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Rita Ora braved the cold in a racy outfit as she performed at Ischgl’s Top of the Mountain Opening Concert in Austria recently.
Proving she wasn’t going to let a little cold weather ruin her stylish appearance, the British singer-songwriter, 35, flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a tiny leopard print waistcoat and a pair of mini leather shorts.
Adding a few layers to her daring display, the I Will Never Let You Down hitmaker sported a luxurious faux fur coat, worn open to showcase her taut abs and a fake sun tattoo, as well as a pair of black tights.
She completed her look with black knee-high boots, statement rings and oversized tinted glasses as she performed her new song All Natural as well as some of her classics, including Your Song, to tens of thousands of excited fans at the open air concert.
Following the event, the singing sensation delighted fans after they noticed her and her supportive husband, New Zealand filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi, on their easyJet flight from Innsbruck, the closest airport to Ischgl.
The popstar sat at the front of the plane, wearing a face mask and bandana. A passenger on the flight told The Daily Mail: ‘She clearly didn’t want to be noticed, she kept adjusting her head scarf and mask, trying to hide herself, and was slouched in her chair.’
Rita’s performance on Saturday, November 29 celebrated the opening weekend of the ski season at Ischgl, dubbed the Ibiza of the Alps and famous for the most boisterous apres-ski party scene in Austria.
With a marketing slogan of ‘Relax. If you can’, the ski resort village, in western Austria’s Paznaun Valley, is renowned for its nightlife, offering luxury hotels like the five-star, adult-only Elizabeth Arthotel, and the extravagant Hotel Solaria.
The destination – home to the 239km Silvretta Arena ski area which extends across the Swiss border – has become something of a celebrity hotspot thanks to its famed start and end-of-season Top of the Mountain concerts.
Attracting a host of A-listers in the past 30 years, the likes of Tina Turner, Elton John, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry and Diana Ross have performed, while guests have included Paris Hilton, Nicole Scherzinger and Naomi Campbell.
It was this spectacular list of past performers – especially one in particular – that likely attracted Rita to Ischgl’s famed stage.
In a press conference ahead of her performance, the singing sensation said: ‘I know the history of the place, and you know, so many amazing artists have been here, and so I’m really excited to be a part of this incredible roster of amazing artists.
‘I’m so honored. I mean, this is a very iconic place. There’s a lot of history… I’m happy to make a memory here tonight.’
Asked which artist from previous years she was most excited to learn had performed at Ischgl, Rita revealed: ‘For me, I loved that Tina Turner was here.
‘We share the same birthday, and so, I kind of feel connected to her, even though I’ve never met her. But she’s one of my biggest idols, so I would probably go with Tina Turner, but you know, Katy Perry, and there’s so many people that have been here.’
The Let You Love Me hitmaker also opened up about feeling nervous before her performance, where she hoped ‘people already have had a few drinks by the time I come on stage and so we really just all can celebrate’.
‘My songs are very positive, uplifting,’ she added about her concert, before saying: ‘I think just expect a good time, great music.’
Discussing how she deals with her nerves, she continued: ‘I’m really nervous, actually, right now. I think a lot of hair and makeup and, you know, character building.’
‘I’ve been through so much, I would say publicly, personally… and I’ve learned a lot, but every time from those sort of moments, I’ve grown,’ Rita said.
‘And I think now I’m at a point, obviously, where I’m not sort of a kid anymore, and I’ve really grown into understanding who I am, but I had to learn that publicly, and so I’m just really happy I’m still able to do shows and be here and put out records and make films now and just kind of do different things and expand myself and challenge myself.’
On the topic of challenging herself, Rita said her latest album, set to be released in 2026 following the launch of her single All Natural, is a ‘very different record’ because she knew she ‘needed to change something’.
She said: ‘There is a beautiful, in my opinion, very different record coming out next year. Very honest, very open. I’ve really dug into my songwriting.’
Explaining that she’d worked in the studio with new people on the album, she revealed: ‘I was just experimenting. Honestly. I walked in, I had no idea what I was doing, [but] that was sort of the joy.
‘I knew that I needed to change something, and so I’ve been trying out a lot of different things.’
She added: ‘My whole record is based on a feeling. The word I’ve been using is head rush. So it’s as if you’ve just sort of gotten up and you’re like, whoa, what was that? Almost like a slushie, and you get, like a brain freeze. That’s the feeling I would give it.’
But while Rita admitted to ‘experimenting’ with her latest album – she insisted she wouldn’t use artificial intelligence (AI) to help her, dubbing it ‘scary’.
‘I sometimes use it, and I ask questions. Nothing with my art, but things that I need to learn about,’ she explained.
‘Like today, I asked, “How do you make the Guinness Rum Punch?” It was very insightful, and I learned how to do that.
‘But, you know, with music, and I think with lyrics, I’ve never depended on… never… I don’t really look at my phone when I’m in the studio.
‘To be honest, I’m just kind of writing, and I think to make it personal, I don’t know if that’s going to be the best thing, but there is some great use in it, I have to say. You know, pros and cons, like everything… balance.’
In the wide-ranging interview, Rita revealed she came from an ‘adventurous, dreamy’ family, who she doesn’t ‘get to see as much because of all the travel’.
She also shared how after the concert she would ‘celebrate’ her birthday, that she marked on the 26 November with a ‘beautiful, beautiful evening’.
‘Just with my friends. Nothing crazy,’ she confessed. ‘Now I can really celebrate after the show, because I hear that’s what a lot of people do.’
She added: ‘I do enjoy celebrating after work, you know, like drinks. My whole team is here, and I think we’re all going to have a great time.’
However, she insisted that before a performance she was ‘pretty boring’ and would ‘get up, smell the fresh air, especially when you have this chance’ and ‘exercise’.
Asked whether she would be skiing while at the resort, Rita said: ‘I enjoy skiing and, you know, winter sports, it’s not what I’ve been sort of raised and grown up doing.
‘I’m more of a football girl myself, but I like supporting everybody that does the skiing, [sitting] around with the rosé and the Aperol Spritz and the music as well, and just kind of cheering people on from the sides is more my thing.’
Rita was just the latest in a roster of stars who have enjoyed the delights of Ischgl, and with nightclubs, spas and a Michelin-starred restaurant, it’s perhaps no wonder the resort has become increasingly popular.
Boasting a slope height of 1,377-2,864m and 46 ski lifts, the area attracts thousands of partygoers from all over the world each winter season.
For a charming, small village that used to rely on farming before becoming a sought-after hub for tourists from the likes of Britain, Germany and The Netherlands, the area features a wealth of different attractions.
Those searching for a party need look no further than the Schatzi Bar, found at the bottom of one of the main ski lifts, and always alive with the buzz of club classics and lively guests enjoying a tipple or two.
Hoping for a more sophisticated time, visitors can also enjoy a drink at the Elizabeth Arthotel’s new panoramic rooftop terrace, or dine at the impressive two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Stüva.
Chef Benjamin Parth serves modern Alpine cuisine, with his four- to seven-course set menu, for example, featuring an array of fish and meat dishes that use the finest of ingredients and rely on elegant flavours, such as fresh sole, truffle and artichoke cream.
After skiing and partying, tourists can relax at the resort’s Silvretta Therme. Opened for 2022/23, this thermal spa, a €75million investment by the Silvretta Cable Car Company, has five floors, and includes a large sauna area, fitness centre and ice rink.
Visitors are often so impressed with the offerings at Ischgl (https://www.ischgl.com/en/winter) that many return year after year, with some having travelled to the town in Tyrol for decades.
An American, from Texas but working in Germany, detailed how he often visited the resort, while others regularly stay at the Elizabeth Arthotel each winter to take in the snowy sights and the fabulous, unique artwork featured at the hotel.
But it’s not only tourists that are entranced with the village; locals speak about the charming area with an enormous amount of pride.
One guide revealed how she’d never want to live anywhere else – despite having travelled to Italy, Switzerland and Greece, while another person working at the resort but originally from Germany detailed how he wanted to keep returning to the town.
And it seems the location of Ischgl has no plans on slowing down; in May, Christina Aguilera will close the season when she takes over the Top of the Mountain Concert.
Thousands of tourists and locals alike will join the singer on the mountain as she performs some of her classic hits like Genie In A Bottle and Moves like Jagger.
And, more often that not, that won’t be their last visit to a place that quickly becomes a favourite, a must-have and a special place in people’s hearts.
