Tori Kelly is Seventeen Magazine’s February 2016 cover star! In the issue of Seventeen Magazine, the 23 year old opens up about getting booted off American Idol in season nine, Simon Cowell calling her voice “almost annoying”, and if she’s dating Ed Sheeran.
When Tori was 16 years old, she auditioned for season nine of American Idol. All of the judges loved her voice except for Simon Cowell; he even called her voice “almost annoying.” Tori has opened up about her American Idol journey and said, “Deep down, I knew I was good, and I knew I could do it,” she said. “I needed to get knocked down and to build up a thick skin. Who knows what I would have been singing about otherwise? You have to go through things in order to inspire others with your story.”
After Tori had finally landed her record deal, she was still dealing with harsh words about her career from her manager. She said, “He told me, ‘People are saying you are vanilla and that you have nothing to say.’ I was like, Whoa. I remembered record-label guys telling me I was really reserved when I was younger. Like, ‘Wake up, you should be bubbly and happy!’ And I was thinking, But this is my personality; I’m just chilling. So I went right back to being that little girl who was just so freaked out. I acted as if I didn’t care, but I went home that night and just poured all the feelings that I was holding back into my music. That’s how ‘Unbreakable Smile’ came to be.”
Ever since Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran collaborated back in 2013, the romance rumors have not stopped. Tori has denied that she is dating Ed in her interview with Seventeen. She said, “I knew that was coming, but no. Working with him was a really cool experience because I was a fan and I didn’t know how it would go, but right away he made it super-chill. Ever since then, he’s been someone I consider a friend and even a mentor.”
Tori’s Seventeen Magazine’s issue is out now! Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below or you can tweet us at @CelebMix.