Rita Ora blasted by Diane Warren for failing to support Oscars song
Music veteran Diane Warren has accused Rita Ora of failing to promote their Oscar-nominated song Grateful.
The I Don't Want To Miss A Thing hitmaker wrote the track for 2014 movie Beyond the Lights, Ora provided the vocals, and they landed a Best Song nomination ahead of the Academy Awards later this month (Feb15).
However, Warren has now revealed Ora was not her first choice for
the project, insisting director Gina Prince-Bythewood picked the
singer, and she has accused her of failing to properly promote the
project.
Warren tells Huffingtonpost.com, "Gina, the director, wanted Rita
to do (the song). Had I known there wouldn't be a lot of support,
had I known she would have only tweeted about it once... You know?
She sang it great, but it's a little frustrating.
"I have to be really honest, I don't want to be a jerk or anything,
but had I known about this lack of support, there are other artists
I'm working with that if it had been up to me, I would have gone
with. She sang it great! But, come on. How on Earth are you not
wanting to (promote it)... I don't get it. Everybody around me,
we're all shocked."
Grateful will compete at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles on 22
February (15).