The British pop star released her debut album, Rita Ora, in the U.K. five years ago but the record was not made available in America, prompting bosses at her management company to scrap any plans to perform shows stateside. But Rita was so intent on becoming a success across the Atlantic, she funded the concert series out of her own pocket. “My team at the time thought it wasn’t a good idea and it would be a waste of time,” she tells The Associated Press, recalling the six U.S. dates she played on her Ora Tour. “I thought differently because my online presence grew really dramatically…

“And so the team… they’re like, ‘Well we’re not helping you, we can’t do it. We’re not going to put money into it.’ I said, ‘Well, fine! I’ll put my own money into it’. And so I did.” The singer, who ended her contract over creative differences with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation label in 2016, after settling a lawsuit with the company, did all the leg work for the tour herself and she was not surprised the shows were such a success. “I phoned up Iggy (Azalea)… she came on the road (with me),” Rita recalls. “It was so (low-budget), like, (we had a) small tour bus. I think we, at one point, (we) shared one microphone… And you know what, every single show was sold out.” Ora plans to tour America properly when her upcoming sophomore album, which features the likes of 2 Chainz and Charli XCX, drops in November (17).

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