On May 28th, Tori Kelly performed at the Wiltern in LA in front of the biggest sold out crowd of her career. Tori has been making waves since she first appeared five years ago releasing covers of famous songs sung by artists such as Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Rihanna, Adele, and Beyonce. She started composing her own works in 2013 releasing two EP's, Handmade Songs and Foreword. 

Now, Tori is quickly becoming the face of a whole a new era of music as she shines brightly in the pool of overprocessed pop music that has become the norm of the music industry. Tori's biggest concern is to stay grounded and remember her roots. The theme can be seen in her song choices and show style.

Many of her songs, including Unbreakable Smile, Confetti, and Funny, revolve around the idea of how she does not want to get corrupted by the mainstream customs of fame. Her lyrics resonate with everyone as she sings lines such as "maybe I can sell out shows without taking off my clothes," and "the fancy cars, the glitter and the fame its all nice, but it won't be worth a thing." Tori's biggest concern is to not let down her fans and herself by becoming someone she is not just so that she could sell more records or become more famous. 

This is contrary to many top artists of today's era. Artists like Taylor Swift are willing to change their entire image and shift music genres in order for them to reach higher record sells and chart toppings. Artists like Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus became concerned with their childhood role model images stopping them from having bigger careers, so, instead, they opted out of their kids persona that made them famous and have succumb to the common atributes of an oversexualized society. 

This is not a new trend as many artists have transcended their musical roots in order to reach out to bigger audiences as being sexy has become the norm. Katy Perry went from gospel singer to cotton candy pop, Lady Gaga resorted to scandal and outrages images to make her the "Fame Monster," Rihanna went through the whole good girl gone bad transformation, and the list goes on and on (don't even get me started on Iggy Azalea). 

Meanwhile, underrated artists like Tori Kelly such as Jennifer Hudson, Sia, Demi Lovato, Jojo, Tiffany Evans, and Azalea Banks remain in the musical shadows of a Billboard Top 40 possessed culture that focuses more on appearance and sexual resonance than actual substance and musical chops. All of these singers have one attribute in common, they all refuse to become sell outs and pawns for the music industry to define their messages. 

Tori Kelly has the power to start a movement and bring a fresh face to the music industry as her theme and message remains the same even after years of releasing music. Even in her concert on Thursday, she performed some of her covers she had released 3 years ago as a tribute to the YouTube fans that gave her the opportunity to make her mark on the world. Tori's upcoming album, Unbreakable Smile, is expected to be a huge success and is highly anticipated for an artist who has only released two self-produced EPs. 

Hopefully, Tori continues her down-to-earth message and proves to the world that one can remain relevant and reach high chart toppings without giving into the pressure of the entertainment industry. She proved at The Wiltern, along with her performance at The Billboard Music Awards, that all she needs to leave an impression is her voice, her guitar, and her amazing curls. One can tell just by the way she sings and moves how her music captivates her as she is singing with all of her passion and love, because every word she belts is 100% Tori Kelly.

Reach Staff Reporter Cristian Pagan here.