She is an award-winning singer with a slew of hit records under her belt.
But Kelly Rowland found herself overshadowed by young pretender Rita Ora on Wednesday night - albeit in the fashion stakes.
All eyes were on Rita as she sashayed down the red carpet in a striking outfit at the fourth Annual ELLE Women in Music Celebration in New York.
The
young pretender: Rita Ora cut a striking figure in floppy black hat and
smart black and white suit, dwarfing Kelly Rowland's ensemble at the
fourth Annual ELLE Women in Music Celebration in New York on Wednesday
The
22-year-old singer sported a large black floppy hat and matching black
and white suit complete with a train feature at the back.
A slick of red lipstick and blue manicured fingernails added a pop of colour to the monochrome outfit.
Kelly looked a little more casual in a pair of leather trousers and a white top with pink diamanté detail.
She also sported a wrist full of sparkly pink bracelets and a chunky ring to match.
Leather legs: Kelly sported clinging black trousers, a white T-shirt and black and silver strappy heels for the event
Kelly performed at the event and Rita certainly seemed to enjoy the show.
'Roc'in out to Kelly!' she wrote on her Twitter account alongside a snapshot of herself in the audience. 'Thank you for having me elleusa.'
The event takes place annually and celebrates women in rock.
This year, Rita, Adele and Alicia Keys Grace three separate cover of the glossy for the May 2013 special issue.
Rita also took the stage, although changed into yet another striking ensemble for her performance.
Rock the microphone: Kelly will relase her next studio album Talk a Good Game in the summer
Rita, who is also famous in the U.S. for having dated Rob Kardashian, is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.
The British star recently revealed she was 'broken and hurt' by her early experiences in the music industry.
Going for gold: Rita changed into a champagne coloured dress with metallic net-like overlay as she performed
Something in common: Rita, who formerly dated Rob Kardashian, poses with another of his exes, Adrienne Bailon, seen right with
'During my journey I got signed at the age of 14 and people told me these things that just fall through,' she told the National Citizen Service (NCS). 'Yeah, I was broken, upset and hurt.
'It's all about self-belief in this industry especially because you never know what the next door to open will be, you never know what your next track is going to do or what your album's going to sell,' she added. 'It's very unpredictable.
'But I always believed in myself. I always believed that one day I was meant to do this, someone would hear me. Self-belief is kind of the main thing if you want to get on, especially in this industry full of sharks.'
Showing
some skin: Model Jessica White flashed her toned tummy and showed off
her extremely slim arms, while designer Marissa Webb wore a white suit
over black shirt
But Kelly Rowland found herself overshadowed by young pretender Rita Ora on Wednesday night - albeit in the fashion stakes.
All eyes were on Rita as she sashayed down the red carpet in a striking outfit at the fourth Annual ELLE Women in Music Celebration in New York.
A slick of red lipstick and blue manicured fingernails added a pop of colour to the monochrome outfit.
Kelly looked a little more casual in a pair of leather trousers and a white top with pink diamanté detail.
She also sported a wrist full of sparkly pink bracelets and a chunky ring to match.
Tipping her hat: Rita sported bright red lipstick, and blue nail varnish, adding a splash of colour to her ensemble
Glum: Kelly looked a little sombre while Martha Wainwright and Rita shared a laugh
The trio posed with folk singer Martha Wainwright who wore a T-shirt which seemed to allude to her older brother Rufus. Kelly performed at the event and Rita certainly seemed to enjoy the show.
'Roc'in out to Kelly!' she wrote on her Twitter account alongside a snapshot of herself in the audience. 'Thank you for having me elleusa.'
Thinking
pink: Kelly showed off her sparkly pink accessories with a wrist of
bracelets and a chunky ring to match her T-shirt detail
Dynamic trio: the singers' outfits seemed to co-ordinate quite well with Martha's long grey skirt matching Rita's monochrome
Kelly
also seemed to have a good time, tweeting: 'Such a great night partying
w/ @ElleMagazine at the Women in Music event! #NYC'The event takes place annually and celebrates women in rock.
This year, Rita, Adele and Alicia Keys Grace three separate cover of the glossy for the May 2013 special issue.
Rita also took the stage, although changed into yet another striking ensemble for her performance.
Songstress: Kelly took to the stage to perform at the event
Mini-reunion: Kelly's new album features a track with Destiny's Child bandmates Beyonce and Michelle Williams
Sporting
a pale champagne coloured dress complete with gold net-style overlay,
the star gave an intense performance while perching on a stool on stage.
Rita, who is also famous in the U.S. for having dated Rob Kardashian, is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.
The British star recently revealed she was 'broken and hurt' by her early experiences in the music industry.
Honoured:
Rota is one of three stars who feature on separate Elle covers to mark
the magazine's annual women in music celebration
All together now: From left, Adrienne, Kelly, creative director of Elle Joe Zee, Rita, Bridget and La La Anthony
'During my journey I got signed at the age of 14 and people told me these things that just fall through,' she told the National Citizen Service (NCS). 'Yeah, I was broken, upset and hurt.
'It's all about self-belief in this industry especially because you never know what the next door to open will be, you never know what your next track is going to do or what your album's going to sell,' she added. 'It's very unpredictable.
'But I always believed in myself. I always believed that one day I was meant to do this, someone would hear me. Self-belief is kind of the main thing if you want to get on, especially in this industry full of sharks.'