The controversy surrounding Rita Ora’s “Girls,” featuring Cardi B, Charli XCX, and Bebe Rexha doesn’t seem to be dying
down. The song’s lyrics — “Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls” — have come under heavy scrutiny from fans, critics, and other artists. Hayley Kiyoko released a statement about the song’s “dangerous message,” while Kehlani called the track’s lyrics “awkward.” In the face of mounting disdain for the song’s message, Cardi B shared an apology on Twitter.
“We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song,” Cardi said. “I personally myself had experiences with other woman, shiieeett with a lot of [women]! I though the song was a good song and I remember my experience.”
She Tweeted out:
Listen to “GIRLS” by Rita Ora ft me BebeRexha charli_xcx .We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song .I personally myself had experiences with other woman ,shiieeett with a lot of woman ! I though the song was a good song and i remember my experience .
The Invasion of Privacy rapper later described her journey of becoming a better ally to the LGBTQ+ community by recognizing her past mistakes.
“I know I have [used] words before that I wasn’t aware that they are offensive to the LGBT community,” Cardi continued. “I apologize for that. Not everybody knows the correct ‘terms’ to use. I learned and I stopped using it.”
Cardi isn’t the first artist to apologize for how “Girls” was received. On Monday (May 14), Rita issued a statement and explained that the song was written about her romantic experience with a woman.
“‘Girls’ was written to represent my truth and is an accurate account of a very real and honest experience in my life,” Ora wrote. “I have had romantic relationships with women and men throughout my life and this is my personal journey. I am sorry how I expressed myself in my song has hurt anyone. I would never intentionally cause harm to other LGBTQ+ people or anyone.”
