Tori Kelly Says Le Sserafim’s Kim Chaewon ‘Nailed’ Their New Song ‘Spruce’: ‘I Just Love Her Voice’ (Exclusive)

Tori Kelly is stoked to have Kim Chaewon of Le Sserafim on her new album.

The 31-year-old Grammy winner released her new album, TORI., on April 5, and the 23-year-old South Korean girl group member features on the track “Spruce” — a bright, upbeat song about a night out with friends.

Self-described as “one of the most fun songs on the album,” Kelly recalls writing “Spruce” in the studio and knowing she wanted a guest artist to add a verse. “We always pictured some kind of female, girl power type of anthem with this song,” she tells PEOPLE.

After spending more time with the song, Kelly thought its energy could be well-suited for a K-pop artist to feature. “I’ve been a fan, and I get tagged a lot in some of these big K-pop stars doing covers of my songs over the years,” she says, citing Blackpink’s Rosé and BTS’ Jungkook as two artists who’ve shared videos of themselves singing her music.

“Seeing that and also just loving the genre, it just felt like the right moment,” says Kelly. “Le Sserafim is a group that I’ve been following for a bit, too, so I was just like, ‘OK, if we sent it over, do you think Kim Chaewon would do it?’ I just love her voice. I think she is just so cool.”

Luckily, Chaewon was happy to jump on the track. “She recorded her parts all remotely, sent it back over, and it just immediately elevated the song. I was like, ‘This is so perfect,'” recalls Kelly.

She then felt as though Chaewon could take the track to yet another level with a spoken-word section on the bridge. “I was like, ‘Wait, can she also do something in Korean, just a little voicemail or something?'” adds Kelly.

“The whole song is about getting ready and meeting your girls and being cute and having a fun night,” she says. “I just thought that would be a fun little touch, and she nailed that too.”

Unfortunately, the two musicians haven’t had the chance to cross paths in person, but Kelly is hoping to change that soon. “I am really looking forward to when we get to meet and hopefully perform the song together at some point,” she says.