Tori Kelly sits down with Billboard News’ Rania Aniftos and opens up about her hospitalization, getting back on the road for her tour, releasing her self-titled ‘Tori’ EP, and more!
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00:00 ♪ I could be your shelter ♪
00:02 Like the crowd always has to sing that line.
00:04 Hey, I'm Tori Kelly and you're watching Billboard News.
00:07 (upbeat music)
00:10 - I'm Rania Nipdos with Billboard News
00:18 and I'm so excited to be here with the super talented,
00:21 the super beautiful Tori Kelly.
00:24 ♪ You know what ♪
00:26 ♪ This is your love song ♪
00:28 ♪ Don't you worry 'bout a thing ♪
00:32 ♪ Ooh, I'm missing you ♪
00:35 - Let's first, how are you feeling
00:37 after your hospitalization?
00:38 - I'm feeling good.
00:40 I'm actually feeling really good.
00:41 Totally caught me off guard.
00:42 It was a scary few days,
00:44 but I'm so happy that I had like a really good
00:48 support system around me.
00:49 I was mind blown by just all the love and support
00:52 that I got during that time.
00:52 - I mean, beyond fans, Beyonce sent you flowers?
00:56 - Beyonce, yes.
00:57 I got a lot of flowers, but when Beyonce's flowers showed up
01:00 it was like, oh yeah, those are obviously from Beyonce.
01:02 They were massive.
01:03 - I mean, healing of the body and soul.
01:05 - Seriously, yeah.
01:06 I was like, I'm good now, I'm good.
01:08 - I mean, but then you really did get back up
01:10 and then you went right on tour basically.
01:12 - It is honestly a dream come true.
01:14 I was looking forward to this tour for a while
01:17 and then I think now with everything that's happened
01:19 health wise too, I'm just even more grateful
01:22 and it feels even like more emotional being on stage now
01:25 and just not wanting to take a single second for granted.
01:28 - Yeah, and you released your EP Tori
01:30 and I love that you're calling it Tori.
01:32 How has it been reintroducing yourself, I guess,
01:35 to your fans?
01:36 - Yeah, it's been really fun.
01:38 I mean, my last full length album was even before 2020.
01:42 That album was a lot more, I think just sad
01:45 and I'd gone through a lot of things personally
01:47 with family and all these different things.
01:49 So, you know, growing from that, having a lot of healing,
01:53 being in love and just wanting to express that
01:56 and feeling this new wave of confidence come over me,
01:59 all of that I just put into the music
02:01 and hopefully you can hear that.
02:03 I think I'm in just this new place in my life
02:05 where I'm wanting to have a little more fun,
02:07 like experiment with sounds and style.
02:10 ♪ I'm the only one you know who'll take control ♪
02:14 ♪ I know you know ♪
02:15 - What is something throughout this process
02:18 of the past couple years growing as an artist and healing,
02:21 what is something that you've learned about yourself?
02:23 - Stepping into my 30s, which is crazy to say,
02:27 but it's like right when I turned 30,
02:28 there was something that just kind of clicked.
02:31 I just felt more empowered.
02:32 I was like able to say no to things more
02:35 and just not question myself as much
02:38 when it comes to, I think, my career
02:40 and just in my personal life too.
02:42 ♪ I've tried to run ♪
02:43 ♪ But to stay forever young ♪
02:45 ♪ Is a war that's never won ♪
02:46 ♪ And time is just way too strong ♪
02:50 - I worked with John Bellion,
02:51 who's an incredible songwriter.
02:53 - Talented is an understatement with that guy
02:55 'cause I was a fan of his for a long time
02:57 with just his artistry, like his artist stuff,
02:59 and over the years kind of heard his name
03:02 as a writer for other people.
03:04 I was like, oh, he's kind of killing it
03:06 for other people too.
03:07 So then when we met, it was this cool moment
03:09 where we just, I remember saying,
03:12 we should work together.
03:13 One of us said it and we were just like,
03:14 yeah, we should totally get in the studio.
03:16 And then all these years later
03:17 to have that actually come to life
03:19 and we're both in this place of our career,
03:21 I think where it just made sense.
03:24 And we got in the studio, I was like,
03:25 you have to do my whole album, please.
03:27 And he was like, yes, I'm down.
03:29 - Is there a song, I mean, like in general,
03:31 off your new EP that you've been loving particularly,
03:34 especially since you've been performing
03:36 every single night, basically.
03:37 - The one, it seems to be a fan favorite, is "Shelter."
03:42 Because I remember being in the studio
03:44 and literally having a conversation about like,
03:47 oh, this is gonna be the one live.
03:49 Like this is gonna be the one where
03:51 I can really get the crowd going with this song.
03:54 And so to be able to live that out
03:55 and have that be a reality
03:58 and just see people go nuts for that song has been cool.
04:00 - Is there a line that you like the most?
04:02 'Cause we want you to sing for us basically.
04:05 - The most fun part is like the obvious,
04:08 like, ♪ I could be your shelter ♪
04:11 Like the crowd always has to sing that line.
04:14 Yeah, it's just such a fun, proud song.
04:18 - Hey guys, it's Tori
04:19 and this is "The Only Exception" by Paramore.
04:21 - So how has it been being able to see
04:23 from this older generational perspective
04:25 of the evolution of social media and music?
04:27 - I mean, when TikTok started, I was like, what is this?
04:31 What are we doing?
04:32 And it just obviously blew up,
04:33 but it's like, I think pressure would be the wrong word.
04:36 It's more, I think like a fun challenge.
04:39 - I like that.
04:39 - Yeah, is what it is for me,
04:40 where it's like, okay, I don't fully get this yet,
04:43 but let me try to learn it.
04:44 And then, yeah, and then just have fun with it too.
04:46 I think that's what I try to remind myself of.
04:48 - Yeah, 'cause that, I think at the end of the day
04:50 is what social media is supposed to be.
04:52 And I mean, moving forward, your EP's out.
04:55 What's next, full album probably?
04:57 - Yeah.
04:58 - Yeah.
04:59 - I mean, there's definitely, what I'll say
05:01 is there's definitely more where this music came from.
05:04 I'm excited for people to hear what's coming.
05:07 - Thank you for joining me today.
05:09 - Thanks for having me.
05:10 (upbeat music)