British singer Rita Ora has made her arrival in Australia, touching down at Sydney Airport on Sunday in high spirits ahead of two major upcoming appearances. The 35-year-old pop icon, known for hits like "How We Do (Party)", is set to present an award at the prestigious Vogue Forces of Fashion event in Sydney this month, followed by a performance at the Formula 1 Grand Prix 2026 in Melbourne come March.
Airport Arrival in Casual Chic Style
Ora cut a casually chic figure upon arrival, sporting a fitted grey tank top layered beneath a striped, unbuttoned 'boyfriend shirt' that appeared reminiscent of something her husband, New Zealand director Taika Waititi, might wear. She kept comfort at the forefront with black track pants and classic white Nike sneakers, while shielding her famous face with designer sunglasses and pinning her blonde hair back under a black and white bandana.
The singer accessorised with multiple pieces of gold jewellery and wore minimal makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through. The finishing touch to her airport ensemble was a luxurious AUD $28,000 Hermès Birkin bag in black leather, adding a touch of high fashion to her relaxed travel look.
Reflections on Stepmotherhood and Family Life
This Australian visit comes after Ora recently opened up about her personal life, describing becoming a stepmother to Waititi's two daughters as a "real eye opener." The singer married the director and actor in a secret 2022 ceremony, becoming stepmother to his daughters Te Kāinga o te Hīnēkāhu, 13, and Matewa Kiritapu, nine.
In a candid interview with The Sun, Ora revealed she finds the stepmother role "easy" but confessed it has fundamentally changed her perspective. "I have to say it's been a real eye-opener to understand that sometimes there's more to life than what you care about in that moment," she explained. "I've realised there's so much more, so [becoming a stepmother] did give me that."
Family Dynamics and Daily Routines
The singer described their family mornings as collaborative affairs, saying: "We wake up, we work out together with the kids running on the treadmills, it's a family affair." Waititi shares his two children with ex-wife Chelsea Winstanley, from whom he separated in 2018 after seven years of marriage.
The Foundation of Her Marriage
Last year, Ora offered rare insight into her marriage during a photoshoot for Hunger magazine, crediting their strong friendship as the cornerstone of their romantic relationship. "Taika and I are basically just best friends and we wanted to just live in that element forever, I guess," she told the publication.
The couple's relationship timeline reveals a foundation built on friendship first. They were close friends for five years before beginning to date in March 2021, going public with their romance that August. Their low-key Los Angeles wedding in August 2022 wasn't confirmed until a year later, with Ora telling Grazia they "winged with zero planning."
Reflecting on finding the right relationship after what she described as her "messy twenties," Ora said that when she and Waititi got together, it finally felt "right and safe." This sense of security and friendship appears to have created the stable foundation from which she now approaches both her family life and her continuing music career.
As Ora prepares for her Australian engagements, she brings with her not just her musical talent but a renewed perspective on life shaped by her roles as wife, stepmother, and enduring pop star.
