Kelly, was born on December 14, 1992 in Wildomar, California. Her father is of Irish, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican descent, and her mother has Irish, English, and German ancestry. Growing up, she was exposed to a variety of music by her parents. "I give them a lot of credit for just playing all different genres, and no genre was off limits." she said, when asked about her upbringing. Kelly has appeared on the show Star Search. She didn't win the contest, but later in 2004, she made an appearance on America's Most Talented Kids, singing Christina Aguilera's "Keep on Singin' My Song" and won, beating out singer and songwriter, Hunter Hayes. She made a second appearance on the show in the Tournament of Champions, but lost to Antonio Pontarelli, a rock singer/songwriter/violinist. She was signed to Geffen Records at the age of 12 but because of conflicting ideas, it was mutually agreed for Tori to be released.