Tori Kelly Gets Vulnerable About Anxiety And God’s Control During Intimate NPR Performance

Tori Kelly brought more than her extraordinary voice to NPR's famous Tiny Desk. The three-time Grammy winner also opened up about anxiety, faith and surrender as she performed songs from her deeply personal new album, God Must Really Love Me.

During the intimate concert, Kelly delivered six tracks from the project: "Hurts So Good," "Without You," "Fly," "Bird," "Control" and "Tokyo." She also revisited Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," the classic she performed in the 2016 animated movie Sing!

However, the emotional heart of the appearance arrived when Kelly introduced "Bird." The singer revealed that the song emerged after she was suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety. That confession gave the performance an added layer of vulnerability as she explored the tension between wanting control and learning to trust God when life feels frighteningly uncertain.

It is a struggle Kelly knows beyond the recording studio. In 2023, she collapsed and spent more than a week in hospital after doctors discovered blood clots near vital organs. At the time, the singer described the ordeal as frightening but said she could feel the prayers being offered for her. Two years later, Kelly entered another life-changing season when she welcomed her first child, a son.

Those experiences now appear to sit behind some of the album's most personal moments. Even its striking title, God Must Really Love Me, points toward a woman looking back at fear, survival and motherhood through the lens of divine love.

Kelly has never hidden her Christian faith, despite working primarily in mainstream music. She has collaborated with artists including Lecrae, Forrest Frank, NEEDTOBREATHE and for KING + COUNTRY. In 2019, she won Grammys for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song, publicly thanking Jesus while accepting the award for "Never Alone."

Her Tiny Desk appearance did not resemble a conventional worship service, but faith remained close to the surface. Through songs about anxiety, love and relinquishing control, Kelly quietly reminded listeners that trusting God does not mean pretending fear is absent. Sometimes faith begins with admitting that the fear is real-and choosing to surrender it anyway.