Alexandria, VA · neo-soul · reggaeton

Kali Uchis

4 festivals played ↓

Velvet-toned bilingual soul that drifts between doo-wop pastiche and perreo without ever raising its voice — 'Telepatía' cool as a permanent state.

Kali Uchis is the recording name of Karly-Marina Loaiza, born July 17, 1994, in Alexandria, Virginia, to a Colombian father and an American mother. She was the youngest of five children, splitting her year between her mother's home in Virginia and summers with her father's family in Pereira, Colombia. The nickname 'Karluchis,' given by family, became the basis for her stage name.

In high school she wrote poetry and made short films rather than plan to sing, and after being kicked out of home for skipping school she lived in her car, writing songs that became the 2012 mixtape Drunken Babble. The 2015 EP Por Vida, made with help from Diplo, Tyler, the Creator and Kaytranada, drew wider attention for its retro-soul arrangements and languid vocal style, and led to her first tour, supporting Leon Bridges.

Her debut album Isolation, released in 2018 on Virgin EMI, reached number 34 on the Billboard 200. She then signed to Interscope for Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), her first Spanish-language album, which contained 'Telepatía.' The song went viral on TikTok, gave her a first Billboard Hot 100 entry, and was certified double platinum.

Red Moon in Venus followed in 2023, reaching number four on the Billboard 200, then Orquídeas in 2024 and Sincerely in 2025, both peaking at number two. Across these records she has moved between neo-soul, bolero-tinged balladry, reggaeton and R&B, alternating English and Spanish. She has also recorded with Tyler, the Creator, Gorillaz and Daniel Caesar, whose 'Get You' features her, and has won a Grammy and an American Music Award.

Read more

neo-soulreggaeton