Kali Uchis starts 2024 with her captivating, charming vocals and brilliant, blissful lyrics in her fourth album and second Spanish-language album, “Orquídeas” (“Orchids”).
Kali Uchis, born as Karly-Marina Loaiza, is a Colombian-American singer-songwriter, music video director and record producer. Uchis was born in Virginia and moved back and forth between the U.S. and Colombia throughout her childhood, which made her cherish her Latin roots from an early age. Ever since she was a child, she has always adored music. Over the years, her love for music only increased, leading her to create music and marking the beginning of her musical career. Years later, Uchis has worked on several musical projects and collaborated with several popular artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Daniel Caesar and SZA. Currently, she is living in Los Angeles and expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Don Toliver.
“Orquídeas” was released on Jan. 12 with 14 tracks and a total running time of 44 minutes. This R&B reggaeton pop album contains a variety of talented musicians such as Karol G, El Alfa and JT from City Girls. The album contains a Parental Advisory warning label for sexual references made in multiple songs, such as “Young Rich & in Love” and “No Hay Ley Parte 2” (“There Is No Law Part 2”) featuring Rauw Alejandro.
Uchis has always incorporated her Latin roots through her music and did so through this album by naming it “Orquídeas.” Orchids are known as the national flower of Columbia and represent love, strength and femininity, which are all themes present throughout this enchanting album. Throughout her musical career, she’s known to always include new, meaningful themes through her music.
“I feel like others see Latin music or Latin artists as just one thing,” said Uchis in an interview with Grammy. “That’s why I need to demonstrate all the different genres of Latin music. As an artist, it’s always important to push myself to do new things and try different genres. Being bicultural has always been part of my life.”
Uchis has always stayed true to her sound throughout her work over the years. Her constant 1990s R&B nostalgia-inspired sound has made her work immediately recognizable to many. Throughout this album, Uchis experiments with various genres from the start of the album to the very end. The first track consists of a playful, dreamy-sounding pop song, “¿Como Asi?” (“How So?”) while the last track of the album, “Dame Beso // Muévete” (“Give Me a Kiss // Move It”), contains the oldest style of merengue in the Dominican Republic known as merengue típico.
Of all the songs on this album, my personal favorite is “Igual Que Un Ángel” (“Just Like an Angel”) featuring Peso Pluma. “Igual Que Un Ángel” is the third track on the album and talks about the importance of being a strong and independent individual. I love how well Uchis’ and Pluma’s voices blend to make this vibrant song. I also love the overall message in this song because I think it’s important to have a positive mindset and encourage yourself to be strong and independent. Throughout the album, Uchis brings a deep, emotional aspect to her songs in a unique way that is able to impact listeners, including myself.
“The underlying concept is princess treatment – setting your standards to a certain level. It’s about self-love, luxury and divine femininity, with elements of mystery and classic hints of what I feel makes my music mine. I try to infuse a kind of regenerative force in my songs,” said Uchis in an interview with Variety.
“Orquídeas” has shown once again that Uchis never fails to impress her audience through incredible songs such as “Te Mata” (“It Kills You”) and “Piensameintos Intrusuvos” (“Intrusive Thoughts”). Uchis has always been able to stay true to her sound and lyrics, which has helped her flourish her fanbase over the years and made her the artist she is today. There’s no doubt that her future work will continue to impress many and help her grow.
