New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Cardi B, Charli XCX, and
Bebe Rexha are featured on Rita Ora's new song "Girls." The song was allegedly inspired by
Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink's 2001 song "Lady Marmalade," with "
Girls" as a sort of update on the all-female formula.
"These past few years I've been so inspired by all the strong women I've seen who aren't afraid to be themselves," she shared in a press release. "For those who aren't afraid to rule the world, this is our anthem. A celebration of love. And of course thank you to all the fellow boss women who so kindly graced this song with me—each representing who they are and where they are from."
From its dark synth and the opening line "Her name is Lara", it's clear this is no ordinary love song, with the lyrics going on to explore the idea of sexual fluidity. "I'm open minded," sings Rita, as the vibe lightens up and the beats become heavy and insistent, "I'm 50-50 and I'm never going to hide it." Could Girls be the 2018 bisexuality anthem we've been waiting for?
Lyric highlight: most of Cardi B's rap is gold, but "I could be your lipstick just for one night" certainly stood out. 💄 👄
Listen to "
Girls" below:
While the lyrics may raise eyebrows - "Sometimes I just wanna kiss girls" - it's not that deep. Girls is a carefree tale of being young and experimenting rather than courting controversy. The idea of women being sexually available to one another in pop songs isn't exactly new -
Katy Perry was kissing girls for attention a decade ago and tATu doing the same five years before that. Girls, however, takes a similar approach to Demi Lovato's banger Cool for the Summer, that this isn't about exploitation or having one eye on the straight guys, it's very much about keeping women in mind. "Thank you to all the fellow boss women who so kindly graced this song with me - each representing who they are and where they are from," says Rita. "I hope you dance your socks off with us!"
The song is released on Friday 11 May, and Rita's Girls Tour kicks off in Glasgow the same night.
