Kali Uchis has had an impressive rise to superstardom. Fans will know about her discography and why she’s known as a front runner in her genre, but after the release of last year’s Orquideas, here’s a roundup of everything important you need to know about her.
1. She’s won many big awards
Uchis won a Grammy for her collaboration with Katryananda in 2019, titled ‘10%.’ But that’s not her only impressive accolade – she’s also had five nominations for Latin Grammy awards and achieved two Billboards and one American Music Award.
2. Her inspirations are vast
Primarily, Kali is inspired by the music of the 1960s, which includes mixes of doo-wop, early soul, and R&B. However, she is also influenced by celebrities like Selena, Shakira, Ivy Queen, and Salma Hayek.
3. She’s just released a new song with d4vd
19-year-old D4VD has been on a meteoric rise of his own in recent times – and he has now teamed up with Uchis on a new track titled ‘Crashing.’ It’s an atmospheric track that talks about D4VD leaning on his significant other when his life is complicated. Uchis’s addition adds an undeniable extra dimension to the song, once again proving her voice is powerful on both an individual and collaborative level.
4. She’s released 4 albums, with another on the way!
For new fans, you may not know she’s had four albums out so far. Her debut EP Por Vida was released in 2015, followed by Isolation (2018) and Sin Miedo (2020). 2024 saw Uchis release Orquideas, her second Spanish-language album, last January. Sincerely, her brand new album, will arrive May 9 and it’s set to be her most personal project yet; touching on themes of motherhood and femininity.
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5. She ended up in the spotlight initially in 2012
It was Uchis’s mixtape, Drunken Babble, released in 2012, that originally resulted in her being noticed by music industry professionals. The mixtape was uploaded via Uchis’ Datpiff account and became popular in the underground scene, which eventually became more mainstream.
6. Uchis doesn’t just write and perform music
Uchis isn’t just a popular singer-songwriter. She’s also a video director and record producer – she’s not only breaking the rules of genres in her work but continually proving that her talents are many and flexible. She also blends her Spanish roots with her music in the form of incorporating genres like R&B, soul, pop, hip-hop and Latin.
7. She’s self taught
Uchis has another impressive accolade that can be added to her belt – she’s a self-taught singer. Growing up between Alexandra, Virginia and Pereira in the Colombian Andes, she knew what she wanted from a young age and pushed the boundaries for success.
8. Across her discography, she’s collaborated with some incredible artists
Early in her career, Uchis did her first collaboration, in the form of Snoop Dogg’s ‘On Edge’ for his mixtape, That’s My Work 3. In 2017, she starred in three tracks on Gorillaz’ album Humanz – ‘She’s My Collar’, ‘Ticker Tape’, and ‘She’s My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special).’ In the same year, she released ‘Tyrant’ with English artist Jorja Smith. Her first two Grammy nominations were also results of combined work – with Daniel Caesar and Juanes, respectively. And that’s shockingly only a few of her very long list!
9. She’s also toured with iconic musicians
On the touring side of her repertoire, Uchis has worked with Lana del Rey, Leon Bridges and Tyler the Creator. It’s clear from this and the above that Uchis hit the ground running in all aspects of her career from day one – and it’s definitely been paying off!
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10. On her albums, she’s primarily the only songwriter
A lot of artists today have collaborative partners when it comes to songwriting; however, Uchis is usually the only one for her works, especially when it came to her third album, Red Moon in Venus, an album that received widespread critical acclaim.
