In this week’s episode of Books That Changed My Life, we are joined by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and new mom Tori Kelly. She opens up about the powerful intersection of creative passion, mental stillness, and faith, sharing how a deep dive into performance culture literature fundamentally shifted her everyday habits. Tori’s journey into reclaiming her time and intentionally slowing down her internal compass heavily echoes themes from our previous guest features, such as Andrew East on The Gap and the Gain.
About the Guest: Tori Kelly
Tori Kelly is an acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She first gained attention by uploading acoustic performances to YouTube. Later, she went on to win multiple Grammy Awards.
Growing up in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Tori was surrounded by music from an early age. In addition, she overcame stage fright as she developed her career.
Today, she balances life as a professional artist and a mother. As a result, she offers a thoughtful perspective on creative ambition, personal growth, and living in the present.
About the Book: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Written by John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry functions as a vital, highly practical guide for surviving the chaos of the modern world. Drawing on his own breaking point as a megachurch pastor in Portland, Comer explores how modern culture’s obsession with speed, consumerism, and technology slowly erodes our attention spans and spiritual depth. Rather than a rigid religious text, the book delivers an open invitation to embrace four transformative practices: solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing down, to find genuine rest for your soul.
For more insights on stepping away from cultural demands to build a more reflective life, revisit our feature on Harper Simon on The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
The Urgent Need to Slow Down Internally
For Tori, discovering this book in 2021 was a defining milestone. While the external world had paused during the pandemic, she realized her internal pace was still operating at a dangerous, hyper-fixated speed.
- The Reality of “Hurried” Sickness: Tori reflects on a striking quote highlighted on page 9 from philosopher Byung-Chul Han, noting that modern Westerners are often “too alive to die and too dead to live”—trapping themselves on an automatic pilot that keeps them running from internal depth.
- Making the Smartphone “Dumb”: Inspired by Comer’s practical advice, Tori reveals her habit of completely deleting social media apps like Instagram and Twitter from her phone to curb notifications. By restricting access to an iPad at home, she successfully broke the knee-jerk reaction of constantly scrolling during empty moments.
- The 80-Year-Old Compass: Tori shares a moving mental framework she utilizes to fight the fear of missing out (FOMO). By picturing herself at 80 years old looking back, she recognizes that she will never regret missing a high-profile industry event, but would deeply regret missing the quiet, messy, real-world connection of her family life.
Out Now: God Must Really Love Me
Tori joins us to celebrate her highly anticipated, deeply intimate new album, God Must Really Love Me, available now.
Written in an explosive two-week burst of inspiration just two months after giving birth to her son, Zayden, God Must Really Love Me captures Tori at her absolute sweetest spot of gratitude. The album is anchored by three foundational pillars: her faith, her motherhood, and her marriage of eleven years.
The project features raw and personal moments. For example, the song Tokyo recalls a walk in the rain with her husband in Tokyo.
In addition, Bliss began as a lullaby. Tori recorded it as a voice memo when her newborn was only 10 days old.
As a result, the project moves away from superficial trends. Instead, it focuses on genuine experiences and emotions.
Much like Comer’s immersive writing style, Tori shares her story with openness and vulnerability. Consequently, listeners feel as though they are sitting at her kitchen table, hearing an honest and heartfelt conversation.
FAQ
- Why did Tori Kelly choose The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry? The book offered her a vital language and framework to protect her mental focus and stay present amidst the exhausting expectations of the entertainment industry.
- What practical changes did Tori make after reading it? She heavily relies on the “do not disturb” button and periodically deletes all social media and game apps from her smartphone to create intentional windows of tech-free solitude.
- What is Tori Kelly’s new album about? God Must Really Love Me is a snapshot of her current chapter of life, blending faith, marriage, and new motherhood into an authentic celebration of gratitude.
- Where can I listen to God Must Really Love Me? The album is out now and streaming across all major digital music platforms.
Final Thoughts
John Mark Comer’s philosophy reminded Tori Kelly that a truly happy life requires us to actively inhabit the moment. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry gave her the exact blueprint needed to question modern metrics of success and firmly say “no” to the noise. With God Must Really Love Me, Tori steps forward to share her own framework of joy, proving that the most enduring art is born when we step away from the rush, look at the blessings right in front of us, and dare to choose a quiet life.
