Tori Kelly's Parents Influenced Her Career and Later Separated

Tori Kelly's parents were musicians who exposed their world-famous daughter to various genres of music. They inspired and supported her artistic aspirations since she was a toddler, allowing her to enter a prestigious talent show as a pre-teen. Sadly, they separated, leaving Tori with much turmoil to purge through her music.

Tori Kelly became an internet sensation when she took matters into her own hands after not making it to the "American Idol" Final Top 24. She had learned to play the guitar and piano over her formative years, so she used those skills to create original music as an RnB and Gospel artist.

It didn't take long for her to accumulate a massive fanbase on YouTube, where she regularly published videos of herself singing. But what catapulted her fame was her cover of the Frank Ocean song "Thinkin Bout You," which amassed over 17 million views. She followed the video with a self-made record titled "Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly."

Soon she was opening for artists like Ed Sheeran and Jewel at prominent events. Tori went on to release several records and singles, earning herself Grammy awards and collaborations with Kirk Franklin, father to Kerrion Franklin, and Anthony Hamilton. But the people she never forgot to credit for her success were her parents, who supported her unabatedly.

Who Are Tori Kelly's Parents, and How Did They Help Kickstart Her Music Career?

During a 2013 interview with "Fuse," Tori spoke about her parents' influence on her musical inclinations. The singer grew up surrounded by different sounds from various genres and artists. Her parents were instrumentalists who also played diverse music, from Led Zeppelin to Lenny Kravitz, to Jill Scott and Maxwell.

She revealed in a later interview that she inherited a multicultural heritage from them both, with her mother, Laura Kelly, being Irish and German and her dad being Jamaican and Puerto Rican. Her dad was a singer who played bass, and her mom played piano and saxophone.

Tori, whom the couple welcomed on December 14, 1992, also sang from the age of three, and they allowed her to compete in "America's Most Talented Kids" in 2004 — she won! Her parents continued to be her biggest supporters. However, Tori wasn't the only child they welcomed into their union.

After Tori, the couple had a son, Noah Kelly, on August 28, 1996. Laura recently celebrated Noah's birthday with a sweet and short tribute on Instagram. Little is known about Noah, but he frequently shares throwback photos of himself and Tori, indicating a close bond between the siblings.

Their mom has an active social media presence across the leading social platforms, including TikTok, where she regularly promotes Tori's releases. It's unknown if she still plays piano or saxophone, but Laura now works as a cosmetologist and entrepreneur.

Tori Kelly's Family Is Not What It Used to Be

Tori's appreciation for her parents has always been evident, as the 30-year-old frequently celebrates her love for them with touching tributes. She once tweeted a childhood photo of her toddler self and her dad, captioning, "always gonna be his little girl at heart. love you, dad."

On March 3, 2014, she congratulated her mom and dad on 23 years of marriage with a sweet tribute alongside a throwback photo of the then-newlyweds. However, during a 2019 chat with AP News, she revealed a rather devastating development in her personal life as she said:

"So many things happened in the last couple of years in my personal life that it just felt like a rollercoaster. My parents actually separated. My grandfather passed away [....]."

Having grown up in such a close-knit family, her parents' separation was a heavy blow to her emotional well-being. Tori struggled to come to terms with it and relied on her music to release the turmoil, pouring it into the album "Inspired by True Events."