Her first UK exposure came after several collaborations with British singer Craig David. In 2009, she also auditioned for BBC talent competition 'Your Country Needs You' β to select the United Kingdom's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest β but withdrew her application.
In 2009, she signed a recording contract with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation and relocated to America. The How We Do (Party) Songfacts reports that when Ora visited Clear Channel with Jay-Z to present music and videos from her debut release, the executives were so enthused by what they heard that they organised for How We Do (Party) to be immediately premiered on DJ JJ's afternoon show on New York's top hit music station WHTZ (Z100). Her debut album ORA was released on 26th August, 2012.
In December 2015, Ora filed a lawsuit against Roc Nation, seeking release from the label and citing that the contract she signed in 2008 is "unenforceable", due to California's "seven-year rule." The complaint stated that she's "only been permitted to release one album despite creating multiple additional records for release" and that her relationship with Roc Nation is "irrevocably damaged." Her complaint also pointed out a breach of contract, reporting that Roc Nation breached the recording agreement by improperly taking twenty percent commission of her income. In January 2016, Roc Nation filed a counter-lawsuit against Ora for breaking her recording contract. They reached a settlement in May 2016. In June 2016, it was reported that she signed a new record deal with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group.
Ora's second studio album, Phoenix, was released in November 2018. The lead single, "Your Song", reached the UK top ten; and the subsequent singles, "Anywhere" and "Let You Love Me", reached the top five in the UK. "Let You Love Me" allowed Ora to become the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top ten songs in the United Kingdom. Phoenix was supported by the "Phoenix World Tour" which began March 1st, 2018 and commenced July 16th, 2019.
In September 2019, Ora revealed she had begun work on her third studio album.
First Time High
Rita Ora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the end of my best friends tree
And the words hiding behind the tree
It was love
At least I thought it was
After school at the parking lot
At the party after been taking some shots
It was love
Or something from above
I never thought I could feel the way that it used to feel
Until you proved me wrong
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time I'm giving up
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
This time I'm quittin' ya
Oooh, oooh, oooh
Love make it higher
Oooh, oooh, oooh
Love make it higher
At the mall in the dressing room
On the dock, lying under the moon
Backseat on your mom's Malibu
I never thought I could feel the way that it used to feel
Yeah, until you proved me wrong
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time I'm giving up
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
This time I'm quittin' ya
Oooh, oooh, oooh
Love make it higher
Oooh, oooh, oooh
Love make it higher
After school at the parking lot
At the party after been taking some shots
In the place where we might get caught
It was love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time I'm giving up
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
This time I'm quittin' ya
Love make it higher
La la la la
La la la la
Love make it higher
The lyrics of Rita Ora's song "First Time High" tell the story of a love that felt intense and powerful, but ultimately ended. The song speaks of memories shared with the loved one, highlighting moments of passion and vulnerability. The singer describes a moment "Midnight by fire on the beach" with their love interest, followed by other memories such as "At the mall in the dressing room," "On the dock, lying under the moon," and "Backseat on your mom's Malibu." These memories paint a picture of a relationship that was driven by heat and a sense of danger.
However, the chorus of the song hints at the fact that the relationship has ended. The singer compares the feeling of being in love to the sensation of being high for the first time, but then suggests that it's time to quit the relationship. The lines "This time I'm giving up. You hit me like first-time high, my love. You hit me like, ooh. But this time I'm quittin' ya" connote the idea that the relationship reflects the sense of euphoria experienced the first time the singer ever tried drugs, but then didn't live up to the expectations and is ultimately causing harm.
Overall, "First Time High" is a song of a relationship that began strong but ended up being toxic. While the memories are cherished, the relationship itself had to be left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight by fire on the beach
It was late at night and we were sitting around a bonfire at the beach
At the end of my best friends tree
We were hiding behind my best friend's tree
And the words hiding behind the tree
We were whispering sweet nothings to each other while we hid behind the tree
It was love
I thought what we had was love
At least I thought it was
But now I'm not so sure
After school at the parking lot
We met up after school in the parking lot
At the party after been taking some shots
We had a few drinks at the party
In the place where we might get caught
We were in a risky location where we could potentially get caught
It was love
I thought it was true love
Or something from above
Or maybe it was just a sign from a higher power
I never thought I could feel the way that it used to feel
I never thought I could experience that same feeling again
Until you proved me wrong
Until you came along and showed me I could
You hit me like first time high, my love
You make me feel like I'm experiencing love for the first time again
But this time I'm giving up
But this time I'm giving up on us
Oooh, oooh, oooh
Vocalization
Love make it higher
Love makes everything feel more intense
At the mall in the dressing room
We were together in the dressing room at the mall
On the dock, lying under the moon
We were lying on a dock under the moonlight
Backseat on your mom's Malibu
We were in the backseat of your mom's Malibu
Love make it higher
Love makes everything feel more intense
This time I'm quittin' ya
I've had enough and I'm breaking up with you
La la la la
Vocalization
Lyrics Β© Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Alexandra Leah Tamposi, Andrew Wotman, John Ryan, Julian Michael Scanlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bloodrain4454
LYRICS
[Verse 1]
Midnight by a fire on the beach
At the end of my best friend's street
In the woods hiding behind the tree
It was love, at least I thought it was
After school in the parking lot
At a party after taking some shots
In the place where we might get caught
It was love, or something from above
[Pre-Chorus]
I never thought I could feel the way that it used to feel
Yeah, until you proved me wrong
[Chorus]
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no giving up
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no quittinβ ya
[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Lemme get high on ya
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Lemme get high on ya
[Verse 2]
At the mall in the dressing room
On the door, lying under the moon
Backseat of your mum's Malibu
It was love, at least I thought it was
[Pre-Chorus]
I never thought I could feel the way that it used to feel
Yeah, until you proved me wrong
[Chorus]
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no giving up
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no quittin' ya
[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Lemme get high on ya
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Lemme get high on ya
[Bridge]
After school in the parking lot
At a party after taking some shots
In the place where we might get caught
It was love
[Chorus]
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no giving up
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like the first time high, my love
You hit me like, ooh
But this time, no quittinβ ya
[Outro]
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Lemme get high on ya
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, yeah, yeah
Lemme get high on y
@sebishuezo3511
The most underrated song of the album (literally) π
@niku1854
why are good songs always underrated? π€
@hafizahjasni8656
This song helps me feel optimistic after a break up
@Alemarie2023
This song deserves more views. It's one of my top favourites off this new album π€
@manissapustjens6908
So in love with the new musicπππ
@limitlessjas
Was worth waiting for π
@Hussain-Memon
Who has seen queen is blinking her gorgeous eyes β€
@JakobTennisMB
It's a bit creepy.
@joanlagoa3981
This need to be a SINGLE!!
@aAier-me2lo
IKRππππ