Born Myra Ellen Amos on this day in Newton, North Carolina, singer/songwriter Tori Amos (1963–) was a child prodigy at piano and earned a scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory at age six.

“My songs are like friends,” she explained. “I have a special relationship with them. Some I always want to keep close.”

Her debut album Little Earthquakes (1992) introduced the world to her powerful vulnerability. The song “Me and a Gun” recounted her personal experience of rape and became an anthem of survival and truth.

Amos continued to explore pain, grief, and healing in albums like Under the Pink, Boys for Pele, and Scarlet’s Walk. Her poetic lyrics and haunting melodies invited listeners to feel deeply—and to grow.

In 1994, she founded RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, offering support and hope to survivors. “We have worked hard to unlock the silence. Now we must turn up the volume.”

“Music has always been healing for me,” she said. “When I’m in pain, I play, and I feel things... ease. I feel the music play me.”

Tori Amos creates with fire and feeling, her spirit unafraid, her flame steady, her tenderness a light for those finding their voice.