Tori Kelly Gives Advice to 12-Year Old Self About Finding Worth in God

Tori Kelly Gives Advice to 12-Year Old Self About Finding Worth in God

By Tess Farrand, Staff Writer

Pop star Tori Kelly’s road to success and fame wasn’t easy by any means. After competing on American Idol, Kelly worked on her music, posting YouTube videos of her songs. It didn’t seem like she was getting the traction she needed, until Scooter Braun, the manager that found Justin Bieber, came across Kelly’s YouTube videos. A couple years later, Kelly is a Grammy-nominated artist who also had a voice role in the animated movie SING which grossed $600 million worldwide. Getting to this point has been a road filled with twists and turns. In her “I Am Second®” video by White Chair productions, Kelly sat down to detail her faith journey and reveal how God’s words helped her to persevere.

Before Kelly wowed the public with songs like “It Should’ve Been Us,” and “Soul’s Anthem (It Is Well),” the singer was booted off American Idol, dropped from a record label and struggled with identity issues. In the video, she mentions that her entire identity had been wrapped up as a “singer”.

Like many of us do, Kelly attached her worth and value to the labels people gave her. It wasn’t easy, but after months of journaling and prayer, Kelly found that her identity is so much more than what people claim.

She spoke to her 12-year-old self who was struggling in the video. “I would tell that little girl who feels she’s too shy, or not bubbly enough, or doesn’t have the right look, or is not pretty enough, or that your life is boring, or that you have a boring personality, that that’s just a lie and it’s not true and you’re being built up into the woman that God wants you to be.”

Fighting back tears, she finishes her advice, saying, “It might take a while but, one day you’re gonna grow into your own skin and just be the girl that God uniquely made as you, and you don’t have to compare yourself to somebody.”

This is a powerful message for girls today. One person commented on Kelly’s vulnerability, “When her smile broke and a tear fell, my screen got blurry cause, …I’m bawling…” She continued, “This was so beautiful. I’ve had the same ambitions, and at one point in my life, when I was losing hope, kept doubting my abilities, I put all my faith and trust to the Lord. A weight was off my shoulders, and love took over. This was so beautiful, and it hit home. ? Thank you Tori for being different. Much love and respect.”

Years after reclaiming her identity in Christ, Kelly is using her superstar status to honor God. Not only is she well-known in Christian circles, but the secular community recognizes her outstanding pipes. Kelly married André Murillo earlier this year and her new album, “Hiding Place” released this month with songs like “Psalm 42” and “Masterpiece” which she co-wrote with other artists, like Kirk Franklin and Lecrae.

Below is a snippet from her recent performance on GOOD MORNING AMERICA

What a song to send us into the weekend. THANK YOU @torikelly! #Questions pic.twitter.com/2OwLUVsp85

— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 21, 2018

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What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.