Kali Uchis

Kali Uchis is a singer-songwriter, record producer, music video director and fashion designer from Alexandria, United States. Born in 1994, she is known for writing and producing most of her own music and for working across alternative R&B, Latin pop, neo soul, R&B and related pop styles.

Background

Uchis, whose full name is Karly-Marina Loaiza, grows up mainly in Virginia and also spends time in her parents’ native Colombia. As a teenager in Alexandria, just south of Washington, D.C., she learns piano and saxophone and develops an interest in visual art.

Early releases and label career

Her recorded debut is the self-released mixtape Drunken Babble in 2012. She follows this with the independent EP Por Vida in 2015, a free digital release with tracks produced by Diplo, Kaytranada and Tyler. The EP leads to a deal with Virgin EMI, and a version of “Ridin Round” appears as her first major-label single later that year. She later releases material through her own label, Kali Uchis LLC.

Albums, singles and collaborations

Uchis works with a wide range of artists, including Tyler, the Creator, Gorillaz, Daniel Caesar, Juanes and BadBadNotGood, as well as Snoop Dogg, GoldLink, Major Lazer, Vince Staples, the Internet’s Steve Lacy, Jorja Smith, Reykon, Bootsy Collins and Miguel. Many of her early singles are accompanied by videos she directs herself, including “Know What I Want” and “Lottery.”

Her 2016 single “Only Girl” is built on a Kaytranada production and features Vince Staples and Steve Lacy. She also features on Daniel Caesar’s “Get You” and Juanes’ “El Ratico,” and later appears on tracks by Juanes, Gorillaz, Tyler, Bootsy Collins and Miguel. In 2018 she releases “After the Storm,” produced by BadBadNotGood and featuring Tyler and Bootsy Collins.

Debut album and recognition

Uchis previews her debut album with “Tyrant,” featuring Jorja Smith, and “Nuestro Planeta,” featuring Reykon. Her debut full-length, Isolation, is released in 2018. It debuts at number 32 on the Billboard 200 and reaches number four on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart. Before the album appears, she receives Grammy nominations through her featured performances on “Get You” and “El Ratico”; “Get You” is nominated for Best R&B Performance, and “El Ratico” brings a Latin Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.