''Tori'' (stylized as ''TORI.'') is the fifth studio album by American singer

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...

. It was released on April 5, 2024, through

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

and Beautiful Mind Records. It is her first studio album in four years, following ''

A Tori Kelly Christmas ''A Tori Kelly Christmas'' is the first Christmas album and the fourth studio album, by American singer Tori Kelly. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Schoolboy and Capitol Records. It is Kelly's first Christmas album, and was executi ...

'' (2020). The album features guest vocal performances from

Ayra Starr Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer. She was born in Cotonou, Benin. Ayra Starr began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before deciding to pursue ...

Kim Chae-won Kim Chae-won (; born August 1, 2000), is a South Korean singer. She is the leader of South Korean girl group Le Sserafim. She is also a former member of the reality competition series ''Produce 48's'' resulting girl group Iz*One in 2018. Ear ...

, and

Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his song "All Time Low," along with his writing and producing cred ...

Background

In March 2023, it was announced that Kelly had signed a recording contract with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. She began releasing tracks from her upcoming fifth album (including the singles "

Missin U "Missin U" is a song by American singer Usher. It was released by RCA Records on August 26, 2016 on for online streaming and for digital download. The record is taken from his eighth studio album, ''Hard II Love''. The song was written by Usher, R ...

", "Cut", and "Young Gun") before compiling them on an extended play of the same title, '' Tori'' (2023). In the fall of 2023, she embarked on the Take Control Tour in support of the EP. Kelly felt she had finished work on the album in early 2023 after several sessions with singer-songwriter

. However, she was inspired to write the lead single "High Water", after suffering a health emergency due to

blood clots A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of cr ...

in her legs and lungs that July. The track was released on February 9, 2024. She embarked on the Purple Skies Tour in support of the album, starting on April 12, 2024 in Ventura and concluding on May 3, 2024 in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

Artistry

''Tori.'' is an R&B and pop album which heavily borrows from

Y2K The year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, Y2K scare, millennium bug, Y2K bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error, or simply Y2K refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after ...

-inspired sounds. It features powerful vocals and upbeat production as a result of Kelly being in a "happy place" during the record's conception. She cited

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

, and

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

as influences.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer *All tracks are stylized in all lowercase letters. Sample credits * "Missin U" contains samples of "

Fill Me In "Fill Me In" is the debut solo single of British singer Craig David. It was released on 3 April 2000 as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' Born to Do It'' (2000). The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 9 April 200 ...

", written by

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger (UK band), Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ' ...

and Mark Hill, performed by David.

Personnel

Musicians *

– lead vocals, background vocals * Jason Cornet – programming, synthesizer (tracks 1–6, 9, 11–15); guitar (1–5, 7, 11–13, 15), bass (1, 5, 11, 15), background vocals (1, 2, 13, 14), drums (3, 11, 15) *

– background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4–7, 9, 13), programming (1, 2, 4–6, 9, 12–14) * Clyde Lawrence – background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 12, 14), synthesizer (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12–14), guitar (13), bass (1) *

Jordan Cohen Jordan Cohen (ג'ורדן כהן; born July 31, 1997) is an American-Israeli basketball player for Maccabi Haifa in the Israel Basketball Premier League, who plays the point guard position. Early life Cohen was born in Tarzana, California, and ...

– programming, synthesizer (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 9, 12–14); background vocals (1, 2),

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

(1), saxophone (5) * Jonny Koh – programming (track 1), guitar (5, 12, 13), synthesizer (5, 12) *

Jon Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...

– background vocals (track 1) * Jon Lampley – horns (track 1) * Johnny Simpson – background vocals (track 2) *

– background vocals (track 4) *

Mateus Asato Mateus Asato (December 29, 1993) is a guitarist from Campo Grande, Brazil. He rose to fame by posting videos of himself playing guitar on Instagram, and has since amassed over one million followers. He has toured with several pop stars as a gu ...

– guitar (tracks 6, 7) * Laura Metcalf –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

(track 8) * The Resonance Collective – strings (track 8) * Tomoko Akaboshi – violin (track 8) * Jeanine Cornet – trumpet (track 9) Technical *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

– mastering *

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...

– mixing * TenRoc –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

(tracks 1–9, 11–15) * Jordan Cohen – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12–14) * Jonny Koh – engineering (tracks 1, 5, 7, 8, 12), engineering assistance (2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14) * John Arbuckle – engineering (tracks 1, 7, 10, 13) * Peter Enriquez – engineering (track 8) * Bryce Bordone – engineering (tracks 10, 11, 15), engineering assistance (2, 4, 6, 9, 12–14)

References

{{authority control 2024 albums Tori Kelly albums Albums produced by Jon Bellion