On Orquídeas, Kali Uchis comes into full bloom
In this bilingual interview, the singer-songwriter opens up about celebrating femininity, Latinidad and love on her latest album WORDS BY RACHEL GRACE ALMEIDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMAURY NESSAIBIA STYLING BY UMA NATALIA & LUCA MARIE MAKEUP BY ALECKS GARCIA HAIR IN THE OUTDOOR SKY SET BY JASON ALARCON HAIR IN THE BLUE BACKDROP/PINK TOP BY KAYLA CASEY “Did you know that orchids are the national flower of Colombia?” Kali Uchis quietly enthuses over the phone from her room in Los Angeles.
It’s 8am when she dials in, and though the Colombian-American artist is admittedly tired, she is getting ready for her album release party later that night.
The album she’s celebrating is Orquídeas, technically her fourth studio full-length, but her second instalment in Spanish. Orchids, regarded in many cultures for being symbols of love, beauty and refinement, “represent femininity to me, and a celebration of my Latinidad,” she explains in a sleepy voice.
Indeed, Orquídeas is a work that luxuriates in the variousness of her identity, where baddie schemes and unwavering self-worth sit comfortably with sorrow and vulnerability.
