About Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She first gained recognition on YouTube before making it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of American Idol in 2010 and eventually releasing her debut EP, Handmade Songs .
In 2013, Kelly signed with Capitol Records and released her first major-label EP Foreword which reached top 20 on the US Billboard 200. She followed with her debut studio album Unbreakable Smile , which peaked at number two and garnered the singles "Nobody Love", "Should've Been Us" and "Hollow" which marked her first three appearances on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kelly released her second studio album, Hiding Place , to critical acclaim and won two Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song. She followed with Inspired by True Events , A Tori Kelly Christmas , and later signed to Epic Records and released Tori . Outside of music, Kelly has voiced Meena in the Sing franchise and competed on The Masked Singer. She has received numerous accolades including a BET Award, two Billboard Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and a GMA Dove Award.
Victoria Loren Kelly was born in Wildomar, California. Her father, Allwyn, is of Jamaican and Puerto Rican ancestry, while her mother, Laura, is of Irish and German descent. She has a younger brother named Noah. 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. Kelly is a Christian. Faith plays a part in her songwriting, though she does not consider herself a part of the Christian music genre. Kelly appeared on the show Star Search, but lost to vocalist Tiffany Evans, who won the title of Junior Champion in the junior singer division.
In 2004, she participated on America's Most Talented Kids, singing Christina Aguilera's "Keep on Singin' My Song" and won, beating out musician Hunter Hayes. She made a second appearance on the show in the Tournament of Champions, but lost to Antonio Pontarelli, a rock musician. At age twelve, Kelly accepted a record deal with Geffen Records, but both sides agreed to end the contract due to creative differences. In 2007, Kelly began posting videos to YouTube, at the age of 14. The first video she uploaded was a cover of John Wesley Work Jr.'s "Go Tell It on the Mountain", which she originally performed back in December 2004. Kelly gained recognition for her acoustic cover, with a fellow YouTuber named Angie Girl, of Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You".
Despite failing to reach the top 24 on American Idol, she took a new tack in her music, learning how to play the guitar, composing original song pieces, and recording them herself on her computer. Tori began posting her performances on YouTube, and quickly reached over 1,000,000 subscribers.
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