Tori Kelly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tori Kelly
Background information
Birth name Victoria Loren Kelly
Born December 14, 1992 (age 21)
Wildomar, California
Genres Pop, Soul, R&B
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, drums
Years active 2006present
Labels Capitol Records
Website torikellymusic.com
Victoria Loren "Tori" Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer and
songwriter.
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
o 1.1 19922009: Early life and career beginnings
o 1.2 2010present: American Idol, Handmade Songs, Foreword and Madison Square
Garden
2 Discography
o 2.1 Singles
o 2.2 EPs
o 2.3 Featured Songs
3 References
4 External links
Biography[edit]
19922009: Early life and career beginnings[edit]
Kelly, was born on December 14, 1992 in Wildomar, California. Her father is of Irish, Puerto
Rican, and Jamaican descent, and her mother has Irish, English, and German
ancestry.
[1]
Growing up, she was exposed to a variety of music by her parents. "I give them
a lot of credit for just playing all different genres, and no genre was off limits." she said,
when asked about her upbringing.
[2]
Kelly has appeared on the show Star Search. She
didn't win the contest, but later in 2004, she made an appearance on America's Most
Talented Kids, singing Christina Aguilera's "Keep on Singin' My Song" and won, beating out
singer and songwriter, Hunter Hayes. She made a second appearance on the show in the
Tournament of Champions, but lost to Antonio Pontarelli, a rock singer/songwriter/violinist.
She was signed to Geffen Records at the age of 12 but because of conflicting ideas, it was
mutually agreed for Tori to be released.
2010present: American Idol, Handmade Songs, Foreword and
Madison Square Garden[edit]
Kelly later auditioned for Season 9 of American Idol in Denver, Colorado and made it
through to Hollywood week but did not reach the "Top 24."
[3]
She stated in a phone
interview that after her elimination, she immediately began writing more songs and was
asked to take part in a youth version of the 1985 charity song "We Are the World" titled "We
Are the World: The Next Generation". Kelly has gained much attention since American Idol
with her covers on YouTube, and her channel has more than 700,000 subscribers and over
58 million views to date. When later asked about her first YouTube cover she said, "It was
just me in my bedroom, it was "The Only Exception" by Paramore and it wasn't even my
own guitar. I knew like... 3 chords".
[4]
Her most viewed cover is of Frank Ocean's "Thinkin
Bout You", with over 17 million views. These YouTube views have gained attention
from music blogs and The Ellen Show.
[5]
On May 1, 2012, she released her first
album, Handmade Songs, an EP with six songs. She called the EP a "warm up" to a full-
length album that's to come in the future.
[6]
In February 2013, Kelly released a single called
"Fill a Heart," which she wrote for the "Child Hunger Ends Here" campaign by ConAgra
Foods and Feeding America. The song was later performed by British boy band The
Wanted on Dancing With the Stars. In April 2013, Kelly performed at eight different venues
across continental U.S. for her "Fill a Heart" tour, helping out at the cities' food banks during
the day.
[7]
She's performed in venues such as the Troubador and the Roxy in Los Angeles,
the Gramercy Theater in New York, and Bush Hall in London. She has also been featured
in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Elle, and Glamour.
[8]
In September 2013, Kelly
announced on The Today Show that her new EP, titled Foreword, will be released on
October 22, 2013. Kelly was the sole supporting act to Ed Sheeran at Madison Square
Garden on November 1, 2013.
[9]
Today, Kelly is working with new manager, Scooter Braun,
to release her album and has worked with other artists including Pharrell and Ed Sheeran.