Tori Amos

Biography

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. A child prodigy, Amos entered the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five, but left at eleven, coming of age as a pianist in Washington, D.C. bars. Amos was the lead singer of the short-lived 1980s pop-rock group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 1990s. Her songs focus on a broad range of topics, including sexuality, feminism, politics, and religion.
Her charting singles include "Crucify×Crucify8 June 1992 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Crucify (LP version)5:012Angie4:253Smells Like Teen Spirit3:17", "Silent All These Years×Silent All These YearsNovember 1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Silent All These Years4:192Upside Down4:243Me and a Gun3:464Thoughts2:45", "God", "Cornflake Girl×Cornflake Girl1994 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Crucify6:102Silent All These Years5:163Happy Phantom3:434Girl4:255Whole Lotta Love4:136Leather3:367Smells Like Teen Spirit3:448China5:469Cornflake Girl3:1510Pretty Good Year2:3611Baker Baker3:1512God3:3813Sugar3:2814Precious Things5:4415Tear in Your Hand5:2016Winter7:01", "Caught a Lite Sneeze×Caught a Lite Sneeze2 January 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Caught a Lite Sneeze4:262London Girls3:223That’s What I Like Mick (The Sandwich Song)3:004Samurai3:03", "Professional Widow×Professional Widow2 July 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Professional Widow (Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ mix) (radio edit)3:492Professional Widow (Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ mix)8:073Professional Widow (MK mix)7:224Professional Widow (MK Vampire dub)6:59", "Spark×Spark18 May 1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Spark (album version)4:152Purple People3:43", "1000 Oceans×1000 Oceans7 September 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks11000 Oceans4:172Baker Baker (live non-LP version)3:57", "Flavor" and "A Sorta Fairytale×A Sorta Fairytale2001 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAA Sorta Fairytale (single version)3:58BA Sorta Fairytale (single version)3:58". Amos has received five MTV VMA nominations and nine Grammy Award nominations, and won an Echo Klassik award for her Night of Hunters classical crossover album. She is listed on VH1's 1999 "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll" at number 71.

Early life and education

Amos was born on August 22, 1963, at Old Catawba Hospital, in Newton, North Carolina during her parents' trip from their home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. She is the third child of Mary Ellen (née Copeland) and Edison McKinley Amos. and was named Myra Ellen Amos.
Some of Amos's ancestors were Confederate soldiers. In her memoir, Piece by Piece, she talks about the experience of these Confederate ancestors, Margaret Little and Grandaddy Calvin Rice, during the American Civil War.
When she was two years old, her family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where her father had moved his Methodist ministry from its original base in Washington, D.C. Her older brother and sister took piano lessons, but Tori did not need them. From the time she could reach the piano, she taught herself to play: when she was two, she could reproduce pieces of music she had only heard once, and, by the age of three, she was composing her own songs. She has described seeing music as structures of light since early childhood, an experience consistent with chromesthesia:

The song appears as light filament once I've cracked it. As long as I've been doing this, which is more than thirty-five years, I've never seen the same light creature in my life. Obviously similar chord progressions follow similar light patterns, but try to imagine the best kaleidoscope ever—after the initial excitement, you start to focus on each element's stunning original detail. For instance, the sound of the words with the sound of the chord progression combined with the rhythm manifests itself in a unique expression of the architecture of color-and-light. ... I started visiting this world when I was three, listening to a piece by Béla Bartók; I visited a configuration that day that wasn't on this earth. ... It was euphoric.
At five, she became the youngest student ever admitted to the preparatory division of the Peabody Institute. She studied classical piano at Peabody from 1968 to 1974. In 1974, when she was eleven, her scholarship was discontinued, and she was asked to leave. Amos has asserted that she lost the scholarship because of her interest in rock and popular music, coupled with her dislike for reading from sheet music.
In 1972, the Amos family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where her father became pastor of the Good Shepherd United Methodist church. At thirteen, Amos began playing at gay bars and piano bars, chaperoned by her father.
Amos won a county teen talent contest in 1977, singing a song called "More Than Just a Friend". As a senior at Richard Montgomery High School, she co-wrote "Baltimore×Baltimore1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABaltimore3:31BWalking With You4:28" with her brother, Mike Amos, for a competition involving the Baltimore Orioles. The song did not win the contest but became her first single, released as a 7-inch single pressed locally for family and friends in 1980 with another Amos-penned composition as a B-side, "Walking With You". Before this, she had performed under her middle name, Ellen, and was considering the stage name "Sammy Jaye" at the time, but permanently adopted "Tori" after a friend's boyfriend told her she looked like a Torrey pine, a tree native to the West Coast.

1979–1989: Career beginnings and Y Kant Tori Read

By the time she was 17, Amos had a stock of homemade demo tapes that her father regularly sent out to record companies and producers. Producer Narada Michael Walden responded favorably: he and Amos cut some tracks together, but none were released. Eventually, Atlantic Records responded to one of the tapes, and, when A&R man Jason Flom flew to Baltimore to audition her in person, the label was convinced and signed her.
In 1984, Amos moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career after several years performing on the piano bar circuit in the Washington, D.C. area.
In 1986, Amos formed a musical group called Y Kant Tori Read, named for her difficulty with sight-reading. In addition to Amos, the group was composed of Steve Caton (who would later play guitars on all of her albums until 1999), drummer Matt Sorum, bass player Brad Cobb and, for a short time, keyboardist Jim Tauber. The band went through several iterations of songwriting and recording; Amos has said interference from record executives caused the band to lose its musical edge and direction during this time. Finally, in July 1988, the band's eponymous debut album, Y Kant Tori Read, was released. Although its producer, Joe Chiccarelli, stated that Amos was very happy with the album at the time, Amos has since criticized it, once remarking: "The only good thing about that album is my ankle high boots."
Following the album's commercial failure and the group's subsequent disbanding, Amos began working with other artists (including Stan Ridgway, Sandra Bernhard, and Al Stewart) as a backup vocalist. She also recorded a song called "Distant Storm" (which she did not write), which was used in the film China O'Brien. In the credits, the song is attributed to a band called Tess Makes Good. Amos recorded the vocals for the song in 1988, for $150; she was unaware for several years that the song had actually been heard in a film. Other than the appearance in the film itself, "Distant Storm" has never been commercially issued in any format.

1990–1995: Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink

Despite the disappointing reaction to Y Kant Tori Read, Amos still had to fulfill her six-record contract with Atlantic Records, which, in 1989, wanted a new record by March 1990. The initial recordings were declined by the label, which Amos felt was because the album had not been properly presented. The album was reworked and expanded under the guidance of Doug Morris and the musical talents of Steve Caton, Eric Rosse, Will MacGregor, Carlo Nuccio, and Dan Nebenzal, resulting in Little Earthquakes, an album recounting her religious upbringing, sexual awakening, struggle to establish her identity, and sexual assault. This album became her commercial and artistic breakthrough, entering the British charts in January 1992 at Number 15. Little Earthquakes was released in the United States in February 1992 and slowly but steadily began to attract listeners, gaining more attention with the video for the single "Silent All These Years×Silent All These YearsNovember 1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Silent All These Years4:192Upside Down4:243Me and a Gun3:464Thoughts2:45".
Amos traveled to New Mexico with personal and professional partner Eric Rosse in 1993 to write and largely record her second solo record, Under the Pink. The album was received with mostly favorable reviews and sold enough copies to chart at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, a significantly higher position than the preceding album's position at No. 54 on the same chart. However, the album found its biggest success in the UK, debuting at number one upon release in February 1994.

1996–2000: Boys for Pele, From the Choirgirl Hotel, and To Venus and Back

Her third solo album, Boys for Pele×Boys for Pele16 January 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Beauty Queen / Horses6:072Blood Roses3:563Father Lucifer3:434Professional Widow4:325Mr. Zebra1:076Marianne4:107Caught a Lite Sneeze4:268Muhammad My Friend3:499Hey Jupiter5:1210Way Down1:1311Little Amsterdam4:3112Talula4:0813Not the Red Baron3:5114Agent Orange1:2615Doughnut Song4:2116In the Springtime of His Voodoo5:3417Putting the Damage On5:1518Twinkle3:12, was released in January 1996. Prior to its release, the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze×Caught a Lite Sneeze2 January 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Caught a Lite Sneeze4:262London Girls3:223That’s What I Like Mick (The Sandwich Song)3:004Samurai3:03" became the first full song released for streaming online prior to an album's release.
The album was recorded in a church in Delgany, County Wicklow, Ireland, with Amos taking advantage of the church's acoustics. For this album, Amos used the harpsichord, harmonium, and clavichord as well as the piano. The album garnered mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising its intensity and uniqueness while others bemoaned its comparative impenetrability. Despite the album's varied lyrical content and instrumentation, the latter of which kept it away from mainstream audiences, Boys for Pele is Amos's most successful simultaneous transatlantic release, reaching No. 2 on the UK Top 40 and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.
Fueled by the desire to have her own recording studio to distance herself from record company executives, Amos had the barn of her home in Cornwall, UK converted into the state-of-the-art recording studio of Martian Engineering Studios.
From the Choirgirl Hotel and To Venus and Back, released in May 1998 and September 1999, respectively, differ greatly from previous albums. Amos's trademark acoustic, piano-based sound is largely replaced with arrangements that include elements of electronica and dance music with vocal washes. The underlying themes of both albums deal with womanhood and Amos's own miscarriages and marriage. Reviews for From the Choirgirl Hotel were mostly favorable and praised Amos's continued artistic originality. Debut sales for From the Choirgirl Hotel were Amos's best to date, selling 153,000 copies in its first week. To Venus and Back, a two-disc release of original studio material and live material recorded from the previous world tour, received mostly positive reviews and included the first major-label single available for sale as a digital download.

2001–2004: Strange Little Girls and Scarlet's Walk

Shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Amos decided to record a cover album, taking songs written by men about women and reversing the gender roles to reflect a woman's perspective. That became Strange Little Girls, released in September 2001. The album is Amos's first concept album, with artwork featuring Amos photographed in character of the women portrayed in each song. Amos would later reveal that a stimulus for the album was to end her contract with Atlantic without giving them original songs; Amos felt that since 1998, the label had not been properly promoting her and had trapped her in a contract by refusing to sell her to another label.
With her Atlantic contract fulfilled after a 15-year stint, Amos signed to Epic in late 2001. In October 2002, Amos released Scarlet's Walk, another concept album. Described as a "sonic novel", the album explores Amos's alter ego, Scarlet, intertwined with her cross-country concert tour following 9/11. Through the songs, Amos explores such topics as the history of America, American people, Native American history, pornography, masochism, homophobia and misogyny. The album had a strong debut at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Scarlet's Walk is Amos's last album to date to reach certified gold status from the RIAA.
Not long after Amos was ensconced with her new label, she received unsettling news when Polly Anthony resigned as president of Epic Records in 2003. Anthony had been one of the primary reasons Amos signed with the label and as a result of her resignation, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group. Further trouble for Amos occurred the following year when her label, Epic/Sony Music Entertainment, merged with BMG Entertainment as a result of the industry's decline.

2005–2008: The Beekeeper and American Doll Posse

Amos released two more albums with Epic, The Beekeeper×The Beekeeper21 February 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks1Parasol3:542Sweet the Sting4:163The Power of Orange Knickers3:374Jamaica Inn4:035Barons of Suburbia5:216Sleeps with Butterflies3:367General Joy4:138Mother Revolution3:599Ribbons Undone4:3010Cars and Guitars3:4511Witness6:0612Original Sinsuality2:0313Ireland3:5014The Beekeeper6:5115Martha’s Foolish Ginger4:2216Hoochie Woman2:3417Goodbye Pisces3:3618Marys of the Sea5:1119Toast3:42 (2005) and American Doll Posse×American Doll Posse26 April 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 23 tracks1Yo George1:252Big Wheel3:183Bouncing Off Clouds4:084Teenage Hustling4:015Digital Ghost3:516You Can Bring Your Dog4:047Mr. Bad Man3:198Fat Slut0:429Girl Disappearing4:0110Secret Spell4:0411Devils and Gods0:5312Body and Soul3:5713Father’s Son4:0014Programmable Soda1:2615Code Red5:2716Roosterspur Bridge3:5917Beauty of Speed4:0818Almost Rosey5:2419Velvet Revolution1:1920Dark Side of the Sun4:1921Posse Bonus1:4522Smokey Joe4:1923Dragon5:03 (2007). Both albums received generally favorable reviews. The Beekeeper was conceptually influenced by the ancient art of beekeeping, which she considered a source of female inspiration and empowerment. Through extensive study, Amos also wove in the stories of the Gnostic gospels and the removal of women from a position of power within the Christian church to create an album based largely on religion and politics. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, placing her in an elite group of women who have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts. While the newly merged label was present throughout the production process of The Beekeeper, Amos and her crew nearly completed her next project, American Doll Posse, before inviting the label to listen to it. American Doll Posse, another concept album, is fashioned around a group of girls (the "posse") who are used as a theme of alter-egos of Amos's. Musically and stylistically, the album saw Amos return to a more confrontational nature. Like its predecessor, American Doll Posse debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
During her tenure with Epic Records, Amos also released a retrospective collection titled Tales of a Librarian (2003) through her former label, Atlantic Records; a two-disc DVD set Fade to Red (2006) containing most of Amos's solo music videos, released through the Warner Bros. reissue imprint Rhino; a five disc box set titled A Piano: The Collection (2006), celebrating Amos's 15-year solo career through remastered album tracks, remixes, alternate mixes, demos, and a string of unreleased songs from album recording sessions, also released through Rhino; and numerous official bootlegs from two world tours, The Original Bootlegs (2005) and Legs & Boots (2007) through Epic Records.

2008–2011: Abnormally Attracted to Sin and Midwinter Graces

In May 2008, Amos announced that, due to creative and financial disagreements with Epic Records, she had negotiated an end to her contract with the record label, and would be operating independently of major record labels on future work. In September of the same year, Amos released a live album and DVD, Live at Montreux 1991/1992×Live at Montreux 1991/199222 September 2008 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Silent All These Years4:182Precious Things4:403China5:224Crucify5:465Leather4:016Song for Eric1:337Upside Down4:358Happy Phantom3:399Winter6:1210Thank You4:00Disc 21Little Earthquakes6:012Crucify5:573Silent All These Years5:274Precious Things5:255Happy Phantom3:306Whole Lotta Love / Thank You5:047Me and a Gun5:048Winter6:269Smells Like Teen Spirit3:36, through Eagle Rock Entertainment, of two performances she gave at the Montreux Jazz Festival very early on in her career while promoting her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes×Little Earthquakes1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Crucify5:002Girl4:083Silent All These Years4:124Precious Things4:275Winter5:426Happy Phantom3:157China5:008Leather3:129Mother6:5910Tear in Your Hand4:3911Me and a Gun3:4512Little Earthquakes6:53. By December, after a chance encounter with chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, Amos signed a "joint venture" deal with Universal Republic Records.
Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Amos's tenth solo studio album and her first album released through Universal Republic, was released in May 2009 to mostly positive reviews. The album debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, making it Amos's seventh album to do so. Abnormally Attracted to Sin, admitted Amos, is a "personal album", not a conceptual one, with the album exploring themes of power, boundaries, and the subjective view of sin. Continuing her distribution deal with Universal Republic, Amos released Midwinter Graces, her first seasonal album, in November of the same year. The album features reworked versions of traditional carols, as well as original songs written by Amos.
During her contract with the label, Amos recorded vocals for two songs for David Byrne's collaboration album with Fatboy Slim, titled Here Lies Love, which was released in April 2010. In July of the same year, the DVD Tori Amos – Live from the Artists Den was released exclusively through Barnes & Noble.
After a brief tour from June to September 2010, Amos released a live album From Russia With Love×From Russia With Love13 December 2010 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Little Earthquakes7:172Icicle4:483Beauty of Speed5:014Lust4:065Dragon5:196Josephine2:477Precious Things6:038Bells for Her6:259Star of Winter3:4610Silent All These Years5:16Disc 21Takes to the Sky / Muhammad My Friend5:102Mother Revolution5:353Space Dog5:134Indian Summer5:395China5:436Yes Anastasia5:417Winter7:388Bouncing Off Clouds5:189Leather4:04 in December the same year, recorded in Moscow on September 3, 2010. The limited edition set included a signature edition Lomography Diana F+ camera, along with two lenses, a roll of film and one of five photographs taken of Amos during her time in Moscow. The set was released exclusively through her website and only 2000 copies were produced.

2011–2015: Night of Hunters, Gold Dust, and Unrepentant Geraldines

In September 2011, Amos released her first classical-style music album, Night of Hunters×Night of Hunters16 September 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Shattering Sea5:412Snowblind3:163Battle of Trees8:464Fearlessness6:345Cactus Practice4:296Star Whisperer9:547Job’s Coffin3:338Nautical Twilight3:209Your Ghost5:4110Edge of the Moon4:5411The Chase3:0312Night of Hunters5:3413Seven Sisters2:4614Carry4:07, featuring variations on a theme to pay tribute to composers such as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert, on the Deutsche Grammophon label, a division of Universal Music Group. Amos recorded the album with several musicians, including the Apollon Musagète string quartet.
To mark the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Little Earthquakes×Little Earthquakes1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Crucify5:002Girl4:083Silent All These Years4:124Precious Things4:275Winter5:426Happy Phantom3:157China5:008Leather3:129Mother6:5910Tear in Your Hand4:3911Me and a Gun3:4512Little Earthquakes6:53 (1992), Amos released an album of songs from her back catalogue re-worked and re-recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. The album, titled Gold Dust×Gold Dust28 September 2012 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Flavor4:082Yes, Anastasia4:173Jackie’s Strength4:314Cloud on My Tongue4:235Precious Things4:446Gold Dust5:457Star of Wonder3:458Winter5:449Flying Dutchman6:2110Programmable Soda1:2611Snow Cherries From France3:0112Marianne4:0713Silent All These Years4:3314Girl Disappearing4:06, was released in October 2012 through Deutsche Grammophon.
On May 1, 2012, Amos announced the formation of her own record label, Transmission Galactic, which she said she intended to use to develop new artists.
In 2013, Amos collaborated with the Bullitts on the track "Wait Until Tomorrow" from their debut album, They Die by Dawn & Other Short Stories. She also stated in an interview that a new album and tour would materialize in 2014 and that it would be a "return to contemporary music".
September 2013 saw the launch of Amos's musical project adaptation of George MacDonald's The Light Princess, along with book writer Samuel Adamson and Marianne Elliott. It premiered at London's Royal National Theatre and ended in February 2014. The Light Princess and its lead actress, Rosalie Craig, were nominated for Best Musical and Best Musical Performance respectively at the Evening Standard Award. Craig won the Best Musical Performance category.
Amos's 14th studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines×Unrepentant Geraldines9 May 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11America4:122Trouble’s Lament3:443Wild Way2:554Wedding Day3:455Weatherman4:41616 Shades of Blue3:527Maids of Elfen-Mere2:538Promise4:059Giant’s Rolling Pin4:1110Selkie4:0511Unrepentant Geraldines6:5712Oysters5:1413Rose Dover3:5614Invisible Boy4:5815Forest of Glass5:08Disc 21Trailer2:212Interview31:323Studio Tour5:354Album Photo Shoot3:44, was released on May 13, 2014, via Mercury Classics/Universal Music Classics in the US. Its first single, "Trouble's Lament", was released on March 28. The album was supported by the Unrepentant Geraldines Tour which began May 5, 2014, in Cork and continued across Europe, Africa, North America, and Australia, ending in Brisbane on November 21, 2014. In Sydney, Amos performed two orchestral concerts, reminiscent of the Gold Dust Orchestral Tour, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.
According to a press release, Unrepentant Geraldines was a "return to her core identity as a creator of contemporary songs of exquisite beauty following a series of more classically-inspired and innovative musical projects of the last four years. [It is] both one further step in the artistic evolution of one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation, and a return to the inspiring and personal music that Amos is known for all around the world."
The 2-CD set The Light Princess (Original Cast Recording) was released on October 9, 2015, via Universal/Mercury Classics. Apart from the original cast performances, the recording also includes two songs from the musical ("Highness in the Sky" and "Darkest Hour') performed by Amos.

2016–2024: Native Invader, Christmastide and Ocean to Ocean

On November 18, 2016, Amos released a deluxe version of the album Boys for Pele×Boys for Pele16 January 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Beauty Queen / Horses6:072Blood Roses3:563Father Lucifer3:434Professional Widow4:325Mr. Zebra1:076Marianne4:107Caught a Lite Sneeze4:268Muhammad My Friend3:499Hey Jupiter5:1210Way Down1:1311Little Amsterdam4:3112Talula4:0813Not the Red Baron3:5114Agent Orange1:2615Doughnut Song4:2116In the Springtime of His Voodoo5:3417Putting the Damage On5:1518Twinkle3:12 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original release. This follows the deluxe re-releases of her first two albums in 2015.
On September 8, 2017, Amos released Native Invader, accompanied by a world tour. During the summer of 2017, Amos launched three songs from the album: "Cloud Riders×Cloud Riders28 July 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cloud Riders5:23", "Up the Creek×Up the Creek11 August 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Up the Creek3:22", and "Reindeer King×Reindeer King25 August 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Reindeer King7:07", the latter featuring string arrangements by John Philip Shenale. Produced by Amos, the album explores topics like American politics and environmental issues, mixed with mythological elements and first-person narrations. Native Invader obtained a score of 76 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
On November 9, 2020, Amos announced the release of a holiday-themed EP titled Christmastide×Christmastide4 December 2020 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Christmastide3:442Circle of Seasons5:103Holly3:384Better Angels3:59 on December 4, digitally and on limited-edition vinyl. The EP consists of four original songs and features her first work with bandmates Matt Chamberlain and Jon Evans since 2009. Amos recorded the EP remotely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 20, 2021, Amos announced her sixteenth studio album, Ocean to Ocean×Ocean to Ocean29 October 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Addition of Light Divided4:062Speaking With Trees3:553Devil’s Bane4:334Swim to New York State4:215Spies6:006Ocean to Ocean3:317Flowers Burn to Gold3:428Metal Water Wood4:01929 Years4:4710How Glass Is Made3:5711Birthday Baby4:46, which was released on October 29. The album was written and recorded in Cornwall during lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and explores "a universal story of going to rock bottom and renewing yourself all over again". Amos embarked on a European and United States tour in support of the album in 2022, and continued to support the album in 2023 with a European Tour in March and April and additional US dates in June and July . Matt Chamberlain and Jon Evans were featured on drums and bass guitar respectively, their first collaboration with Amos on an album since 2009's Midwinter Graces×Midwinter Graces6 November 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1What Child, Nowell3:462Star of Wonder3:513A Silent Night With You3:234Candle: Coventry Carol3:185Holly, Ivy, and Rose4:446Harps of Gold3:107Snow Angel3:448Jeanette, Isabella4:289Pink and Glitter4:5710Emmanuel3:0011Winter's Carol5:2212Our New Year4:2113Comfort and Joy3:5914Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night)3:39. For the 2022 and 2023 tour, Amos was joined by Jon Evans and the drummer Ash Soan.
She appeared at the EPIX original docuseries Women Who Rock which premiered on July 10, 2022.
In 2023, Amos and Trevor Horn covered Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools (Drank)". She also released a remix dance single titled "Tequila," produced by Paul Woolford.
On November 1, 2024, Amos announced the release of a live album, Diving Deep Live×Diving Deep Live6 December 2024 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11God5:082Ocean to Ocean9:283Amber Waves5:074Daisy Dead Petals3:515Pandora's Aquarium7:476Silent All These Years6:247Ruby Through the Looking Glass8:058Climb8:409Spring Haze12:05Disc 21Code Red6:292Cornflake Girl6:453Lady in Blue9:374Here in My Head8:425Crazy9:216Sister Janet6:477Mother Revolution7:28, on December 6, 2024, consisting of recordings from her 2022-23 tour in support of Ocean to Ocean. it was released on double vinyl, on CD and digitally.

2025–present: Tori and the Muses and In Times of Dragons

On February 28, 2025, Amos released a surprise album, The Music of Tori and the Muses×The Music of Tori and the Muses28 February 2025 · Album · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Knocking2:112Day and Night (from the Faerie Workshop)4:083Building a Mountain6:004Insect Ballet5:565Anna’s Bakery3:386Mermaid Muse Speaks4:097Spike’s Lament2:478Rain Brings Change3:489S’Magic Day4:28, as a companion project to her illustrated children's book Tori and the Muses, published on March 4, 2025. The album featured nine original songs and featured Jon Evans on bass guitar and Matt Chamberlain on drums. Touring drummer Ash Soan featured on drums on the tracks "Knocking", "Spike's Lament", and "Rain Brings Change".
Amos announced her eighteenth studio album, In Times of Dragons×In Times of Dragons1 May 2026 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Shush6:152In Times of Dragons4:503Provincetown5:054St. Theresa6:195Gasoline Girls2:566Ode to Minnesota1:347Fanny Faudrey1:478Veins3:599Strawberry Moon4:1010Song of Sorrow6:1911Flood4:0312Pyrite3:3413Tempest5:1814Angelshark3:4715Blue Lotus6:0316Stronger Together3:141723 Peaks6:42, on October 6, 2025; it was released on CD and vinyl on May 1, 2026. Amos described the album as "a metaphorical story about the fight for Democracy over Tyranny, reflecting the current abhorrent non-accidental burning down of democracy in real time by the 'Dictator believing Lizard Demons' in their usurpation of America".

In print

Amos and her music have been the subject of numerous official and unofficial books, as well as academic critique, including Tori Amos: Lyrics (2001) illustrated by Herb Leonhard, and an earlier biography, Tori Amos: All These Years (1996) by Kalen Rogers.
Released in conjunction with The Beekeeper, Amos co-authored an autobiography with rock music journalist Ann Powers titled Piece by Piece (2005). The book's subject is Amos's interest in mythology and religion, exploring her songwriting process, rise to fame, and her relationship with Atlantic Records. Amos released her second memoir, called Resistance: A Songwriter's Story of Hope, Change, and Courage on May 5, 2020.
Image Comics released Comic Book Tattoo (2008), a collection of comic stories, each based on or inspired by songs recorded by Amos. Editor Rantz Hoseley worked with Amos to gather 80 different artists for the book, including Neil Gaiman, Carla Speed McNeil, Mark Buckingham, C.B. Cebulski, Nikki Cook, Hope Larson, John Ney Reiber, Ryan Kelly, Pia Guerra, David Mack, and Leah Moore.
Tori Amos: In the Studio (2011) by Jake Brown features an in-depth look at Amos's career, discography, and recording process. Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman: Female Fans and the Music of Tori Amos (2013) by Adrienne Trier-Bieniek explores the ways women are represented in pop culture and the many-layered relationships female fans build with feminist musicians in general and with Amos in particular.
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes (2022), written by Amos and Neil Gaiman, is a graphic novel marking the 30th anniversary of the release of Little Earthquakes. Written by Amos and illustrated by Demelsa Haughton, the children's book Tori and the Muses was released on March 4, 2025.

Personal life

Amos married English sound engineer Mark Hawley on February 22, 1998. They have one daughter, Natashya Lórien Hawley, born September 5, 2000. They live in Bude, UK.
Amos's mother, Mary Ellen, died on May 11, 2019. Her brother, Edison Michael Amos, died on November 22, 2004. Her father, Edison McKinley Amos, died on August 3, 2025.

Early in her professional career, Amos befriended author Neil Gaiman, who became a fan after she referred to him in the song "Tear in Your Hand" and also in print interviews. Although created before the two met, the character Delirium from Gaiman's The Sandman series is inspired by Amos; Gaiman has stated that they "steal shamelessly from each other". She wrote the foreword to his collection Death: The High Cost of Living; he in turn wrote the introduction to Comic Book Tattoo. Gaiman is godfather to her daughter, and a poem written for her birth, "Blueberry Girl", was published as a children's book of the same name in 2009. In 2019, Amos performed the British standard "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" over the closing credits of season one of Gaiman's TV series Good Omens, based on the novel of the same name written by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Following the revelation of sexual assault allegations against Gaiman in 2024, Amos stated in an interview with The Guardian that she was "shocked", saying that she "never saw that side of Neil" and was not made aware of any misconduct by Gaiman prior to media reporting of the allegations. In 2026, Amos reissued her album Strange Little Girls×Strange Little Girls17 September 2001 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1New Age4:372'97 Bonnie & Clyde5:463Strange Little Girl3:504Enjoy the Silence4:105I'm Not in Love5:396Rattlesnakes3:597Time5:238Heart of Gold4:009I Don't Like Mondays4:2110Happiness Is a Warm Gun9:5511Raining Blood6:2212Real Men4:07 with all previous contributions from Gaiman removed from the artwork and liner notes.

Activism

In June 1994, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), a toll-free help line in the US connecting callers with their local rape crisis center, was founded. Amos stated in a 1994 interview that she was raped at knife point when she was 22 and did not report the incident to the authorities. She answered the ceremonial first call to launch the hotline. She was the first national spokesperson for the organization and has continued to be closely associated with RAINN. On August 18, 2013, a concert in honor of her 50th birthday was held, an event which raised money for RAINN. On August 22, 2020, Amos appeared on a panel called Artistry & Activism at the diversity and inclusion digital global conference CARLA.

Relationship with Cherokee culture

Amos has frequently referred to Native American culture, history, and spirituality in her music and visual art, as well as making personal connections with the culture. She has spoken about ancestors on her mother's side she said were of Cherokee descent.
Of particular importance to her as a child was her maternal grandfather, Calvin Clinton Copeland, whom she has cited as a great source of inspiration and guidance, offering a pantheistic spiritual alternative to her father and paternal grandmother's traditional Christianity. She has said her great-grandmother evaded the Trail of Tears by taking refuge in the Great Smoky Mountains, her family's place of residence. Amos took a trip through the Smokies which formed the creative basis for her album Native Invader×Native Invader8 September 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Reindeer King7:062Wings4:093Broken Arrow5:204Cloud Riders5:235Up the Creek3:226Breakaway4:367Wildwood4:418Chocolate Song4:419Bang6:1110Climb4:0211Bats4:1812Benjamin2:4313Mary’s Eyes5:16. While talking to The Guardian about taking Ayahuasca and attending sweatlodge ceremonies with her sister, Amos has also said, "I'm not in a position to speak for First Nation people – that's a sacred task."

Legacy

Artists influenced by (and/or admirers of) Amos's work include Alanis Morissette, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Jewel, Halsey, Brad Walsh, Olly Alexander of Years & Years, Perfume Genius, Anne Hathaway, Willow Smith Justin Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo, St. Vincent, Leighton Meester, and Jack Colwell.

Film appearances

Amos appears as a wedding singer in the film Mona Lisa Smile. She had previously auditioned for a role as a member of Beverly's band, Cherry Bomb, in the 1986 film Howard the Duck.
Amos performed a cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion", as well as the original song "Butterfly", for the soundtrack of John Singleton's 1995 film Higher Learning. Her song "Talula×TalulaMarch 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Talula (The Tornado mix)3:472Frog on My Toe3:413Sister Named Desire5:314Alamo5:12" was featured in the epic disaster film Twister (1996). "Professional Widow×Professional Widow2 July 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Professional Widow (Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ mix) (radio edit)3:492Professional Widow (Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ mix)8:073Professional Widow (MK mix)7:224Professional Widow (MK Vampire dub)6:59" was featured in the action film Escape from L.A. (1996). "Siren" was featured in the romantic drama Great Expectations (1998). The songs "'Murder' He Says" and "You Belong To Me" were featured in the films Mona Lisa Smile (2003). "Flicker×Flicker9 September 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Flicker4:09" was featured in the film Audrie & Daisy (2016).
Numerous songs of hers have been included in television series soundtracks. Some examples include:

"Crucify×Crucify8 June 1992 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Crucify (LP version)5:012Angie4:253Smells Like Teen Spirit3:17" in American adult animated series Beavis and Butt-Head (season 3, episode 31, 1994)
"God" in American adult animated series Beavis and Butt-Head (season 5, episode 7, 1994)
"Lust" in fantasy, drama television series Charmed (season 2, episode 12, 1998)
"Northern Lad" in teen drama television series Dawson's Creek (season 2, episode 4, 1998)
"A Sorta Fairytale×A Sorta Fairytale2001 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAA Sorta Fairytale (single version)3:58BA Sorta Fairytale (single version)3:58" in drama television series Everwood (season 4, episode 16, 2002)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in crime procedures comedy-drama television series Bones (season 1, episode 9, 2005) and in science fiction television series Roswell (season 3, episode 9, 1999)
"Precious Things" in comedy-drama television series Hindsight (season 1, episode 6, 2015)
"Pretty Good Year×Pretty Good Year7 March 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Pretty Good Year3:282Honey3:493Black Swan4:03" in television series Casual (season 3, episode 12, 2015)
"A Nightingale Song in Berkeley Square" in fantasy comedy television series Good Omens (season 1, episode 6, 2019)
"Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix)" in Netflix drama thriller series White Lines (season 1, episode 9, 2020), in Derry Girls (season 3, episode 4, "The Haunting", 2018) and Love Island (season 5, episode 14, 2015)
"Crucify" in anthology comedy-drama television series High Maintenance (season 4, episode 8, 2016)
"Raspberry Swirl×Raspberry SwirlJuly 1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Raspberry Swirl (Lip Gloss version)3:432Raspberry Swirl (Sticky extended vocal mix)7:533Raspberry Swirl (Scarlet Spectrum Feels)8:11" in the television series The End (season 1, episode 9, 2020)
"1000 Oceans×1000 Oceans7 September 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks11000 Oceans4:172Baker Baker (live non-LP version)3:57" in mystery teen drama television series Pretty Little Liars (season 1, episode 10, 2022)
"Cornflake Girl×Cornflake Girl1994 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Crucify6:102Silent All These Years5:163Happy Phantom3:434Girl4:255Whole Lotta Love4:136Leather3:367Smells Like Teen Spirit3:448China5:469Cornflake Girl3:1510Pretty Good Year2:3611Baker Baker3:1512God3:3813Sugar3:2814Precious Things5:4415Tear in Your Hand5:2016Winter7:01" in Conversations with Friends (season 1, episode 10, 2022), in drama television series YellowJackets (season 2, episode 1, 2023) and in comedy drama series Beef (season 1, episode 2, 2023)
"Bells for Her" in drama television series Yellowjackets (season 2, episode 3, 2023)
"Little Earthquakes×Little Earthquakes1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Crucify5:002Girl4:083Silent All These Years4:124Precious Things4:275Winter5:426Happy Phantom3:157China5:008Leather3:129Mother6:5910Tear in Your Hand4:3911Me and a Gun3:4512Little Earthquakes6:53" in American adult animation series Rick & Morty (season 8, episode 3, 2025)

Works cited

Amos, Tori; Powers, Ann (2005). Tori Amos: Piece by Piece. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-1677-6.
Collins, Louise Mooney; Speace, Geri J. (1995). Newsmakers: The People Behind Today's Headlines, 1995 Cumulation. Gale Research. ISBN 0-8103-5745-3.
Rogers, Kalen (1994). Tori Amos: All These Years: The Authorized Illustrated Biography. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-8256-1448-4.