Tori Kelly Once Auditioned for ‘American Idol’

Tori Kelly might be a celebrity guest on ‘American Idol’s’ All-Star Duets tonight for Season 19 but did you know she once auditioned for the popular singing competition?

Tori auditioned for season 9 of American Idol at only 16 years old. The 28-year old singer went in front of the judges out in Denver, Colorado in 2010 singing “Gravity” by John Mayer. At the time, the judges were Simon, Randy, Kara, and Victoria. Everyone but Simon Cowell voted “yes” for Tori, which pushed her onto the next round which was Hollywood week.

The “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing” singer was grouped with fellow contestants to sing Ne-Yo song, “Closer.” She advanced to the next round after that performance along with Maddie Penrose. Coincidentally, for her final solo song, she sang “Hot n Cold” by Katy Perry who happens to be a judge on the current season of American Idol. She unfortunately was cut from the Top 24.

This definitely proves that even though you may not end up winning American Idol does not mean you won’t have a successful music career. Just two years after her stint on American Idol, she independently released an EP named Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly. In 2015, Tori’s first album Unbreakable Smile was released. Success found her when her single “Nobody Love” hit the Billboard Hot 100. She also was the voice of Meena the Elephant in the film Sing.