Who’s that girl? You should be familiar by now, but in case you’re out of the loop, Complex decided to take a chance and put a new rising star on cover opposite G.O.O.D. Music. Talk about pressure. We’ve been covering young Rita Ora for a bit now on Missinfo.TV, and we think she’s on the brink of breaking out. Music journalist OG Rob Kenner (the man was VIBE when they dropped the first issue) wrote a beautiful editorial on shorty’s journey to the Roc and some insight into her tomboy-ish personality.

“I’m like a dude,” Rita says, despite ample evidence to the contrary. “Jordans are my favorite. I wear them all the time for shows. I can get girly-girly when I want to, but I can’t perform in heels. I would bust my face open on stage and we don’t want that.”

Read more from Complex’s cover story and check out exclusive photos from the cover spread after the jump…

Back at Emirates Stadium, Rita’s on stage performing her song “Roc the Life,” which she wrote with The-Dream. “Put your diamonds in the air / You can hate this all you want / But Roc is everywhere.” Putting her Jordans to the test, Rita runs back and forth, covering every inch of Coldplay’s stage, jumping in the air to emphasize key lines. Her voice rings out strong and her energy connects, even in this cavernous venue. “She’s so good at getting everyone involved and emotionally invested in her performance,” says Elena, who’s been watching the action from the opposite end of the stadium. “They have a good time ’cause she’s having so much fun.”

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“When I first got signed I was this random girl from London,” she recalls. “I was thinking my whole world was going to be turned around. I thought I was gonna be on Oprah next week with a new single. Three years later I’m just starting to come out. I wanted to release everything I’d ever recorded, but I was lucky enough to have someone like Jay to say, ‘This isn’t good enough. You have to find yourself.’ It was the best advice he could have given me—to be patient.”

“Everyone thought that Rihanna and I hated each other, but the whole thing was created by the media.”

Related:
New Music: Rita Ora “Roc the Life”
Rita Ora Rocks Intimate VEVO Lift NYC Concert (Video)