Kali Uchis is in her bedroom, leaning against the bed, taking a moment to say goodbye to her “man,” rapper Don Toliver, before settling in. “I want to get comfortable,” she explains, “because I have a lot to say.” And then it’s just us chicas.
Our big topic of conversation: the way Kali, a Colombian American singer-songwriter, was labeled a “niche artist” for much of her early career. Sure, she came up through R&B, her music’s airy tones and deep basses, her voice’s lower notes and whistle tones, enough to make listeners feel like they’re floating. But her style wasn’t ever only that. It also moved the genre forward with the use of synthesizers, unexpected instruments like harps, and voice-layering and reverb that make it sound like an entire choir is performing instead of just her.
Her real fans—who now number in the tens of millions—knew the “niche” thing was BS, of course. They’ve always loved her for her sultry voice and many collabs with artists like Kaytranada (their song “10%” won a Best Dance Recording Grammy). And those who weren’t already devoted came fully on board after “Telepatía,” Kali’s 2020 hit single that proved she could do it all in two different languages—Spanish and English—at the same time.
“What is authentic to me is to express all the different pieces of myself and all the genres that I love, the music that I love, and the culture that I love,” she says. That’s evident on “Labios Mordidos,” the single she released earlier this year with fellow Colombian superstar Karol G. The can’t-help-but-move-your-hips-to-it pop banger has already gained 54 million combined streams on YouTube and Spotify, giving Kali serious bragging rights. Adding to those rights: two songs in the Spotify Billions Club, which, let’s face it, most artists have a hard time accomplishing in one language.
Other people in Kali’s position might use this success as a reason to take it easy. Kali used it as a chance to do something different (yet again) with her fourth album, Orquídeas (out now). On “Muñekita,” she pays homage to Dominican dancehall music by creating the ultimate ass-shaking song. Two tracks later, “Te Mata” shows her taking on a Spanish bolero that feels a lot like a powerful breakup tango (if such a thing existed, which it does now, thanks to Kali).
This time around, everyone is taking notice of how very non-niche she is. Although not always in a positive way: Recent Instagram comments from older fans implore her to “go back to her old sound.” It’s criticism Kali has heard before, and she’s dealt with worse through years of navigating the industry as a crossover artist. Glaringly, there was the infamous 2021 interview in which a reporter told Kali he knew “all about that Spanglish” because of his Mexican husband and then proceeded to mispronounce the name of one of her songs.
“It was a microaggression. So many people told me I handled that really well. Yes, it was annoying, but it almost didn’t affect me because I’m so used to it,” she says now, noting all the times her family has been discriminated against and how she has always felt both a bit too American in Colombia and too Colombian in the United States. “He didn’t have ill will or anything,” she continues. “He was just attempting to bridge the gap between him and I. It’s just very strange to have your ethnicity, essentially, be a genre.”
It does grate on her, she says, but she sees situations like this as a reminder of her responsibility to build bridges of her own, particularly by working with more artists and giving them the chance to shine in new and exciting ways. Case in point: her collaboration with Mexican singer Peso Pluma, who, when given various tracks to choose from on Orquídeas, decided to do something other than his usual regional Mexican sound and chose “Igual Que un Ángel,” a more pop and R&B track, instead.
Kali is also focused on moving forward. She’s already started work on her fifth and most “sad girl” album. “There’s gonna be no collaborations,” she says. “I want to do a whole album that’s just really, really vulnerable. It’s the most existential I’ve ever been.” This dovetails with a new vibe I detect as she gives me an unexpected tour of her house. There’s something about Kali that I wish I could bottle up and keep for myself: a sense of peace.
She also hints at a joint project with Don. “It’s always nice to get his opinion because he’s, like, an OG Kuchi himself,” she says, referencing the name of her fandom. And even with two tours on the horizon (yes, two), her first baby on the way (she shouts out fellow cover star Victoria Monét as an example of what she wants her own working mom vibe to be: “When you get pregnant, a lot of people assume that’s your retirement, so seeing Victoria never stop hitting her peak is so inspiring”), and a goal of getting back her master recordings, her plan remains the same. “My intention is just to keep creating from the heart and making whatever I want to make,” she says. “What I always aspire to do with my music is to be unpredictable. That’s what makes what I do fun. I want to keep people guessing.”
Read All ‘The Sound of Now’ Cover Stories
On the cover: The Frankie Shop coat. Mattia Cielo earrings and necklace.
Stylist: Cassie Anderson. Hair: Jesus Guerrero for OGX at The Wall Group. Makeup: Alejandra Garcia. Manicure: Elizabeth Garcia using Gucci Beauty in Crystal Black. Set design: Bette Adams at MHS Artists. Production: Crawford & Co Productions.
Executive producer: Abbey Adkison. Director of photography: Darren Kho. Camera assistant: Eric Wann. Sound: Michael Rich. Editing: Sarah Ng.
