Tori Kelly Says She Feels Like A 'New Artist Again' With Aaliyah And Missy Elliott-Inspired 'Missin U' Video

“It’s really trippy looking back. I feel so grateful that I’ve been able to have this amazing career and quite honestly, live my dream. At the same time, I’m gearing up for this new project, and it almost feels like I’m a new artist again. I have that excitement, drive and hunger,” she said. “A pretty big artist told me a long time ago, ‘I always want to feel like a new artist. I don’t want to ever feel jaded. I want to always feel a little nervous and excited and ready to put out the next thing.’ I want to feel like that too.”

For the music video of her brand new single, Kelly traveled back in time, as she features aesthetics that dominated the late ’90s and early 2000s.

On the Hype Williams-esque visuals, directed by Marc Clasfield, she said, “There were some very direct references that we wanted to throw in there. There’s some TLC references. We’re very inspired by Aaliyah and Missy Elliott with all the fisheye stuff. We were having so much fun being like, “What if we throw this little move in and see who catches it?” I grew up just being obsessed with all those videos. For whatever reason, in the early 2000s, everything was metallic.”

When asked how this song came together, the “Nobody Love” singer said she wanted to create a track that would transport listeners back in time.

“This song is about missing somebody, but it’s also, just so inspired by the early 2000s, late ’90s,” she explained. “We wanted to make sure that we got that nostalgic feeling both in the lyrics and in the music. I just knew, ‘Okay, when people listen to this, I want them to be transported. I want them to think about that era or just that nostalgic feeling,’ whatever that is for them. There’s also just something about that era. You go back and listen to all those songs, and there’s something so special about it. I was really, really inspired by that in the studio.”

Moving forward, Kelly is excited to release more music and return to touring, which she hasn’t done since 2019.

“I miss touring so much. I was actually on a world tour right as COVID was happening, and it was heartbreaking to have to cancel that. Since then, I haven’t been able to tour. That’s one of the most exciting things I’m looking forward to,” she said. “I can’t give any details or anything yet, but I cannot wait just to see fans again and belt out these songs with them.”