When we heard that Walt Disney Records was teaming up with a handful of today’s hottest recording artists to create a contemporary album featuring some of our favorite childhood songs, we knew they were on to something epic! One singer that had us especially intrigued was the inimitable songstress Tori Kelly.
Tori has had quite the year! She teamed up with Justin Timberlake for the William Rast fall 2015 video campaign, got silly with one of YouTube’s favorite comediennes Miranda Sings for an epic cover of “Bad Blood”, starred in Target’s back-to-school campaign alongside tiny dancer Maddie Ziegler, and secured the praises of Justin Bieber and Sam Smith with the epic force that is her debut album.
The only opportunity with the ability to top the excitement Tori’s career has seen in recent months would be the chance to play a Disney princess, which she of course managed to do — and do extremely well. With her killer vocals, she was an obvious choice.
The curly-haired firecracker managed to squeeze some time into her busy schedule and record a beautiful rendition of "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas.
“It was my idea to record 'Colors of the Wind.' When I sat down to think about which song to do, I didn't realize how hard it would be to narrow it down. I ended up picking it because I knew I had connected with the song at a young age and it's just simply beautiful,” Tori says of her final choice.
“I remember loving Disney movies as a kid. I remember watching the Lion King and The Jungle Book the most. I loved how fun and colorful the songs were,” she recalls of growing up with Walt Disney. “I think that on top of well-written melodies, people love an inspirational message. Disney always has a lesson in each film or song and that’s something — no matter how old we get — we never get tired of.”
When asked if she was worried about translating the track for a modern audience, Tori shrugged off any nerves and answered the question coolly. “I wasn't worried at all. That's the beauty of Disney — it appeals to all ages.”
Tori is in great company on this project. The artist roster for the rest of the album includes Ariana Grande, Jason Derulo, Jessie J, Lucy Hale, Kacey Musgraves, Fall Out Boy, Jhene Aiko, and more.
Check out the exclusive video of Tori belting out one of our favorite songs below and prepare to be blown away.
Related: Tori Kelly and Justin Timberlake Are Collaborating — But It's Not What You Think
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