Rita Ora on The Voice UK final: 'I would love to win'

POP STAR Rita Ora joins Tom Jones, Ricky Wilson and will.i.am for tonight’s final of The Voice UK. Who wins? You decide…

The Voice UK, coach, Rita Ora, final, Will.i.am, Fifty Shades Of Grey, Kirsty NutkinsBBC

Pop star Rita Ora joins Tom Jones, Ricky Wilson and will.i.am for tonight’s final of The Voice UK

More than 100 hopefuls sang at the first-round of blind auditions, followed by 48 singers in the battle stage and 32 in the knockouts.

Now, after 13 weeks and a month of nail-biting live finals, the four remaining contestants of The Voice UK are squaring up for a battle to end all battles.

Tonight, live on BBC1, they will sing their hearts out for the coveted prize of an exclusive recording contract with Universal Music. 

Their fate will be decided by the viewing public, and coach Rita Ora – who has been judging the rising stars alongside will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones and Ricky Wilson on the panel – says that it’s a relief to know the final verdict is out of her hands.

We can compete as much as we like but we know that it’s out of our hands

Rita Ora

She admits that joining the show – and having the power to make or break someone’s career – was an intimidating prospect.

“When I was approached to do it, I spoke to Will and asked his advice, because we’ve been close friends for a while. At first, I didn’t know if I wanted to take on that pressure and be in that position of responsibility,” she says. 

“In the end, I thought, ‘You know what, I’m just going to go for it’. If I can find it inside of me to help someone then I want to do that.

“It’s nice for the contestants to have an insight from someone who is my age, especially for all the female singers that come on the show.”

Rita says that being a part of the series has boosted her self-belief.

“It’s given me more confidence in my instincts, especially in the first round when I had to rely on my ears. It’s been exciting trusting my own instinct, believing in my decisions and really focusing on how to mould a superstar.”

One act from each of the coaches’ teams has been selected for the final show and, tonight, Rita, Ricky, Will and Tom will be on the edges of their seats, waiting to discover which of their acts will be crowned the champion.

Rita Ora, VoiceBBC

THE VOICE UK, Tonight, 7PM, BBC1

“I would love to win!” says Rita. “But the best talent is going to win, at the end of the day. We can compete as much as we like but we know that it’s out of our hands.”

The series, like many reality TV shows, has never been just about the contestants, and Rita for one has made headlines since The Voice began in January – namely for her outrageous flirting with contestants. 

She told firefighter Stevie McCrorie that he was “hot” and even joined him on stage to give him an impromptu massage. But Rita shrugs off any suggestions of “over friendliness”.

“It wasn’t about the flirting. It was more about cracking the ice and I’ve always just tried to make contestants feel comfortable, so that they can achieve what they want to achieve,” she says.

“They may get a bit red in the face at first, but I know they will thank me!” she laughs.

It’s only three years since Rita burst onto the music scene herself. Since then, she’s enjoyed success beyond her wildest dreams, clocking up two number one singles – R.I.P. and How We Do (Party) – and working with some of the industry’s biggest names.

In the last year, the singer has been busy recording her second album, which is due for release in the summer, and designed a clothing range with sports giant Adidas. 

Somewhere between all that, she’s managed to make her acting debut in the movie version of the best-selling book Fifty Shades Of Grey.

It’s been a whirlwind, she says, and getting used to life in the limelight has been tricky. But she’s enjoyed being able to express her true personality on The Voice.

“People only see pictures of me and my music videos and a few interviews, but on the show I’ve been an open book for the public. 

“I said to myself that I can only be myself. If I were to be someone else, it would come out that I was lying because you can’t do that eight hours straight on camera. You get exhausted. What you see on The Voice is how I really am. It’s hard for me to hide how I feel,” she says.

Before joining The Voice, it was reported that Rita had turned down a job on The X Factor in favour of the BBC rival. However, Rita admits that at no point did Simon Cowell ever make her an offer. 

“He never formally offered me a job on The X Factor, so there was no turning down involved at all. This show was great for me and I had friends who had worked on it, like Jessie J and Kylie Minogue, who have said nothing but great things about it.”

Rita says that she’s enjoyed every second on The Voice and has built a great relationship with her fellow coaches. In particular, she’ll miss working with Will every week now that the series is over.

“Will’s so sweet. He’s been my soldier since I first met him. He’s such a talent. It’s really great to work with somebody who you feel comfortable with – I could roll up to work at Will’s in pyjamas,” she laughs.

THE VOICE UK, Tonight, 7PM, BBC1

Rita Ora - Grateful Explicit

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