Rita Ora

On early singles like “Hot Right Now” with DJ Fresh and her own 2012 smash “How We Do (Party)”, Rita Ora exudes the headstrong confidence and swagger of an artist who knows exactly what she’s about. She also knows what she can do with a voice that fits just as well with lovelorn ballads as it does with full tilt party-starters. That combination of positivity and versatility has helped make Ora—born Rita Sahatçiu in Prishtina in the former Yugoslavia, in 1990—one of the most successful British female solo artists ever. And even though her troubles with her first record label led to a long delay for the follow-up to her 2012 debut Ora, she filled the gap with feature appearances on tracks by Iggy Azalea, Charli XCX and Avicii, along with a stream of UK Top 10 singles such as the dreamy “Anywhere” and “For You”, a duet with Liam Payne for the soundtrack of Fifty Shades Freed. (Her role in the steamy screen franchise as Christian Grey’s sister gave her another chance to show off her glamorous side.) In 2018, Ora released Phoenix, an apt title given her determination to survive any storm and come out sounding as fierce and forthright as ever.