Meaning of “Soul Survivor” by Rita Ora
“Soul Survivor” is a 2018 track by noted British singer and songwriter Rita Ora. In “Soul Survivor”, Ora addresses someone who not only wronged her but also tried destroying her career. She tells them that despite all their diabolic intentions of ruining her, she’s still standing tall. She “made it through the fire” they planted on her path and survived.
What Rita Ora has said about “Soul Survivor”
Speaking with NYLON magazine, Ora threw substantial light on the song’s meaning. According to her, the song is about being in that hopeless situation where you feel as though everything is over. However, just at that point, you begin telling yourself that you can make it.
But who is “Soul Survivor” directed at?
It is directed at Jay Z’s record label Roc Nation. Ora was signed to Roc Nation in 2008 but left them in 2016 after a severe legal dispute that lasted about six months. According to her, the label discriminated against her and tried suppressing her success as an artist. Throughout her years of being a signee of Roc Nation, Ora released only one album through the label. The album in question was her 2012 debut studio album titled Ora.
Facts about “Soul Survivor”
- Ora penned this vengeful anthem along with three other songwriters. The writers are Georgia Ku, Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen. The latter two are members of StarGate. StarGate is a songwriting/production duo from Norway.
- Aside co-writing “Soul Survivor”, StarGate also produced it.
- The song was released by Ora’s new label, Atlantic Records UK on November 23, 2018.
- During her NYLON interview, Ora revealed that the song’s title was initially “Sole Survivor” instead of “Soul Survivor”. However, since she felt it was much easier to relate to the latter than the former, she settled for the latter.
- Rita first teased this song during her The Girls Tour. The tour lasted from 11th May, 2018 to 6th October, 2018.
Below is a clip of Ora performing “Soul Survivor” live on 18th May, 2018 in Brixton, London:
On which Rita Ora album can “Soul Survivor” be found? And was it released as a single?
First of all, this track wasn’t released as a single. It can be found on Ora’s second studio album which goes by the title Phoenix. However, it only appears on the deluxe version of that album. The songs “Cashmere” and “Let You Love Me” also appear on Phoenix.
