On Oct. 1, 2020, Kali Uchis dropped a new steamy single titled la luz(Fín). The track is a dreamy yet sensual slow jam, which Uchis herself describes as being “about the inevitable—that moment when you set your sights on someone and can’t wait to do everything freaky imaginable with them”, as reported by DIY. The track was produced by Tainy, featuring a verse from Jhay Cortez. The lyrics are almost entirely in Spanish. Upon releasing la luz(Fín), Kali Uchis sent out a tweet to her followers: “today I drop another song in Spanish which I know means another day of disappointment for my English speaking fans who do not wish to make the attempt to listen to music in languages they can’t understand.”
This tweet may come across as harsh to some. Yet for artists like Uchis, who have been making music that reflects their different cultural identities, it reads as an honest expression of the frustration of never being able to please both sides of said identities.
Kali Uchis has been making music in English throughout her entire career, including her debut album Isolation, released in 2018. Besides a few Spanish singles, such as Nuestro Planeta, Solita and Tirano (a Spanish version of her hit single Tyrant), the Colombian-American artist had never taken a full dive into the Latin music market with a primarily Spanish album. Enter her most recent release, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞, released on Nov. 18, 2020.
Sin Miedo lives up to its name, which in full translates to “Without Fear (of Love and Other Demons)”. The album is luscious and atmospheric, with as much diversity in sound as Isolation but with more of a set structure and story. Each song on the album features Uchis in complete control of the mood, from the vocal delivery to the lyrics themselves. She also lays her influences out bare, in some cases directly paying homage to them by covering them. The opening track, la luna enamorada, features lyrics from the opening verse of Cuban bolero group Loz Zafiros’ La Luna En Tu Mirada, with Uchis taking her own spin on the soft love song. She begins the song by addressing an unknown person but one can assume it to be an ex-lover of some kind: “¿Y tú qué pensaste? ¿Que yo me iba a echar a morir? / La venganza es dulce” (“And what did you think, that I was going to roll over and die? / Revenge is sweet”). It serves as a mission statement to the album: Uchis is in complete control over herself and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
The second track on the album, fue mejor, features Canada’s own PARTYNEXTDOOR, although his verse is lacklustre in comparison to the rest of the song. The track oozes confidence and is surely one of the album standouts. Uchis croons as if looking over her shoulder to someone she’s walking away from for the last time, with lyrics like “These worldly possessions / I don’t need none of them / Tú no me mereces” (“you don’t deserve me”) and “No, amor, no me duele perderte (No-no) / Ya no estoy, pero nunca olvidas” (“No love, it doesn’t hurt me to lose you (No-no) / I’m gone, but you don’t forget”) peppering the song with a candy-coated dose of indifference.
Other standouts include te pongo mal(prendelo), featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Jowell Y Randy, and Aquí Yo Mando, featuring Rico Nasty. Both are hard-hitting club tracks with powerful demands delivered by Uchis. “Si me vas a hablar, háblame con respeto” (“If you are going to talk to me, talk to me with respect”), she yells with a teasing tone on te pongo mal(prendelo). On Aquí Yo Mando, she snaps, “Yo tomo las decisiones, yo escojo las posiciones / Puedes tener los cojones, pero yo los pantalones” (“I make the decisions, I pick the positions / You can have the balls, but me the pants”).
Most of the tracks on Sin Miedo are vaguely, if not entirely, threatening to the subject being addressed. Kali Uchis’s power lies in her ability to exert feminine power through every song. A perfect example is in the shimmery love song telepatía, which is about knowing exactly what her partner wants as if she can read minds: “I can hear your thoughts like a melody / Listen while you talk when you’re fast asleep / You stay on the phone just to hear me breathe / On repeat”. Despite the lovey-dovey lyrics, there’s still an undertone of power, of complete control over the situation on Uchis’ end.
There are no skips on this album— each song is a sensual, dreamy vision into what it’s like to live in Uchis’ world. She doesn’t hold back by pushing herself into new territory through an entirely Spanish album. But, it works for her because it represents the multicultural identity that she seems extremely proud of. The frustrations expressed in her tweet from Oct. 1 are completely understandable as her English music is only a part of her multidimensional catalogue. She makes great music regardless of the language (although based on Sin Miedo, one could argue that her Spanish music is much better). In an interview with Billboard, Uchis speaks to the fusion of her identity and influences directly: ‘“I have been trying to find the balance between what it means to be bilingual and multicultural for a while,” she says. “To be able to create an album that I feel fully captures not only my upbringing but also how multi-dimensional Latin music really iswas ultimately my goal. This album is so personal to me and I tried to represent my people and the Latin community as best as I could.”’
Sin Miedo is a bold exploration of what it means to declare power through femininity. Kali Uchis has managed to create a one-of-a-kind persona through her approach to making music, and truly embodies what it means to be without fear. While some of her English-speaking fans may choose not to listen, Sin Miedo is the perfect example of why music can transcend language. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, Uchis’s power and command over her listeners is thoroughly felt. Listen to the album here.