You & I (Rita Ora album)

You & I
Studio album by
Rita Ora
Released14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)
Recorded2022–2023
GenreDance-pop[1]
Length33:52
LabelBMG
Producer
Rita Ora chronology
Bang
(2021) 		You & I
(2023)
Singles from You & I
  1. "You Only Love Me"
    Released: 27 January 2023
  2. "Praising You"
    Released: 19 April 2023
  3. "Don't Think Twice"
    Released: 30 June 2023
  4. "Shape of Me"
    Released: 29 January 2024

You & I is the third studio album by English singer Rita Ora. It was released on 14 July 2023 through BMG. The album is her first solo studio release since Phoenix (2018). You & I spawned four singles: "You Only Love Me", "Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim), "Don't Think Twice" and "Shape of Me" (featuring Keith Urban).[2][3][4]

Background and release

I spent such a long time fighting to be heard over the course of my experience being in the industry, that I guess I lost a lot of confidence and a lot of hope, fell really low. And I guess when you’re at your lowest point, you can make a choice. You either kind of get back up and keep going, or you just let it consume you. And I did that. I got up. [...] This album really means a lot to me. It's like my diary of the last few years, it’s my sound and it just feels so true to me and who I am today. I think this record means something different for everyone, but from my perspective, it's about praising your loved ones and really celebrating those relationships.

— Rita Ora on You & I[5]

After the publication of her second studio album Phoenix in 2018, Ora took a recording break, embarking on several television and film projects.[5][6] In February 2022, Ora signed a record deal with Berlin-based BMG, a deal which gave her ownership of master recordings for her next projects.[7] In April 2023, she announced the release of her third studio album, titled You & I.[8][9][10]

Singles

"You Only Love Me" was announced on 11 January as the lead single from the album and released on 27 January 2023.[11] "Praising You" was released on 19 April 2023, as the second single. The song is a re-worked version of Slim's 1998 song "Praise You", and Fatboy Slim is also credited as featured artist on the song, and became a hit song after it was featured in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. "Don't Think Twice" was released as the album's third single on 30 June 2023.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[12]
Evening Standard[13]
i[14]
The Independent[15]
Irish Examiner[16]
Rolling Stone UK[17]
The Telegraph[18]
Allmusic[19]
The Irish Times[20]

You & I received a score of 68 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[1] Emma Harrison of Clash wrote that the album is Ora's "most exploratory and undoubtedly her finest work so far" with "the trademark sass and joie de vivre throughout, but this feels like a more mature and evolved body of work". Harrison also pointed out that "Rita uses You & I to undertake some serious self-reflection with each track focusing on various aspects" and that it allows her to "shed her skin to show [more] vulnerability and creativity than before".[12]

Hannah Mylrea of Rolling Stone UK wrote that You & I "play[s] it safe" compared to Ora's previous albums, because "too often [...] the tracks wash over you as shiny pop songs that fail to draw intrigue".[17] Helen Brown from The Independent was less impressed by the album, remarking that it is "strong enough to sell well" and although "sweet and ought to let us into the specifics of her world [...] still it feels generic".[15] David Smyth of the Evening Standard wrote that the project "lacks personal touch".[13]

Track listing

You & I – Standard edition
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Don't Think Twice"
3:06
2."You Only Love Me"
  • Ora
  • Ellie Campbell
  • Phoebe Jasper
  • Thompson
  • Felder
  • Cameron Gower-Poole[v]
2:28
3."Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim)
  • Cazan
  • Felder
  • Shave
2:44
4."Unfeel It"
  • Ora
  • Rollo Spreckley
  • Felder
  • Niceforo
  • Sorrells
  • Spreckley
  • Niceforo
  • Sorrells
  • Ralph
  • Felder
2:41
5."Waiting for You"
  • Asdis Vioarsdottir
  • Johannes Burger
  • Kilian Wilke
  • Kilian & Jo
  • Felder
  • Gower-Poole[v]
2:43
6."You & I"
  • Ora
  • Rollo
3:00
7."That Girl"
Felder3:01
8."Shape of Me"
  • Ora
  • Rollo
  • Jenna Andrews
  • Felder
  • Niceforo
  • Rollo
  • Sorrells
  • Niceforo
  • Sorrells
  • Ralph
  • Felder
2:29
9."Look at Me Now"
  • Ora
  • Georgia Meek
  • Yoshi Breen
  • Jason OK
  • Georgia Meek
  • Jason OK
  • Breen
  • Ollie Green[v]
2:45
10."Girl in the Mirror"
  • Ora
  • Rollo
  • Felder
  • Niceforo
  • Rollo
  • Sorrells
  • Niceforo
  • Sorrells
  • Felder
3:11
11."Notting Hill"
  • Ora
  • Rollo
  • Felder
  • Niceforo
  • Rollo
  • Sorrells
  • Niceofor
  • Sorrells
  • Felder
2:30
12."I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend"Ora
  • Ora
  • Nick Hahn
Hahn3:14
Total length:33:52
You & I – Deluxe edition[21]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
13."Love Die Repeat"
  • Ora
  • Speckley
  • Bentley
  • Fedler
  • Bentley
  • Fedler
2:33
14."Rest of My Life"
  • Ora
  • Speckley
  • Fedler
  • Sorrells
  • Niceforo
  • Fedler
  • Sorrells
  • Niceforo
2:35
Total length:39:00
You & I – Digital bonus edition[22]
No.TitleLength
15."You Only Love Me" (Shift K3Y Remix)2:24
16."You Only Love Me" (featuring Nafe Smallz) (Zdot Remix)2:28
17."Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim) (Fatboy Slim Remix)4:21
18."Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim) (Dopamine Remix)2:19
19."Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim) (Jodie Harsh Remix)2:32
Total length:53:04

Note

  • ^[v] signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

Musicians

  • Rita Ora – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (track 12)
  • Oak Felder – bass guitar, drum programming (1); keyboards, programming (4, 8, 10, 11)
  • Keith Sorrells – drum programming, guitar (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Alex Niceforo – guitar, keyboards, programming (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Zaire Koalo – drum programming (1)
  • Downtown Trevor Brown – guitar, programming (1)
  • Davide Rossi – string arrangement, strings (1)
  • Taika Waititi – backing vocals (2)
  • Jon Shave – additional vocals, keyboards, programming (3)
  • Karen Poole – additional vocals (3)
  • Georgia Ku – additional vocals (3)
  • Serban Cazan – keyboards, programming (3)
  • Asdis Vioarsdottir – backing vocals (5)
  • Johannes Burger – drums, keyboards, programming (5)
  • Kilian Wilke – drums, keyboards, programming (5)
  • Cirkut – instrumentation, programming (6)
  • Sorana Păcurar – backing vocals (7)
  • Yoshi Breen – backing vocals, choir, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizer (9)
  • Jason OK – backing vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizer (9)
  • Georgia Meek – backing vocals, choir, chorus arrangement (9)
  • Roland Spreckley – piano (11)
  • Nick Hahn – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, programming (12)

Technical

  • Dick Beetham – mastering
  • Mark Ralph – engineering (1–3, 5, 7, 10, 11)
  • Oak Felder – engineering (1, 4, 7, 8, 10)
  • Oscar Linnander – engineering (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Lewis Thompson – engineering (2)
  • Cameron Gower-Poole – engineering (2, 5)
  • Jon Shave – engineering (3)
  • Sam Button – engineering (3)
  • Serban Cazan – engineering (3)
  • Felipe Gutierrez – engineering (5)
  • Kilian & Jo – engineering (5)
  • Cirkut – engineering (6)
  • Jason OK – engineering (9)
  • Nick Hahn – engineering (12)
  • Trevor Muzzy – engineering (12)

Charts

Chart performance for You & I
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 45
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 53
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 69
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[26] 102
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 19
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[28] 14
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[29] 69
Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[31] 78
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 25
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[34] 1

Release history

Release dates and formats for You & I
Region Date Format(s) Edition Label Ref.
Various 14 July 2023
Standard
[35][36][37]
  • CD
  • digital download
 Deluxe [38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "You & I by Rita Ora Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  2. ^ Warren-Lister, Meg (19 April 2023). "Rita Ora releases new single sampling classic Fatboy Slim record". The Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ Sky Magnolia, Anna (10 May 2023). "Rita Ora opens up about working with Fatboy Slim on 'Praising You'". planetradio.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ^ Damara Kelly, Tyler (19 April 2023). "Rita Ora announces third studio album with "Praising You (feat. Fatboy Slim)"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b Bain, Katie (20 April 2023). "'I Lost a Lot of Confidence': Rita Ora on Emerging From a 'Low' Period With Renewed Strength, New Music — And a Husband". Billboard. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  6. ^ Bedigan, Mike (20 April 2023). "Rita Ora announces release date for third studio album You & I". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ^ Savage, Mark (3 February 2022). "Rita Ora signs record deal that lets her own her masters". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  8. ^ Skinner, Tom (19 April 2023). "Rita Ora announces new album and shares 'Praising You' featuring Fatboy Slim". NME. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  9. ^ Patrick, Holly (2 February 2023). "Rita Ora shares how marriage to Taika Waititi inspired new album". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  10. ^ Houghton, Cillea (13 July 2023). "Rita Ora Shares Personal Love Story on Upbeat New Album 'You & I'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  11. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (27 January 2023). "Rita Ora is back with 'You Only Love Me', her first new single of 2023". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b Harrison, Emma (14 July 2023). "Rita Ora – You & I". Clash. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  13. ^ a b Smyth, David (14 July 2023). "Rita Ora: You & I album review – All purpose pop lacks personal touch". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  14. ^ Solomon, Kate (14 July 2023). "Rita Ora, You & I, review: Her best album yet, but that's not saying much". i. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b Brown, Helen (14 July 2023). "Rita Ora's new album is safe, polished, and nothing special – review". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  16. ^ Power, Ed (14 July 2023). "Album review: Rita Ora takes inspiration from Fatboy Slim on You & I". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b Mylrea, Hannah (13 July 2023). "Rita Ora You and I review: pop giant plays it safe on diary-influenced third album". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  18. ^ Hall, James (15 July 2023). "Rita Ora masters the ballad, Mahalia is the voice of British RnB – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  19. ^ Z. Yeung, Neil. "Rita Ora - You & I". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  20. ^ Murphy, Lauren (21 July 2023). "Rita Ora: You & I – Romantic bliss and some baffling Fatboy Slim". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  21. ^ "You & I (Deluxe Edition)". Multiland.cz.
  22. ^ "You & I (Bonus Edition) Download". Rita Ora Online Store.
  23. ^ "Alben Top 75". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rita Ora – You & I" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rita Ora – You & I" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Top Physical Albums (Week 29, 2023)". SNEP. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rita Ora – You & I" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Irish Independent Albums Chart". Irish Recorded Music Association. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  29. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 14.07.2023–20.07.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Rita Ora – You & I". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rita Ora – You & I". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  35. ^ "You & I CD Album". Rita Ora Online Store. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  36. ^ "You & I Orange Vinyl". Warner Music Australia Store. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  37. ^ "You & I by Rita Ora on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  38. ^ "You & I Deluxe CD Zine". Rita Ora Online Store. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.