Tori Kelly is ready to take control.
In late July, it was quite the opposite when the 30-year-old world-renowned singer went through a life-changing experience that left her very much out of control.
While out having dinner with friends, Kelly felt her heart begin to race. She later lost consciousness and fainted at the table.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning artist was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was cared for in the intensive care unit when doctors discovered potentially life-threatening blood clots throughout her body, in her legs and near her lungs and heart.
“It was definitely an overwhelming experience and, you know, just a whirlwind,” Kelly explained to The Post. “But I’m really glad to be just on the other side of it.”
After her recovery, the “Alive If I Die” singer refocused on the one thing she was arguably placed on this planet for: the music.
On July 28, just days after her hospitalization, the multi-platinum artist released her self-titled EP “Tori” via Epic Records, which promised to show her most authentic, confident and charismatic self.
“By me continuing to put out the music on that date that was already set was so cool for me just because I was able to see the responses from the music and continue to get that support and love and have something to focus on as I was recovering,” she explained.
The seven-track project is the singer’s first since her 2020 quarantine EP “Solitude” and 2019’s full-length “Inspired by True Events.”
In support of her new music, the singer is embarking on an intimate nine-date North American tour. With an opening show at the Axis Club in Toronto on September 10, she will go on to perform in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and tonight at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. At the show she plans to thank her fans for all their love and support during her recent medical crisis.
Here, in an exclusive interview with The Post, the singer discusses the importance of “The Take Control Tour” after her medical crisis, her new look, new era and her hopes for the future.
What inspired the name for “The Take Control Tour?”
It’s a direct lyric from my song “Cut.” I thought it would be cool to take a lyric and put it as the tour name. But also, I love the fact that there’s many meanings to just taking control. I feel like I’m in a season of taking control of my career, of my music, my life and just really standing in who I am and owning that.
Earlier this year, you debuted a new look with the release of the single cover art for “Missing U,” leaving many of your fans to say, “Girl who is dis?” What inspired this edgier look?
It’s funny because I’m a natural brunette. I’ve just been blond for many years. I literally forgot [I was brunette]. But I was just sitting with the music, I was about to turn 30. And I was like, this music makes me feel like I’m actually getting more in touch with my roots and more in touch with myself. So this feels kind of right to go back to my literal roots and do something different. Even though it’s in a lot of ways, very, very authentic to me because it is my natural hair color. But I knew for a lot of people it would be this new kind of fresh take on my look. I still always want to rock the the curls, because that’s really the part of myself that has always been my thing. But it felt really good to just switch it up. And I love being brunette.
When you dropped the cover art for the single, you mentioned it was the start of a “new era.” Can you tell me what this new era means to you?
I just turned 30. I feel this new wave of confidence in my career and just my life as a woman, as an artist, as a wife. There’s just so many elements that have come together in this new chapter of life for me. The music embodies that. And so I wanted to take that feeling and run with it and try new things, experiment, but also show the side of myself that has always been there. That’s a big reason why I wanted to name this project “Tori.” There’s no real other way to describe this music. It just feels like I’m being myself. It’s just me expanding as an artist.
How would you define the sound that is Tori?
There’s definitely a lot of Y2K, 2000 R&B pop vibes thrown in. I’ve done so many things I’m so grateful for in my career. Where I’m at now, I look back on all of my different albums and it sort of feels like this music is a culmination of everything that I’ve ever done. So in some ways it’s like a new, fresh departure, but in other ways it’s like, ‘Oh, this is this just makes sense.’ This is just music that’s coming out of me right now. And after everything that I’ve done, overall I’m just trying to have fun with it, too. I can tend to overthink things and be really serious in this era. I’m still definitely a perfectionist and want things to be done a certain way but I am trying to have fun.
Now that you are 30, what advice would you give to your younger self?
There’s a part of me that would be like, ‘Hey, girl. You’ll be okay. Everything’s gonna be fine. Stay grounded, stay close to the people you love and you’ll be good. Stay close to God.’ But then also I would want to ask her, ‘Are you proud of me? Because I know you’ve always wanted to do this. Like, is this the dream that you envisioned?’ And I think she would say, ‘Yeah, you should be proud of everything that’s going on now, because I really get to live out that childhood dream.’
You recently had a little bit of a health scare. How are you feeling?
I was so overwhelmed with just the amount of support and prayers and love that was just poured on me. I’m feeling great right now. I think this tour is also something I’ve just been looking forward to for so long. I’m very, very overwhelmed by all the love and and also just grateful to continue to do what I do and not take this for granted.
Did your recent health scare change your perspective on life?
Yeah, it definitely makes me want to live in the moment more and just cherish every little thing and keep my people close. And absolutely I feel like a broken record because I keep talking about the tour, but I really think I’m going to be an emotional mess on stage because with everything that’s gone on, I’m just going to be like, ‘Oh my God, I love you guys.’ I know I will be so grateful to be up there on that stage. It’s a whole bunch of emotions and the overall feeling is just one of feeling really grateful.
Tickets for Tori Kelly’s 2023 North American “Take Control” Tour are on sale now.
September 10 – Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
September 11 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
September 13 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
September 17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
September 18 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
September 32 – Denver, CO @ Ophelia’s
September 24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
September 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
September 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
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