Single Review: Rita Ora – ‘I Will Never Let You Down’
2 min read
After your first album debuts at number one in your home country and charts around the world, there’s going to be a little bit of pressure on the follow up. It would be easy to rest on your laurels and throw up more of the same if you’d nailed it first go, but Rita Ora isn’t scared to mix it up. She wants to show another side on her second album, and I Will Never Let You Down is the first sign of the new direction.
The upcoming single was written and produced by her electro-king boyfriend, Calvin Harris. His touches are immediately clear with a fleshy bassline and twangy guitar/synth intro that meets crisp, hip-hoppy beats. The song strips down leading into the chorus, before dropping into a poppy disco dance party with glaring, glitzy synth as the heart-warming titular line echoes. The track weaves in and out of these two forms, from broken down to party down, from delicate vocals to musical elation. Although remaining true to her dance-pop roots, her intentions to shed the party girl persona of her debut are very clear.
Rita isn’t shying away from that fact that she has and intends to continue to develop. She notes that “I’ve really built in confidence in the past three years. I can’t wait to be more honest on this record”. The British, Kosovo-born singer/songwriter/actress/model/Tabasco sauce enthusiast attributes the change to staying in touch with new music whilst finding a balance with her old school influences such as Prince and Chaka Khan.
With her upcoming album, Ora has definitely found clarity and direction. She underlines I Will Never Let You Down as the perfect song to launch it in being more personal and open. Her greatest desire is for her fans to share what she feels when they listen to her music: happy; and her latest release will do just that.
