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Beyond the Lights director regrets hiring Rita Ora for film song

Written by . Published: July 28 2015

Beyond The Lights director Gina Prince-Bythewood wishes she never asked Rita Ora to sing the film's main track after the pop star failed to promote it.


Prince-Bythewood recruited the R.I.P. hitmaker to sing Grateful, the original tune written by veteran songwriter Diane Warren, for her 2014 film about the secret life of a fictional pop star.


Although it was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year (15), Warren publicly accused Ora of failing to promote the track, and even admitted the singer was not her first choice for the collaboration.


During a Twitter.com question-and-answer session on Saturday (25Jul15), Prince-Bythewood seemed to echo Warren's sentiments when a fan asked whether Ora approached her to sing the track, or vice versa.


The director replied, "I asked her. wish I didn't as she didn't promote song at all."


Ora performed Grateful at the Academy Awards, but the coveted Original Song trophy was won by John Legend and Common for their song Glory from Selma.

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