How Judging ‘The Voice’ is a Full Circle Moment for Pop Star Rita Ora
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It’s no secret that Rita Ora has recently become a huge name in the competition show world. From those big red spinning chairs to a spot next to Simon Cowell, she’s done and heard it all. With five judging roles under her belt, fans often wonder if they should be suspicious of Rita Ora’s countless roles judging different talent shows.
Today, Rita Ora has countless judging positions under her belt. She has appeared as both a host and a judge on some of TV’s biggest talent shows. Ora currently appears as a recurring judge on The Voice Australia, but that was definitely not where she got her start. She appeared first on The Voice U.K. as a coach on series four alongside Will.I.Am, Sir Tom Jones, and Ricky Wilson.
In the same year, she appeared alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, and Nick Grimshaw on The X Factor U.K. series 12. Following her time on both series, she went on to host two competition series, America’s Next Top Model and Boy Band in 2017.
Ora took some time off from judging in 2018, but returned to television the next year as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4. Since 2020 and 2021, she’s been a reoccurring judge/coach on The Masked Singer U.K. and The Voice Australia. She was also a coach on The Voice Australia spin off, The Voice: Generations.
Judging Talent Shows is Almost a Full Circle Moment for Rita Ora
Ora has made a name for herself on TV talent shows over the years, so were never surprised when she returns for another. Before The Masked Singer U.K. Ora received criticism for only appearing on talent shows for one seasons. At the time, fans wondered if she was only there because of the cash flow.
While criticism came at her addition to The Masked Singer U.K., it was also the beginning of new habits. The singer remains as a judge on every show she joined from 2020 to present day. Ahead of that year, it’s possible the singer didn’t have the time to commit to the shows.
I think that her involvement in multiple talent shows could link back to the beginning of her career. This singer was almost one that rose to fame as part of a competition herself. In 2008 she auditioned for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You to be featured on Eurovision Song Contest 2009. She qualified for the series, but ended up withdrawing after a few episodes. Ora’s management later got ahold of the American record label Roc Nation, whom offered her a publishing deal in 2008.
It’s extremely possible that she continues to judge these series because she knows what it takes to be part of one. Instead of living Kelly Clarkson’s experience, she lived the experience of someone who wasn’t ready to compete at that level.
