Artist You Should Know: Tori Kelly

Artist+You+Should+Know%3A+Tori+Kelly

Erika Gonzales

Tori Kelly was born in Temecula, California and raised by a family of musicians who inspired her to pursue a career in the media. Her father is a bassist and her mother plays the piano and saxophone. Her other inspirations to make music came from gospel singers such as Crystal Lewis, Jill Scott, Jeff Buckley, and Maxwell.

Kelly gained the public’s attention with her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ about You”, reaching over 25 million views on her YouTube channel. She auditioned for American Idol Season 9 and passed through Hollywood week but did not reach Top 24. Although devastated, she released her EP Handmade Songs, which she produced in her bedroom, on May 1, 2012, which ranked in the top 20 albums of the Heatseekers charts, selling 14,000 copies.

In 2013, Kelly signed with the record label, Capitol Records, and released her second EP Foreword, sold more than 16,000 copies, and ranked top 20 on the Billboard 200 charts. On June 23, 2015, Kelly released her full-length album Unbreakable Smile, which she co-wrote with Toby Gad, Wolf Cousins, and Ed Sheeran. Her album eventually ranked No. 2 in the Billboard Charts.

Since her debut, Kelly held three concert tours: Fill a Heart Tour (2013), Where I Belong Tour (2015), and Unbreakable Tour (2016). Overall, she performed in 32 sold-out concerts from New York, L.A., to London.

According to Nielsen Music, Kelly’s songs and albums combined have sold 1.5 million copies in the United States. Her YouTube channel has 1,526,026 subscribers, accumulating 110 million views.

She performed at well-known award shows such as MTV EMA’s, VMA’s Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, and, recently, the GRAMMY’s where she was nominated for Best New Artist.

From just a California girl with big dreams making music in her bedroom to a rising solo artist, she truly inspires other aspiring musicians to let their music be heard.

Recommended Songs:

◦Hollow

◦Unbreakable Smile

◦Dear No One

◦Paper Hearts

◦Should’ve Been Us

◦Funny

◦I Was Made For Loving You ft. Ed Sheeran