Word that she was not allowed to perform “I Will Never Let You Down” at Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards might have come at the last minute, but it did not do so as a shock to Rita Ora.
“No,” said the British artist when asked by “On Air” host Ryan Seacrest whether her ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris’ decision to block the performance was unexpected
Supporting the story that had been reported by gossip outlets, Ora told Seacrest that Sunday’s planned performance was nixed by Harris, who is credited as the track’s sole writer and producer.
“He wrote and produced the song – he’s an incredible songwriter, I’m never going to disregard his talents – so he has to approve anything TV-wise,” clarified Ora during a Tuesday appearance on Seacrest’s show. “He owns the rights to it, and he didn’t approve the Teen Choice Awards.”
Insofar as Ora was unsurprised by Harris’ final decision, it is unclear why she moved forward–with ferocity–as if the performance would be approved.
Noting that she begins rehearsing “about a month in advance” for her shows, Ora explained, “We put so much work and money into the show…I put my own money into the performance like I always do.”
“I could have gottold a few weeks earlier – that would have been nice,” commented Ora with regard to the frustration of learning about the rejection at the last-minute.
As for why Harris is rejecting the performance, Ora would not speak for Harris but posited “[When] you write a song with somebody, I guess there’s some stuff that comes with it.”
She, however, is able to separate the spirit of the writing process from the quality of the final product.
“For me, the song isn’t me revisiting it, the song is me kind of saying, ‘Damn, it’s a good song,'” declared Ora. “I’m very good at separating situations, and I’m not going to put my selfish feelings forward when the song is great – I love the song!”
