the couple of lines of lyrics attached, or maybe it was because I was on this search for something to add to my iPod. Whatever it was, it led me to some of the most beautiful music I have listened to.

 You see, Sandé started as a songwriter, writing for acts like Tinie Tempah, Cheryl Cole, Professor Green and several others. Soon after she tried to break into the singing business as well, and eventually landed a record deal in 2011 with EMI Records. Now, not only has she boosted her writing resume to include Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle she's released her album 'Our Version Of Events.' And by released I mean she's released it in the UK already, where it entered the charts at #1. We here in the US have to wait until June 5 to own it (Or, you know, legally own it.) Can I also mention that she won the Brit for Critics' Choice at this year's Brit Awards? So she's already got the UK with her charm, and with the latest wave of British artists hopping the pond and trying to dominate the US (One Direction, The Wanted, Ed Sheeran, etc) I wouldn't be shocked if she puts us under her spell as well. (Fun Fact: She made her US television debut on April 19 on Conan! Check it out here!!)

 Now that we've talked all the fun background stuff, let's talk about the facts. The girl is fabulous. She has a gorgeous voice, she can play the piano and her lyrics are just downright beautiful. Her music is the stuff you pop in while sipping on a glass of wine and winding down after a long day or while your soaking in a nice long bath. It's the kind of music you pop in to get yourself focused. It's the kind of music that you listen to when you need a good cry. Most importantly, it's the type of music you put on when you just need to feel understood, because let's face it, Ms. Sandé is saying everything we have always wanted to say, just could never say it as eloquently.

 Not only that, but I believe that what she writes isn't written with the intention of making it a radio hit. She writes about are themes that people SHOULD be hearing about. In the description of her latest music video, "My Kind of Love," she wrote

During my time studying medicine, I found it hard to write, but one of the things that inspired me were the patients and the interaction that they had with their loved ones during their time of illness. When people arrived at the hospital, money and status became irrelevant and only health mattered, which sparked an honesty between people which was amazing. This interaction, declaration of support and love, was the inspiration for "My Kind Of Love" and something I wanted to try and portray in this video.

So yeah, I firmly believe that what she writes is art. It has surpassed the point of music and become something infinitely more beautiful. (Wow how many times can I say beautiful in one post?)

 Anyway, I think at this point you can tell that I'm completely in love with Emeli Sandé. Her album is amazing. Her videos are amazing. She's amazing. Signed, sealed, delivered. She's bringing something back to the music scene that I think has been sorely lacking, and I personally cannot wait to see more of her.

Go Download: You can preorder 'Our Version of Events' on iTunes for just $7.99, which is practically stealing. You also get her song "Next To Me" as soon as you do :)However, my personal favorites are "River" and "Read All About It Pt III." (Though "Read All About It Pt III" doesn't seem to be on the US version of the album.)