Cape Town – Singer Rita Ora and rapper Cardi B share a kiss in the new music for the controversial song Girls.
The song also features Bebe Rexha and Charli XCX who also make appearances in the video which is filled with glossy shots of women. The song and its lyrical content got a mixed reception when it was released in May.
Singer Hayley Kiyoko was a vocal critic and expressed her concerns about the pop song with a note on Instagram.
In the note Kiyoko said, the track offered a “tone-deaf” fantasy version of queer and lesbian relationships; she highlighted lyrics like: “Sometimes, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls / Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls,”.
Then the What I Need hit maker contrasted the lyrics with her lived reality saying: “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…We can and should do better.”
SEE HAYLEY KIYOKO’S FULL INSTAGRAM POST HERE:
Rita then issued an apology on Twitter saying: “I am sorry [sic] how I expressed myself in my song has hurt anyone,” adding: “I would never intentionally cause harm to other LGBTQ+ people or anyone.”
SEE THAT TWEET HERE:
The video obviously explores the same subject matter as the song.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR GIRLS HERE: