Love Island: Rita Ora to surprise islanders with private performance

Singer has been teased as a ‘new arrival’ in the villa

Rita Ora will surprise Love Island contestants with a private performance on the ITV2 reality show.

The British singer, famous for hits from “You Only Love Me” to “Shine Ya Light”, was teased as a “new arrival” to the villa ahead of Tuesday (18 July) night’s episode.

In a short preview clip, the star, 32, greets the shocked contestants, before singing and dancing by the pool.

She performs a medley of her songs, including new single “Praising You”, which samples Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”.

Ora’s appearance on the show comes following the release of her third studio album, You & I, last week. You can read The Independent’s two-star review here.

The video for the track, which features DJ Fatboy Slim, was directed by Ora’s Oscar-winning director husband Taika Waititi.

Ora previously had a connection with one of the 2023 Love Island contestants, Leah Taylor, who entered the villa in June but was dumped from the show last week.

The business owner said she had previously danced with the singer at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs).

The 2023 series has so far seen a dramatic post-Casa Amor recoupling and accusations of bullying following the movie night.

Media watchdog Ofcom said it had received nearly 1,000 complaints, with the majority related to “alleged bullying” towards contestant Scott van-der-Sluis.

Ora on ‘Love Island’ (ITV)

Earlier this month, Ora urged people to ask Boris Johnson about breaching lockdown rules rather than asking her, more than two years after first apologising for hosting a party during the first wave of Covid.

Ora faced criticism in November 2020 after it emerged that she threw a private 30th birthday party at a restaurant in London’s Notting Hill during lockdown.

In an Instagram Story shortly after the photos emerged, Ora said she was “embarrassed” and “deeply sorry” for breaking the rules.

“I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday,” she wrote. “It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK.”

Johnson was fined by police for attending a party in Downing Street in June 2020 and resigned from the Commons in June rather than facing his punishment for misleading the House about other events at No 10.

The former prime minister’s official spokesperson commented on Ora’s party in November 2020, writing in a statement that “the lockdown rules apply to celebrities and that they should be setting examples”.

Love Island airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2.

Additional reporting by Press Association