21-year-old, Colombian-born Kali Uchis makes totally modern music with an old-school twist – and everyone from Snoop Dogg to Tyler, The Creator wants a piece of it.
Internet goddess with a classic starlet aesthetic, 21-year-old Kali Uchis has a presence that’s as mysterious as it is compelling. For example, her syrupy and valium-tinged R&B on her mixtape Por Vida, or her self-directed videos that are a pastel-hued homage to pop culture: all low riders, cigarettes and knee-high socks. It’s no wonder artists and collaborators like Tyler The Creator, A$AP Rocky, Snoop Dogg and Diplo are falling over themselves to get a piece of the sweet Kali Uchis pie.
BEAT: What are you wearing right now?
Kali Uchis: I don’t mean that in a sexy way, you can keep it on once you’ve told me. Ha! I have on a Céline halter top with hoop earrings under a vintage velour Baby Phat sweatsuit and Sketchers.
BEAT: Cool. You moved from Colombia to the US when you were on the cusp of being a teenager – how much did that transition impact you?
KU: It made me realise how big the world actually was and that in reality, my circumstances could change drastically at any moment. And, I guess most importantly, that there was so much more opportunity out there than I ever knew.
BEAT: Was it music from day one for you – you never wanted to be a hair stylist, a baker?
KU: Ha, no! I wanted to be an experimental filmmaker.
BEAT: You’ve worked with some ace people – Tyler, Diplo, etc. – what do you think it is about you that drew them in?
KU: I think people are drawn to people that are real and sure of themselves. There’s something magnetic in being comfortable in yourself and your capabilities, you know?
BEAT: Who do you want to work with next?
KU: D’Angelo.
BEAT: Dreamy. In your video Know What You Want you appear to have kidnapped a man. Do you recommend we all keep a man in the bath for a rainy day?
KU: Rainy day, sunny day, thunderstorm – whatever, you need a man in your bathtub just tied up keepin’ the feng shui right in your house. It’s the equivalent of a garden gnome in the front yard.
BEAT: Aside from the man in the bath, if your house is burning down what do you save first?
KU: My hard drives.
BEAT: Drunken Babble was made in under 48 hours – did the name stem from the process?
KU: No.
BEAT: Oh. What do you think originality looks like in this modern age?
KU: Well, pure originality is impossible – we’re all products of everything that came before us. But the most honourable and honest thing you can do is not rip people’s ideas. Let yourself get inspired by the classic, or your purest ideas, instead of trying to compete and outdo others. Take pieces of everything that touches your soul and makes a mark on you. Become a hybrid – one entity.
BEAT: What’s on your tour rider?
KU: Pink towels, mango slices, sesame seeds.
BEAT: Describe your perfect date night.
KU: I’d just go to a bookstore or music store, so you can get a sense of what someone’s into. Doing this with someone will tell you everything you need to know about whether continuing to see them is worth it.