Music

Calvin Harris Cockblocked Ex-Girlfriend Rita Ora at Last Night’s Teen Choice Awards

He might be sexy, but you may want to think twice before dating Calvin Harris, especially if you are a pop star.

After first displaying his penchant for the tactless in early June with a break-up tweet to then-girlfriend, pop singer and Jay Z protégé Rita Ora, Harris followed up by denying her a scheduled Teen Choice Awards performance. Just two days before the show he pulled the songwriter card and stopped Ora from performing “I Will Never Let You Down.” The irony is cringe-worthy. 

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To address speculation – myself and Rita ended our relationship some time ago. She is a beautiful, talented woman & I wish her all the best

June 6, 2014

Although we’re generally skeptical of the Daily Mail, they’ve come through with an insider source on the matter, who said that Ora was, “forced to pull out of her performance at Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards after Harris refused to allow her to perform their song ‘I Will Never Let You Down.’” The source then described Ora as “heartbroken” and devastated.”

Harris wrote and produced the song for Ora, and therefore controls the publishing and performing rights to it, but turning down the potential royalties earn from a television apperance may just show an unyielding desire for control. (After all, you don’t become Forbes’ 21st most powerful celebrity, without crushing a few less fortunate.) The whole thing could just as easily be unfounded gossip and more fuel for the flames of publicity both Ora and Harris have quietly encouraged throughout their romance.

The Ora/Harris relationship was long-rumored to have been a setup, brokered by their managers, who share an office in Los Angeles, when Harris was in another relationship and Ora was eager to establish her celebrity profile. Right after the breakup announcement, there was speculation that Ora’s sophomore album was in jeopardy because Harris decided to give the music he originally gave to her to someone else. “Rita’s album has hit a bit of a road block after Calvin pulled all the songs he had worked on for the project before they split,” Perez Hilton reported. “He’d made a lot of songs for her but they’re now likely to go to other artists”

This isn’t the first time Harris has gone a little control-freak over a song he wrote. In 2007, he wrote “Off and On” with Róisín Murphy for her second album, Overpowered, but gave it to Sophie Ellis-Bextor when the cut didn’t make the final tracklisting.  “…Róisín decided not to use [the song] because she is a bit mental,” Harris told Pop Justice at the time, before adding. “WELL! I’m not allowed to do anything with them for legal reasons. I now have two backing tracks that are completely wasted. Geez! What else Róisín—are you going pay my bill now, you twat? She fucking cost me all sorts of money and now she’s not even using the songs. Honestly, the world of pop music—I don’t like it at all.” 

In response, when asked about Harris for Boyz Magazine Murphy said, “No comment. It’s not very fair on him to have stuff said about him.” Taking the high road she added, “He’s young. He shouldn’t have [said things about me]. But I’m not going to blame him for it.”

The irony is of the world’s most successful dance-pop crossover DJ/producer once disdaining the world of pop music, only to be embroiled in its drama again is perhaps ripe for futher commentary. For the moment, Ora is finding less love and more of a hopeless place.

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