“I knew that was coming, but no. Working with him was a really cool experience because I was a fan and I didn’t know how it would go, but right away he made it super-chill. Ever since then, he’s been someone I consider a friend and even a mentor,” she told the mag when asked if they singers were more than just friends.
Although the former American Idol contestant was sent home before the semifinals, she didn’t let Simon Cowell‘s negative comments get her down. “Deep down, I knew I was good, and I knew I could do it. I needed to get knocked down and to build up a thick skin. Who knows what I would have been singing about otherwise? You have to go through things in order to inspire others with your story,” she said. We love her positive attitude!SHOP it HERE on Amazon.com.
The star has dealt with her fair share of criticism — in fact, her own manager told her she was boring! “He told me, “People are saying you are vanilla and that you have nothing to say.” I was like, Whoa. I remembered record-label guys telling me I was really reserved when I was younger. Like, “Wake up, you should be bubbly and happy!” And I was thinking, But this is my personality; I’m just chilling. So I went right back to being that little girl who was just so freaked out. I acted as if I didn’t care, but I went home that night and just poured all the feelings that I was holding back into my music. That’s how “Unbreakable Smile” came to be,” she said.
If you can’t get enough of Tori, you can — and be sure to check out the February issue of Seventeen when it hits newsstands on Jan. 5.
Katrina Mitzeliotis