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British singer Rita Ora – along with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, and Charli XCX – has released what she hopes will be a bisexual anthem this week.
Ora’s new song “Girls” is about… loving girls “50/50.” The pop lyrics reference bisexuality and the chorus is fairly straightforward:
Sometimes, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls
Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls
Sometimes, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls
Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls
Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls
Ora told People that she hopes it’ll be a bisexual anthem: “I definitely want it to feel like it’s an anthem to somebody. I want there to be a sense of freedom for anyone who listens to it.”
But when the magazine asked Rita Ora if she’s bisexual or fluid, she said the question was “very narrow-minded.” “I don’t think that that even matters,” she said.
Some other singers, though, are pointing out that the lyrics might be too problematic for an anthem.
Actor and singer Hayley Kiyoko, who identifies as gay, posted a statement on Twitter. After saying that she supports artists “who are opening up more and more about their sexual identities,” she said that the lyrics left her with a “knot in [her] stomach” and are “tone-deaf.”
“A song like this just fuels the male gaze while marginalizing the idea of women loving women,” Kiyoko wrote.
She also took particular issue with the chorus and its reference to red wine. “I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life. This type of message is dangerous because it completely belittles and invalidates the very pure feelings of an entire community.”
