“I think because my fans and I have been doing it for a while we’ve had this connection— since the earlier Youtube days, even when I was posting stuff on Myspace. They’ve had time to learn my personality, I get to learn their personality and we click on a lot of different levels.” Her dedication doesn’t falter— the relationship extends beyond the music to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat... you name it; she’s got it covered. And the rising exposure doesn’t phase her, it never has. “As things grew even more and I got signed and got to put out more music I remember specifically thinking I cannot lose this connection that I have with my fans,” says Tori. “Just because things are rolling, I’m still going to tweet the same, I’m still going to post on Instagram. I wanna keep all that because if I lose it, what’s the point of doing it all?” She’s wise beyond her years, that comes without a shock. And despite her unwavering work ethic (did I mention her first EP was written, produced, and recorded singlehandedly from her bedroom?), she’s no stranger to the lazy Sunday. She’s a SoCal girl, so her idea of down time calls for fun out on the water wake boarding. Even Mario Kart— “I can get down with some Mario Kart, too,” she laughs. And while I am intrigued by what a fierce competitor she must be outside of the studio, I want to know more about what goes on in the studio and the music that’s found its way onto so many playlists. As someone who’s been around for many years, it is no surprise she had some setbacks early on in her career. The process for Tori, though, has been natural, an organic growth as she calls it— not an overnight sensation. She’s worked long and hard to earn her place in the industry and one thing Tori stresses about her road to success is the process, crediting her fans for keeping the wheels rolling
all this time. “They’re the ones soaking it all up, coming to shows, creating that buzz for me.” The buzz has to start somewhere, though— and as a writer myself, I’m curious about Tori’s story. She writes all of her own music, always inspired by events in her own life. Sharing one’s self is hard enough, but producing hit songs has to be just as much a challenge. Although I’d wager she has the process down pat, she agrees the studio can be slightly intimidating. “There’s something about my bedroom that I grew up in, I feel really vulnerable,” she tells me about her go to writing spot. “When you walk into the studio, you’re kinda pressured to come out with a song at the end of the day. There’s something about sitting in my own room I’m free to do whatever I want. I usually get the best stuff out of those moments.” She even wrote a few songs for her debut album Unbreakable Smile in her room, which comes out June 23rd. As for her North American tour, fans can expect nothing less than Tori’s best. She’s planning to make each performance different from the one before, all the while revealing her new music for every crowd. “I’m going to have my band with me, who’s amazing, and I also strip it down and do a little acoustic set,” she explains about the Where I Belong Tour. “I’m back and forth with the guitar and without the guitar. It’s a lot of new music that I’m playing, and it’s cool because [fans] don’t know the songs yet.” If the tour is anything like her BBMA performance, which John Legend dubbed “the vocal performance of the night,” fans are truly in for something special. With buzz like that, Tori Kelly has the perfect momentum she needs going forward with not only her tour, but her career.
local wolves magazine // 59