When Tori Kelly pulled up to the Desk, her band already mid-rehearsal, she immediately got to work and filled our room with her commanding voice. She had arrived. And with her, she carried genuine joy and light.
Backed by an all-woman band of Tiny Desk alumnae, Kelly effortlessly moves through songs from her latest album, God Must Really Love Me. The record captures Kelly in the present: reflecting on her faith journey and navigating life as a new mom. She also drops some gems for the day one's, including brief tastes of "Nobody Love" and "Dear One." But, most serendipitously for the middle schoolers in attendance, Kelly performs her rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," the song that her character Meena belts in the animated film Sing.
I've always found Tori Kelly to be inspiring. Beyond her anointing as a vocalist and musician, she has endured the many shifts of the music industry while maintaining an authenticity that cuts through the noise and reaches the heart. There's something special about watching an artist who has grown so much, yet still sounds and feels unmistakably like herself.
SET LIST
- "Hurts So Good"
- "Without You"
- "Fly"
- "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing"
- "Bird"
- "Control"
- "Tokyo"
MUSICIANS
- Tori Kelly: vocals, guitar, toy glockenspiel
- Jordan Waters: guitar
- Kyla Wright: bass
- Lynette Williams: keys, glockenspiel
- Taylor "The Pocket Queen" Gordon: drums
- Chelsea "Peaches" West: background vocals
- RaVaughn Brown: background vocals
- Mariah Bernard: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Ashley Pointer
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Bronson Arcuri
- Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez
- Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Josh Newell
- Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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