Karly-Marina Loaiza better known as Kali Uchis is a Colombian Queen. Uchis is a 24-year old singer/songwriter who is known for her successful collaborations with Daniel Caesar, Tyler The Creator, Jorja Smith and Steve Lacy. When Kali Uchis was just starting to explore her creative genius she was only seventeen years old and still in high school. Like most creatives, Kali needed her time away from all distractions to create and find out who she was an artist, even if that meant leaving home and sleeping in her car or at her friends’ houses. While she still went to school during the day, she spent her nights writing and sleeping in random parking lots. After living in the streets for several weeks Kali had written and produced her first song, “Killer” (which is now on her most recent album Isolation). Kali has come a long way from when I first heard her back in 2014, and while she has kept her alternative aesthetic, it has developed into much more. When I first heard Kali Uchis I was scrolling through my Instagram timeline and someone had posted a video that had absolutely nothing to do with Kali. But the background music was what drew me in. After doing what seemed like hours of searching, I finally found the name and singer of the song. Kali Uchis, “Honey Baby”. This songs’ visual was the perfect representation of the lifestyle she was living when she was first starting in her career. Kali’s music to women who want to empower other women especially for women who are sexually liberated.
More recently Kali has been staying true to her Colombian roots, by releasing singles like “Nuestro Planeta” featuring Reykon ( a Colombian entertainer/personality who is the main contributor to Colombian reggaeton), or by having Spanish versions to her already released singles like the very successful “Tyrant”. Tyrant comes in three different versions, one with Jorja Smith who is a British singer/songwriter, the next version features Daniel Caesar who is known for “Get You” which features Kali and “Best Part”, and the last version is in Spanish, for her Latin demographic. Kali’s latest, Isolation hit number 2 on iTunes for the hottest albums in just 24 hours of being released.
The album has a total of 15 songs, and like most of her albums is short and sweet. Instead of it being a funk-based album, which is usually slow and steady, Kali switched it up and added in some techno made the album more of a pop album. Kali’s style is unique and admirable, and she has done things with music only a few have done before. Her voice and choice of production reminds me of the late Amy Winehouse, whose music was mainly influenced by the blues and was full of soul. Kali is stepping out of the box when it comes to her music and she should continue to do so because it is rarely seen in this industry. No one has been as daring as Kali and she should be proud of how far she has come. If you haven’t listened to Isolation, go listen to it. You will not be disappointed!