Rita Ora apologises after being accused of ‘exploiting sexuality’ on new track Girls

Rita Ora has apologised for any offence caused by her song Girls amid a backlash accusing her of “exploiting her sexuality”.

Ora’s latest track sparked a furious response from members of the LGBTQ+ community, including American singers Kehlani and Hayley Kiyoko.

The 27-year-old singer posted a statement on social media on Monday saying sorry for any harm caused and revealed that she “has had romantic relationships with women” in the past.

Ora wrote: “I am sorry how I expressed myself in my song has hurt anyone.

"I would never intentionally cause harm to other LGBTQ+ people or anyone.

“Looking forward, I hope that continuing to express myself through my art will empower my fans to feel as proud of themselves as I'm learning to feel about who I am.

“I'm ever thankful to my fans for teaching me to love myself no matter what.

"I have strived to be a contributor to the LGBTQ+ community throughout my entire career and always will be.”

The lyrics to Girls, a track also featuring Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charli XCX, include: “Sometimes I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls, red wine I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls.”

Kiyoko took aim at the single in a lengthy Twitter message in which she posted: “A song like this just fuels the male gaze while marginalising the idea of loving women.

“I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life.

“This type of message is dangerous because it completely belittles and invalidates the very pure feelings of an entire community.”