Tori Kelly’s Son Zayden Appears on New Album in Tribute

Tori Kelly is opening up about the inspiration behind her new album, “God Must Really Love Me,” and the very special reason her son Zayden makes an appearance on the record. The three-time Grammy winner says the project captures a moment of “near-magical harmony” between her inner life and artistic impulse.

The title track serves as a minute-long outpouring of adoration for her son, adorned with a heart-melting recording of Zayden’s voice. “He’s the first voice you hear and the last voice you hear,” Kelly tells PEOPLE. She also included audio of her son’s birth on the tender track “Too Much,” written just ten days after he arrived.

Kelly, 33, welcomed Zayden Michael with husband André Murillo on November 11, 2025. Before his birth, she’d worried she might lose creative momentum as a new mom. Instead, she found herself “overwhelmed with inspiration”, a feeling she says she’s never experienced before.

“Ten days later, I was already singing different ideas into my phone,” she recalls. By the time Zayden was two months old, the bulk of the album was complete. “It just felt like a flood came over me,” she adds.

The album centers on three pillars: her faith, her marriage, and motherhood. While rooted in joy, it also includes vulnerable ruminations. On “Bird,” she reflects on how her parents’ 2019 divorce affected her view of marriage. “That was a really rough time for me,” she says. “Even though I was an adult, I was like, ‘Wait, this is a thing that can happen?'”

The personal touches on the album serve as a time capsule for Kelly and her growing family. “I’m just picturing being 80, if I get to live that long, and looking back on this album and just losing it because I have my first child on here,” she shares. “It feels so special”.