Kali Uchis Essentials

Kali Uchis didn’t make things easy on herself, marketing-wise. Was she a lovelorn soul-jazz singer in the vein of Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse? Sometimes. Was she a Latin crossover artist pulling on Colombian roots? OK, yeah. You could probably break it all down if you wanted. But the joy of Uchis’ music is how effortlessly she pulls her interests together, mapping space in a way that feels progressive but laidback and agenda-free. Turned up, chill, heartbroken, and funny, with flashes of politics gendered, racial, and class-oriented—you get the sense that Uchis does what she feels, and feels what she does, backing into pop stardom casually and on her own terms. Congratulations to the mainstream for catching up. Mixing solo tracks with guest spots and collaborations, here’s a playlist highlighting Uchis at her genre-blurring best.