KALI UCHIS - ORQUIDEAS

Karly-Marina Loaiza, internationally acclaimed under the stage name Kali Uchis, was born on July 17, 1994, in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Her parents migrated from the vibrant city of Pereira, Colombia, to American territory in the early 1990s seeking refuge and stability away from the civil conflicts that plagued rural Colombian areas at the time. This bicultural upbringing deeply shaped her artistic vision, dividing her childhood between seasons in Virginia and long stays with her paternal family in Colombia. Her childhood nickname, given by her father, was eventually adopted as her trademark in the music world. During her adolescence at T. C. Williams High School, Kali began to stand out for her intensely creative and rebellious spirit. She taught herself to play piano and saxophone and proudly joined the high school jazz band. As a teenager, she spent sleepless nights dedicating herself to audiovisual production and analog photography. This obsession with the arts caused deep friction at home, as she frequently broke the curfew set by her parents to work on her projects. At age 17, the conflicts reached their peak, and she was kicked out of the house. Homeless, Kali spent months living nomadically, sleeping in the backseat of her car (a Subaru Forester) while working as a supermarket cashier to support herself. This period of isolation and survival on the streets was the definitive catalyst for her poetic writing and the embryo of her first homemade compositions. Her artistic vision was built from an eclectic mix of past references. Her greatest aesthetic and musical inspirations come directly from 1960s culture, drawing from classical soul, R&B, and doo-wop. In her youth, she immersed herself in the jazz of legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, while absorbing the experimental genius of Björk and the groove of Curtis Mayfield, Loose Ends, and Ralfi Pagan. Her Latin roots and pop background were also fueled by divas and icons such as Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Selena Quintanilla, Mariah Carey, Lana Del Rey, Shakira, and reggaeton pioneer Ivy Queen. This musical patchwork gave rise to her fusion of alternative R&B with Latin pop and tropical rhythms. In her personal life, Kali is openly bisexual and uses her platform to express female empowerment and creative autonomy in an uncompromising way. Since 2020, she has been in a relationship with American rapper Don Toliver. In January 2024, she publicly revealed her first pregnancy, giving birth to a boy in March of the same year. Shortly after this transformation, she grieved the loss of her mother to lung cancer, a turning point that redefined her personal and professional priorities. Discography and Musical Evolution Kali Uchis's musical trajectory is a direct reflection of her maturity as a producer, director, and songwriter, divided into well-defined eras and meticulously planned aesthetic concepts: • Drunken Babble (2012): Released independently on August 1, 2012, shortly after Kali graduated from high school, this was the underground mixtape that introduced her talent to the world. The project was entirely produced in an amateur fashion on her laptop from inside her own car, using the native software GarageBand and a standard USB microphone. The tape featured 17 lo-fi tracks that sampled and mixed archival jazz, classic reggae, and old-school hip-hop. Although it was a purely homemade release, it caught the attention of major producers like Tyler, The Creator and Snoop Dogg, opening the doors to the Los Angeles industry. Kali later removed the project from circulation due to copyright restrictions on unauthorized samples. • Por Vida (2015): Kali Uchis's official debut EP arrived in February 2015, initially offered as a free download on her website before heading to major platforms. Marked by a sunny atmosphere of retro R&B and psychedelic pop, the project solidified her "vintage futurist" persona. The work attracted the voluntary collaboration of great production minds in the music industry, such as Diplo, Kaytranada, BadBadNotGood, and her mentor Tyler, The Creator. Tracks like "Loner" and "Rushes" put Kali on the radar of major record labels and allowed her to sign a formal contract with Virgin EMI Records. • Isolation (2018): Her acclaimed debut studio album was released worldwide on April 6, 2018. Considered by critics to be a contemporary masterpiece of genre fusion, the record effortlessly navigates through psychedelic funk, bossa nova, reggaeton, and neo-soul, debuting in the Top 35 of the Billboard 200. The album featured a star-studded lineup of collaborators including Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Steve Lacy, Thundercat, and Bootsy Collins. The most prominent single, "After the Storm," reunited her classic partnership with Tyler, The Creator, consolidating her status at the forefront of alternative R&B in the United States. • Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) (2020): In November 2020, Kali took a bold step toward her Latin roots by releasing her second studio album and first project sung predominantly in Spanish. Initially, the American market resisted the linguistic transition, but the album proved to be a resounding commercial success through the global hit "telepatía." The song went viral organically on video platforms, reached the Top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo track, and became a milestone for bilingual music. During the same era, she won her first Grammy Award in the Best Dance Recording category for the track "10%" with producer Kaytranada. • Red Moon In Venus (2023): Released on March 3, 2023, the third studio album marked the artist's return to writing mostly in English. Centered around a mystical aesthetic focused on astrology, romance, and self-love from the perspective of Venus, the album debuted at a historic No. 4 spot on the official US charts. The production brought a dense and luxurious orchestral R&B, led by the acclaimed single "I Wish You Roses." • Orquídeas (2024): In January 2024, Kali Uchis released her fourth studio album and second in Spanish, named after the Colombian national flower. The project focused on danceable and tropical rhythms like reggaeton, dembow, and merengue, including heavyweight collaborations with Karol G, Peso Pluma, and Rauw Alejandro. The era was marked by personal celebrations, as the official music video for "Tu Corazón Es Mío" served as the public announcement of her pregnancy. The work secured the second position on the Billboard 200. • Sincerely (2025): Her fifth studio album, titled Sincerely, was officially released on May 9, 2025, by the legendary label Capitol Records. Written and executive produced by Kali, the album is considered the most raw, lyrical, and conceptual work of her career. Created using voice note recordings in informal home studios, the album breaks away from traditional pop norms and draws inspiration from the alternative sound of Cocteau Twins and Fiona Apple. The project was directly shaped by two extreme and simultaneous emotional experiences: the miracle of giving birth to her first child and the overwhelming grief of losing her mother to lung cancer shortly after the two had reconciled. Intimate tracks like the lead single "Sunshine & Rain..." featured real audio samples of her mother's voice, serving as a letter of healing, grief, and spiritual peace. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.