Do you all remember that really shy elephant with the voice of an angel from Dreamworks’s 2016 movie “Sing”? Well, that elephant’s name was Meena, and that sweet soprano register is Grammy-award-winning Tori Kelly. If you aren’t already familiar with the artist, it’s not too late to start.
Set to release on April 5th, Tori Kelly has announced her new album “TORI”. The capitalized title will emphasize the singer’s ambitious and creative craftsmanship as she continues her music legacy.
In 2023, Kelly released a 7-track EP titled “tori”. The lowercase enunciation is just a teaser for her fans who waited years for Kelly to experiment with her music. The self-titled EP played with remnants of the Y2K aesthetic back when it was still alive and running.
Filled with 90s and early 00s teen pop mixed with contemporary hyper synth-pop, the fluid EP is loved but short. Kelly had fully evolved channeling the greats like Aaliyah, but establishing her new direction similar to PinkPanthress and Ariana Grande.
The self-titled fifth studio album is set to expand on the earlier 2023 EP. The full-length project will demonstrate techniques and flexibility to conjure the new character that is Tori Kelly. Along with the announcement of the album is her new single “high water”.
“Something is comin’ in the mornin’/If I can make it through the night”
The track continues to shine into Kelly’s enthusiastic anthemic lyricism. Touching on dealing with troubles and pushing past them, Kelly opens up her heart at the start of this new era. Establishing her personal life but reaching to her fans through this production rebrand.
“I have been working on my next album for the last few years, exploring new sounds & expressing so many different sides of myself… ‘high water’ is about simply holding on and believing that there will be light at the end of the tunnel,” Kelly stated.
The new album from Kelly hopes to transform preconceived notions from the gospel-esque vocalist. For those of us who have followed her since her early days from Youtube and American Idol see that shy elephant archetype. “TORI” is Kelly’s moment to shine and push to be a staple singer in the mainstream.
