In a musical landscape dominated by Gen Z fans making Y2K hits go viral on TikTok, and Gen Z artists sampling them in new music… the Millennials are reclaiming control.
Criminally underrated singer-songwriter Tori Kelly paired up with one of pop’s most sought-after producers, fellow ‘90s baby and Long Island native Jon Bellion (who also sings) to craft her latest release, a nostalgia-heavy EP fusing R&B and pop, entitledTori.
“There’s been a lot of growth,” says Kelly in a video posted to social media on release day. It’s been four years since her last full-length pop album, 2019’s Inspired by True Events.
Tori Kelly teams up with Jon Bellion
In 2020, she did release a Christmas album and an acoustic EP crafted in quarantine, but Tori feels like the big return fans have been waiting for.
Bellion, on the other hand, has kept busy. Hailing from Lake Grove, the singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer has been steadily growing his profile since co-penning Eminem and Rihanna’s #1 hit, “The Monster” in 2013, and scoring his breakout hit with 2016’s “All Time Low.”
He has since worked with Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and more.
Most recently, he co-produced the entirety of the Jonas Brothers’ latest album and just topped the Hot 100 yet again as a co-writer of “Seven,” by BTS member Jung Kook, and female rap star Latto. In Bellion, Kelly seems to have found a niche.
“When I first started working with Jon Bellion we were just beginning to scratch the surface on a new sound that truly felt like my own,” she says in the promo video. “In some ways, I’m simply going back to my roots. This music makes me feel confident in my own skin. It feels like I’m finally stepping into myself. As Tori.”
The confidence is apparent throughout the project, both sonically and visually. Kelly officially splashed onto the scene over a decade ago with the release of her first EP in 2012, another acoustic set titled Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly.
While her debut album Unbreakable Smile found her atop more slinkily produced pop, it was in her softer moments that Kelly shone.
Tori Kelly’s New EP
On Tori, Kelly blazes through an array of sounds pulled from her teenage years – early 2000s pop and R&B – serving nostalgia from an informed place of someone who lived it, not streamed it.
With Bellion and his team (mainly Tenroc and The Diner) at the helm, Kelly is able to let go, allowing herself to focus on expertly executing their productions.
The set opens in a big way – with some guest production and adlibs by perhaps the King of Y2K R&B: Timbaland.
On “cut,” Kelly effortlessly slides atop a track filled with nostalgic references, from Timbaland’s adlibs to the instrumentation, and some very Toni Braxton-sounding vocal runs. Lead single “missin” has a similar aura, filled with little sonic hints that recall classics by Tamia, Mariah Carey, and Aaliyah.
For the boys, there’s “shelter,” which has one very obvious shout-out to the “you-you-you-you”s of Usher’s “You Remind Me,” alongside some classic Y2K sonic flourishes, such as the use of a vocoder, pitched-down vocals, and an electric guitar solo.
A departure from the strict nostalgic Y2K vibe of the rest of the EP, Kelly teams with Nigerian newcomer Ayra Starr to slip into an Afrobeats-inspired groove.
Kelly relinquishes the track to Starr, allowing her to take the lead, harmonizing to craft an atmospheric vibe that should last twice as long.
Bellion makes an appearance as a featured artist as well, on the track “young gun.” This gorgeous, genre-gliding journey melds the sounds and inspirations found throughout the project for a track that’s fresh, but an unmistakable reminder of why Bellion is so in-demand.
In light of her recent health scare (Kelly is currently hospitalized after collapsing from blood clots), “alive if i die” is a tough listen, lyrically, but is truly a beautiful track.
This piano-driven, soulful take on stadium-ready sing-a-long pop recalls Bellion’s recent productions for the Jonas Brothers, and might even take inspiration from the likes of Long Island’s own Billy Joel. Kelly’s vocals manage to differentiate it from any potential comparisons, bringing the track to climax with divine, gospel-tinged runs.
Tori feels like a bridge, the unveiling of a path to the rediscovery of an artist who’s yet to reach her prime.
Tori Kelly has hidden behind the safety of her acoustic guitar for far too long. Uniting with Bellion, she’s been electrified, empowered to branch out and conquer all of the parts of the music she loves, of who she is.
