Rita Ora shouldn’t have apologised for her song Girls, according to Cara Delevingne.
The pop superstar gathered celebrity besties Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha and Cardi B for the brand new single earlier this month, on which she sings of being “open-minded” and “50-50” and hints at her own sexual fluidity.
But the song received backlash from many in the LGBTQ community, including openly gay singer Haley Kiyoko, who took issue with lyrics “red wine, I just wanna kiss girls,” and “kush loving”, which suggest intoxication is a reason for girls kissing girls.
“A song like this just fuels the male gaze while marginalising the idea of women loving women,” argued Hayley in a statement on Twitter, adding: “I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life.”
Rita later issued an apology to anyone offended by the song, and used the moment to apparently confirm her bisexuality: “I have had romantic relationships with women and man throughout my life and this is my personal journey.”
But while many have criticised the song, others have come to Rita’s defence, arguing that she was simply speaking from her own experiences.
During an interview with PAPER, model and actress Cara Delevingne – who is open about her own sexual fluidity and queer identity – was asked about the controversy, and she made it clear what side of the fence she’s on.
“I think it’s a really great song, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s not fair to point a finger. I love Rita. I think she’s a wonderful artist and I always support her in what she does,” she explained.
“I don’t think it’s right to say her experience and her words are wrong. If she hadn’t ever felt that way and it wasn’t true then that would be weird. She’s being proud of something and saying it.”
Cara continued: “She didn’t need to apologise. She did nothing wrong. She should be able to come forth and say, ‘This is the way I did this and I’m going to keep on singing this song because it’s a great song’.
“It came from the right intention and that’s what’s most important.”
Rita is expected to perform at Manchester Pride’s Big Weekend in August this year, where she’ll be joining other big-name artists including Jake Shears, Sigala, Alexandra Burke and Nadine Coyle.
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