My Tori Story

Every now and then you come across music that’s anything but ‘just’ music. It’s music that’s life changing, ‘soul’ music. Music you don’t just listen to, but feel in every inch of your body, music you breathe in, music that becomes a part of you.

I’ve always been interested in music. Could listen to all sorts of music. I often listened to music that touched me in one way or another. Some music moved me to tears, others put a smile on my face. But then, in 1996, I discovered Under The Pink. To this day I’m still no sure why I decided to listen to that album in the library. But the fact is: I did. I remember sitting in a chair, headphone plugged in and onto my head. And I waited for the first song to play. As soon as the first few notes for Pretty Good Year were played, something hit me. Up until today I find it hard to explain what happened exactly, but it felt as if I was listening to music I’d been longing and searching for all my life. Just those first few piano sounds wanted to make me cry. And I’ve been moved by music quite often, but this was different. This wasn’t just this one song I liked, there was so much more going on. Needless to say I took the album home with me. I was able to rent it for two weeks and it was the only album I played for two weeks. Then I had to return the album but almost instantly bought the album in a store. It was the beginning of a long, beautiful Tori journey.

Tori is the only artist I can listen to, day in day out and never get bored by it. I still discover new things in songs I’ve listened to over a hundred times. It’s music that still moves me, still touches me. In all these years I’ve listened to loads of other artists as well. Bought albums by other artists that I loved. But after a while those albums get neglected, or songs start to bore me. Tori’s music, especially her earlier work, never seems to bore me. Her music seems to be connected to my soul in some kind of way. It’s a feeling that can’t be described really. I guess I breathe her music. And her music breathes me.

All in all, she’s just a huge part of my life. I’m grateful for the fact that I got to know her music because without it I wouldn’t have been where I am today and wouldn’t have met a lot of those amazing people that are now a part of my life. I wouldn’t have ever visited Ireland, but most of all, I wouldn’t have been the same person that I am today.
I’d love to meet her one day, thank her, drink a nice glass of wine together and discuss parts of life and music. One can dream…one can dream…:)