Tori Kelly Releases Fragile, Lo-Fi Christina Grimmie Tribute ‘Blink of an Eye’
Though Tori Kelly's voice is known for rivaling sirens, her new tribute to late friend Christina Grimmie has the beautiful frailty of stained glass.
"Blink of an Eye," released yesterday (July 10), will give fans flashbacks to the most fragile acoustic moments from Kelly's self-made EPs. The singer explained in a YouTube note that she wrote the song with singer-songwriter Zac Poor to help mitigate her heartache surrounding Grimmie's June 12 shooting death. In light of recent stories that center on police brutality and continued gun violence, though, Kelly said the project has since assumed a broader tone.
"I needed to write this song," Kelly wrote. "Thank you to my good friend, zac poor, who was brave enough to take on the challenge of writing it with me. my heart was & is still so heavy when i think of her not being with us. however, i am still comforted knowing that i'll get to see her again someday in heaven. my prayers go out to her family & loved ones."
"Even though this song had specific meaning, more recently i'm overwhelmed at the pain & the brokenness in the world today, & so this is really just me grieving. at all of it," the singer added. "life is so short. thanks for listening, i love you guys."
The lo-fi, guitar-backed performance is powerful for its restraint. It touches on Grimmie's youth, mourns the loss of the stories she'll never tell and explores how the singer's death could have been any working singer's fate.
"Can't help but think who you would be, if you just had the chance to turn 23 / It's 2 AM, still don't believe you're gone," Kelly sings.
Listen to "Blink of an Eye" above.
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