Tori Kelly at HISTORY

Later last month, two time Grammy Award winning R&B pop singer songwriter Tori Kelly performed a huge show at History in Toronto as part of her Purple Skies tour. She first enraptured the audience with a spectacular performance of "Thing U Do". Draped in purple and blue lights, she moved right into the laidback afrobeat track "unbelievable" and "Should've Been Us" from her 2016 album "Unbreakable Smile". 

Admittedly I hadn't listened to her most recent album until after the show but I was already very familiar with her early YouTube covers alongside other OGs like AJ Rafael, Andrew Garcia and Angie Girl. Her effortless vocal ability was impeccable back then and it was an awe to see her play live now.

History is a perfect venue for Tori Kelly as it let her maintain the intimate feel of a smaller venue despite the size of the audience. The show felt more like the comment section of one her old YouTube videos as she asked the crowd for suggestions on what to sing next (which arguably is the most early YouTube cover musician thing to do).

Maisy Kay

Supporting her was electronic dance pop singer songwriter Maisy Kay. Dressed in a glistening fairy-like outfit, she performed songs from her Wonderlust EP series such as "Comically Entertained", "Technicolor Honeymoon" and a cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl".

All photos and words by John Mendoza.

Maisy Kelly