About this episode

Tori Kelly shares her journey from a shy girl to a Grammy-winning artist, highlighting the impact of mentorship and overcoming industry challenges.

Before Tori Kelly became a three-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with a voice that can move stadiums, she was a 12-year-old girl walking into a record label office, wondering if anyone in the music industry would ever truly understand her. She had already been told no by Star Search, lost to David Archuleta, and learned early that being able to sing wasn't always enough. Then Polly Anthony, the first woman to run a major record label, signed her to Geffen Records and gave her something no one else had: the feeling that she didn't need to change a single thing. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the artist behind hits like Nobody Love and the voice of Mina the Elephant sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in her when she was just a shy girl who wanted to be heard. Tori opens up about meeting Polly at 12 years old, a warm and maternal executive who made her entire family feel welcome and never once suggested she needed to be more outgoing, more bubbly, or more like the Disney kids everyone kept comparing her to. She talks about losing on Star Search at 10, getting cut from American Idol before the top 24 after Simon Cowell…

People in this episode

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Tori Kelly

Topics covered

• music industry
• personal journey
• female empowerment
• overcoming rejection
• mentorship
• celebrity stories

Keywords

• Tori Kelly
• Polly Anthony
• music industry
• Grammy
• mentorship
• Star Search
• American Idol
• Geffen Records
• David Begnaud

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Geffen Records, Star Search, American Idol

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