Starting with the release of her debut mixtape, Drunken Babble, in 2012 shortly after graduating from high school, Uchis has imprinted her heavenly voice and catchy songs in our hearts, and grew into a Hispanic pop and R&B icon in modern music.
Born Karly-Marina Loaiza to a Colombian immigrant father and an American mother, she and her family moved around the US and Pereira, Colombia during her childhood.
Loaiza loved listening to music when she was young and expanded her musical knowledge, learning how to play the piano and the saxophone in high school and joining the jazz band. But at that time, she was also interested in photography, film, and writing poetry.
By her own admission, she was a difficult child to raise, and she was later kicked out of the house at the age 17. But it was during this period that she turned to music as an escape. This work created a foundation for her successful singing and songwriting career which millions of people enjoy every month.
Later, while living in Valley Village, Loaiza felt free to express herself as an artist without boundaries. She then began to go by her well known stage name “Kali Uchis,” a nickname given to her by her family. This is where her public music journey really began.
Loaiza creates music with both Spanish and English lyrics in the same songs, although most of her more recent albums are predominantly in Spanish, creating a more Latin sounding flow to the songs, bringing her own mix of Latin pop and R&B to the states.
Everett Smith ‘25, shared their opinion on Kali Uchis, a well loved artist of theirs, and how she has influenced Latin music in America:
“She has a very heavenly voice in a sense, it kind of just lulls you to sleep . . . I think that she has been influenced in her work with Tyler The Creator, and in the new wave of rap and R&B in a sense, and there’s alway a kind of mixture of rap, specifically in the 90’s, and I think she kind of brought that back now.”
Chloe Sobel ‘28 also shared her views on Kali Uchis: “She uses other artists’ audiences which helps expand hers (in her collaborations) . . . I feel like she has become so well known that she’s really opened up people’s views of Hispanic artists and further expanded people’s knowledge about them.”
This perspective shows Loaiza’s ability to not only use many genres and styles of music to her creative advantage, but also expand her Latin heritage even with the help of non-Hispanic artists..
Ultimately, Loaiza showcases her ability to create sensual and catchy songs that millions of people enjoy with all their hearts. Her incorporation of Latin-inspired music into the U.S. music scene reflects her dedication to her culture and representation of Latin voices aiming to make their mark in this industry.
Loaiza has achieved significant success with her signature voice, lyrics, and overall style, and has opened numerous doors for up-and-coming Hispanic artists and demonstrated the potential that diverse voices and ethnicities bring to the table.
