Tori BLK (pronounced “Black”) is a alternative pop independent recording artist, vocalist, and songwriter from Yuma, AZ. In the past, she was lead singer and composer for the emo band called Pride Before The Fall that got recognition for winning 1st place, live on TV, on LATV’s Network Battle of Bands in Los Angeles, CA.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Tori BLK about the latest music, technology, adapting during lock downs and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I am originally from Riverside area in California but I moved to Arizona when I was a teenager. I’ve been living in Yuma, Arizona for about 16 years now and it’s has grown on me slowly. If you don’t know where Yuma is, just imagine a little point on the map that is right in between San Diego, CA and Phoenix, AZ.
My Music has developed over the years. I used to be a band called Pride before the Fall. I was the songwriter/composer, lead singer and guitarist in the band. Back in the day you would call our bands genre emo with sounds of pop-punk. This was around 2006-2007. We had much success even made it on LATV Network and won 1st place on their battle of the bands. We were judged by some of the biggest Latin Bands at that time and were seen nationwide on TV. It was a really cool experience for us.
After the band broke up I continued writing music SOLO as Tori BLK. Tori’s sound was more Synth Pop/ Alternative Rock in the past but now I am breaking into a more pop alternative sound.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Honestly, I got here through a lot of healing. I lost my dad in 2017 and that just stopped my world. After he passed away it was really hard for me to write and pick up a guitar. I sold most of my music equipment and gave up after the funeral. Everything about making music reminded me to much about him. He was a major part of my music career. He taught me how to play guitar and was always with me at the studio and at gigs and since that was missing it hurt too much. Flash forward to now, I am in a much better place to write and get creative and I’ve got passed by grieving. I still miss my dad but I am just hoping I am making him proud down here on planet earth.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
I think this project was mentally hard for me. I am a songwriter and composer at heart and all the tracks you hear on the EP were composed and produced by Alexey Elin. Having someone else make the music was a big thing for me to let go of but I absolutely love that I collaborated on someone else’s masterpieces. You can say I am the lyricist, vocalist and artist on the tracks.
The Fools Heart EP is all about reaching into the hearts of the rejected and broken. I’ve been there, I’ve felt that. If you close your eyes and listen very closely the EP is like a 4 song story book. It tells a story about a girl who has been rejected for the first time (romantically). Rejection is real and it’s something that happens to a lot of us and I wanted to strictly write about that for this EP. I am even going further into the subject by posting some great content on my Instagram (@toriblkofficial) if anyone is going through something similar. You can listen to the music and check out the posts anytime. I am just trying to say that I am here and I get it!
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
Getting back to writing after about 3 years was HARD but I fueled myself by immersing myself into story telling. I think as an artist, you need to tell stories. I think the best songs on the planet tell a really great story! Recently, I also bought a notebook with all black pages on the inside. I love anything in the color black. I like to say that it is the color of my soul and that’s part of the reason why black is in my name. Anyways, I write short poems inside this notebook and sometimes those poems turn into songs at a later time.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was in Marvel’s Shang-Chi’s Soundtrack by the artist Anderson .Paak called Fire In The Sky. This is also the very last song on the Shang-Chi movie. It’s so smooth and chill. I love feel good music like that, it’s a turn on and I mean that as a music lover. And yes, I am a total Marvel geek!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Cassettes! I used to record my music on a cassette recorded when I was 14 years old. It brings back memories for me.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Anyone who would like to connect with me should hit me up on Instagram and my website. I am most active on those two sites and if anyone is interested in following my journey I highly recommend to sign up for my email list.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
I’d like to say thank you to Joshua from Indie Music Discovery. It’s blogs like yours that I am honored to be a part of.
