Ahead of the Nov. 23 release of her long-awaited second studio album Phoenix, Rita Ora is showing her fans that she is capable of more than just pop jams. Today (Nov. 15), Ora has released her new single “Velvet Rope,” a smooth, slowed-down R&B jam about a scorned ex-lover left wondering how her relationship collapsed.
Gone are the thundering beats and synthesized melodies of the 27-year-old singer’s previous songs, now replaced with a simple piano melody, a chorus of background singers and Ora’s own vocal prowess.
“Where did it go, the love that we shared?/Guess we’ll never know/Is it hidden behind that velvet rope?/While I’m standing alone out in the cold/Where did you go?” she croons on the new track.
Listen to “Velvet Rope” below.