Tori Kelly Wikia

"Unbreakable Smile" is the second track from Tori Kelly's debut studio album, Unbreakable Smile. It was released on June 23, 2015 through Capitol Records.

Background[]

The second single from Tori Kelly’s debut album ‘Unbreakable Smile’ details how fame and the way people perceive her won’t change who she really is. No matter how others try to change her or mock her for her decisions, she will not back down.

Kelly wrote the track in response to a comment from her manager, Scooter Braun, who told her one evening that she was being perceived as boring:

I remember telling her, ‘You’re the most talented person I know, but you’re boring. People think you’re ­boring. They think you’re vanilla’ … “But Tori is ­resilient. The next day she came to my house and said, ‘I wrote a song about what you said, and it’s called 'Unbreakable Smile.’

Lyrics[]

[Intro]
La da da da dee
You're not breaking me
La dee da da da

[Verse 1]
Somebody told me fame is a disease
You start singing the blues when you start seeing the green
But I think it's all about what you choose
The way you live your life depends on you
That's when I realized I wanna make a difference
Change other people's lives
Give hope even for a moment
Use my name for good
And change the game, I could
Because to make it
You think I gotta act a certain way
Be a little bit insane
Live a little, it's okay
I guess we have different definitions of living
But you'll twist my words anyway
You'll say that I'm naive like I don't have a past
You're the one being deceived
I see right behind the mask
Trying to stir me up and get me mad
I smile because happiness is all I have, so

[Chorus]
La da da da dee
You're not breaking me
La dee da da da
Ain't got time for ya
La da da da dee
You won't shatter me
La dee da da da
Got an unbreakable smile

[Verse 2]
You'll see me hanging with my fam
But that don't mean I'm living in a bubble
You'll find me at church
But that don't mean I can't cause trouble
Stir up a little scene
Cause isn't that what you want?
For me to mess up
So you could dress up some story
Saying "Tori, this'll sell more records"
But I'd rather make 'em yawn
Than be a pawn on your chess board
So call me boring, call me cookie cutter
Call me what you want and matter fact
Just say it loud and don't st-stutter
Cause I know who I am
Yeah, I'm still the same
Just a California girl with big dreams
Thinking, maybe they'll let me sing songs about real things
And baby, who knows
Maybe I could sell out shows without taking off my clothes
God made me sexy
I don't care if only I know

[Chorus]
La da da da dee
You're not breaking me
La dee da da da
Ain't got time for ya
La da da da dee
You won't shatter me
La dee da da da
Got an unbreakable smile

And I'll just keep on singing

[Chorus]
La da da da dee
You're not breaking me
La dee da da da
Ain't got time for ya
La da da da dee
You won't shatter me
La dee da da da
Got an unbreakable smile

[Outro]
I might be smiling, yes
But don't mistake kindness for weakness

Personnel[]

  • Tori Kelly - vocals, songwriting, vocal production
  • Allwyn Kelly - bass
  • Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy - engineering
  • John Hanes - mixing engineer
  • Oscar Gorres - guitar, keyboards, programming
  • Serban Ghenea - mixing
  • OzGo - production
  • Peter Carlsson - vocal production