Tori Kelly’s new single, “missin u” is a zillenial throwback, wildly reminiscent of the 2000’s. Her re-emergence has been long-awaited for fans for nearly 3 years. And now, the wait is finally over.
We’ve Been Missin U, Tori Kelly
Tori Kelly’s new single has a melody that is strongly redolent with TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Throughout the song, she incorporates her staple hearty vocals that bring back a sort of Alicia Keys-ness, especially in the chorus. In this way, “missin u” is the new-school throwback song that bridges the gap between Y2K and current pop music.
Despite being a great song, one cannot help but notice the similarities between the new single and a conglomerate of female artists of the past. It can be argued whether the song is paying homage to pop-music women, or if it has strayed too far from originality; that’s entirely up to you to decide. Nonetheless, you can’t deny that Tori Kelly has quite the voice, and “missin u” is just one of many examples of that.
Lyrically, “missin u” discusses the late-night, wine-induced thoughts that revolve around an old flame. The pre-chorus involves Kelly fighting the longing thoughts of the past to no avail:
“But now, I’m off that rie-, I’m off that riesling / Out in these streets, deleting what you mean to me / Then you pop back, back in my mind / I go back in time”
Pre-Chorus in Tori Kelly’s “missin u”
Co-written by Jon Bellion, “missin u” is a soft mix of mainstream pop with twinges of R&B littered throughout. You can see her intentions with the Y2K vibe, especially in her music video. Everything from the makeup, to the outfits, to the dramatic bedroom intro screams the 2000’s. In this way, Kelly definitely hit the mark.
Then and Now
You may recognize Tori’s vocals from animated movie, “Sing,” where she voiced one of the main characters, Meena. If not, maybe you remember her nomination for Best New Artist at the 58th Grammy Awards. From posting videos on YouTube to becoming a two time Grammy award-winning artist, Tori Kelly has made it far in the industry. Though it was a bummer to have her disappear from music for a while. Now it’s definitely good to have her back. If “missin u” is a preview to this new era of hers, then it’ll be interesting to see the pop singer pivot from her last gospel album and tread into new, possibly R&B territory.
