The American singer Tori Amos is known to Russian-speaking listeners mainly for the singles Crucify, A Sorta Fairytale or Cornflake Girl. And also thanks to the piano cover of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Find out how a fragile red-haired girl from North Carolina managed to conquer the world stage and become one of the most famous performers of her time.
Childhood and youth Tori Amos
Tori Amos was born on August 22, 1963 in the small town of Newton (Catoba County, North Carolina), USA. The future virtuoso pianist began to master her favorite instrument very early. Baby Myra Ellen Amos took her first keyboard chord when she was not yet 3 years old. Tori's father was a priest of the local Methodist church, so after a few years the girl sang in the church choir.
At the age of 5, the future star wrote musical studies and won the competition for a place in the music school at the Rockville Conservatory. However, the ideal student prodigy did not work out. At the age of 10, Tori became interested in the rhythms of rock and roll and learning faded into the background a little. The student was deprived of a scholarship, but this did not really bother her. A few years later, Amos entered Richard Montgomery College. She then began writing her first rock ballads, inspired by the cult band Led Zeppelin.
Tori's father was not afraid that his daughter could not get a diploma from the conservatory. On the contrary, he supported the future singer in all endeavors, and even sent her demos to popular studios. Most of these mailings remained unanswered. The young singer, meanwhile, began performing in local bars and cafes.
First track
Shortly before graduation, Tori, along with her brother Mike, recorded the track Baltimore for the song contest of the same name. The victorious performance in it in 1980 opened the way for the young singer to the musical Olympus. Then the girl changed her name to a more concise one - Tori Amos.
However, Tori's road to fame turned out to be more rocky than many other stars of her generation. At 21, the girl moved to Los Angeles, performed in local bars, restaurants, and even gay clubs. Half of the singer's repertoire then consisted of cover versions of hits by Joni Mitchell, Bill Withers and Billie Holiday.
Being a frequenter of the theater circle since school, Tori developed acting talent in herself. The skills came in handy in adult life - in Los Angeles, the girl from time to time starred in commercials. At one of the castings, the singer even crossed paths with the future star of the Sex and the City series, Sarah Jessica Parker, who was also not yet popular.
Tori Amos first albums
In 1985, Tory decided to record her debut album. To do this, she gathered the group Y Kant Tori Read, signed a contract with Atlantic Records and independently produced the album. Alas, the miracle did not happen - critics and the public criticized the longplay. The artist for a long time could not recover from the failure that violated all her plans.
According to the singer, at times she felt that she had lost her purpose and did not know why to write music. The situation was partially "saved" by the fact that a six-album contract tied her to the studio, so Amos again took up creativity.
Why didn't the debut album become successful? In the 1990s, rock, grunge, dance-pop and rap were popular, and against their background, a talented girl playing the piano did not seem original. Perhaps Tory's studio bosses were guided by similar arguments when they rejected the sketches for the second record of the singer. After that, Amos assembled a new team of musicians and completely rewrote the material.
The second album turned out to be a kind of collection of confessions about much and important things. In his lines, Amos reflected on faith and religion, becoming herself as a person. And even touched on the topic of sexual violence - a problem that she faced while living in Los Angeles. Doug Morris (head of Atlantic Records) approved the material, but decided not to allocate too much money to the "promotion" of the singer in his native country, focusing on her "promotion" in the UK. The decision turned out to be correct.
In 1991, Tori moved to London and recorded the four-song EP Meand a Gun. In support of the new EP, the singer gave a number of interviews and performances, the name Tori Amos is even more often heard by the London public. Amos's songs were in the top 50 of the main British hit parade, they began to be ordered on the radio. Inspired by the victory, the singer returned to the United States.
Little Earthquakes and Crucify
In 1992 Amos' solo album Little Earthquakes was released. To promote it, Atlantic Records used a tried and tested scheme, first launching sales in London, and after some time in the United States. With the right presentation of professional producers, the critics received the album much warmer, not to mention the public. Tracks by Little Earthquakes reached the top 20 of the UK and top 50 of the US charts. Amos gathered an even larger ministerial audience at the concerts.
Openness, sincerity and expressiveness became the main components on which Tori's style was based in the 1990s. On the mini-disc with rock cover versions of Crucify, the singer worked a little in a "sexy-candid" style of performance. But thanks to this, the tracks became even more popular.
In the same 1992, Amos completed the album Under the Pink, which topped the British pop chart. It sold around the world with a circulation of 1 million copies and the artist received a Grammy nomination.
Boys for Pele and subsequent work
After one of the unsuccessful novels, the singer decided to relax in Hawaii, where she became interested in the cult of the volcano goddess Pele. The main idea for the album Boys for Pele was born at that time. Although the album itself was recorded only some time later and already in Ireland.
The record, which premiered in 1996, turned out to be one of the most successful in the singer's career. Provocative songs, filled with anger and suffering, but very restrainedly performed, are complemented by a chic and uncharacteristic instrumental for popular music with the addition of clavichord, bagpipes, even church bells.
In the spring of 1998, the fourth album From the Choirgirl Hotel was released, named by the authoritative British publication Q as the best record of the year. Later, the singer did not stop bold musical experiments. These include the double LP To Venus and Back and the "male" songs about women Strange Little Girls.
In 2002, Tori performed under the auspices of Epic / Sony. She recorded a solo album, Scarlet's Walk, inspired by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Until 2003, Amos was actively performing and making huge profits from the sales of her records.
The latest studio album is Native Invader, which was released in 2017. In total, the singer released 16 full-length records during her career. Amos continues to actively tour and delight the audience with unforgettable live performances.
