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Paloma Mami_promo

Paloma Mami

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Paloma Mami On Debut Album 'Sueños de Dalí' paloma-mami-interview-debut-album-talks-suenos-de-dali

Paloma Mami Is Putting Chile On The Map With Debut Album ‘Sueños de Dalí’

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GRAMMY.com caught up with Paloma Mami to discuss 'Sueños de Dalí,' her idiosyncrasies as a Chilean-American and why she feels she's misunderstood
Sara Delgado
GRAMMYs
Apr 5, 2021 - 4:14 pm

If there was one word to describe both Paloma Mami and her sound, it would be "suave"—in both the English and Spanish sense. The rising singer/songwriter is confident and bold—traits she has on full display all over her Instagram—but she’s also smooth and tender, something evident in her musical repertoire; In conversation with her, it is these characteristics that shine the most. A constant across her music is her velvety voice which imbues each piece with unique softness—regardless of subject matter. (She can switch from self-love anthems like
"Mami" to trap-infused ballads about heartbreak like “Fingías'' with ease.) Once you hear Paloma’s honeyed murmurs, it’s impossible to mistake her sound.

Born Paloma Rocío Castillo Astorga, the Chilean-American starlet chose her stage moniker when she was just getting started in the music industry and has since worn the latter part of her name as a breastplate. (Mami, an endearing term for mom in Spanish, has been popularized and most used as a slang term to compliment women.) "My name gives me a different type of personality, it makes me come out of my shell," the singer told Flaunt back in 2019. "My name turns me [into] a different person, an alter ego type thing. An empowered woman, not afraid of anything." 

It might have started as a façade, but she’s undoubtedly the mami in the Latin music industry now. The New York City-born, Santiago-based artist has been making ripples in the scene since her breakout single "Not Steady" was released in 2018. She became an instant sensation in her Chilean home turf thanks to its trappy hi-hat rhythms and her lulling vocals. As told to Genius, the song was the first she ever wrote and, with it, she became the first Chilean act to be signed under Sony. With each of her releases since then, those ripples have only expanded. In 2019, she returned with steady hits like "Don’t Talk About Me," "Fingías," and "No Te Debí Besar" alongside Spanish rapper C. Tangana. In 2020, she started to give her audience a taste of what was to come with songs like "For Ya" and "Goteo," a braggadocious track about her drip. Now, her debut album, Sueños de Dalí, is throwing listeners into the deep end. 

Inspired thematically and visually by the surrealist Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, Sueños de Dalí features 11 tracks that mix R&B, hip-hop and pop. The project is also laced with more than hints of reggaeton and even includes lullabies from Chilean folklore—as Latin music continues grabbing attention globally with its diversity of sounds, Paloma is seen as a part of its promising future. Putting songwriting at the forefront, she approaches music with artistry at heart, and it transcends. Equal parts personal and boppy, if her teenage offerings presented her to the world, Sueños de Dalí is her reintroduction—one with even more poise and calmness. "I feel like since the beginning of my career people just have not understood me," Paloma tells GRAMMY.com. "I don't think people ever will understand me, but hopefully more and more people will accept that."

GRAMMY.com caught up with Paloma Mami to discuss Sueños de Dalí, her idiosyncrasies as a Chilean-American and breaking into the U.S.

Before we get into the album, can you tell us a bit about growing up in New York and moving back to Chile in your teens? Why did you decide to move back? You live in Santiago now, right? 

I do live in Santiago but I'm currently in Puerto Rico. I think it was four or five years ago that my mom decided to move to Chile because I was rebelling, I guess you could say. We were living in New York and I stopped going to school. I just was not being obedient to her and she couldn't control me. It was just my mom and my sister and me. She was working every single day, and had no idea that I was skipping school. When she found out, she was so mad and was like, "Your punishment is you're going to have to go to Chile. That way I can look after you properly."

Did you see it as a punishment when it happened?

Oh yeah. When it first happened, I did. I was so upset, obviously. I mean, New York is like the best place ever. That's where I grew up. All my friends were. Everything that I loved was in New York. It was really sad for me to leave. I loved Chile because my family was there, but other than that I didn't like anything else from it. When I moved there and I think it was the first month where I just was like, "wow, it's actually really great here, I love it."

So, it was a blessing in disguise. It worked out in the end.

Yeah, exactly. It really was.

Sueños de Dalí is your first album and you likened the release to a timeless painting. Why a Dalí painting? Why a surrealist painting?

Well, Dalí for me was always a huge inspiration since I was little. I would always go to his exhibitions whenever I could in New York. I always felt [his work] looked [like] a dream. There were things [in a painting] that you wouldn't expect to see together. I love the thought of that. I love that it was just so, so crazy and just so different from everything else that I had seen. The fact that he had so much controversy with it, too; that so many people just didn't know what the hell he was talking about, what his paintings meant, and had so many people confused, I love that. 

I felt it was a great way to compare my work with Dalí's because I feel like since the beginning of my career people just have not understood me. I don't think people ever will understand me, but hopefully, more and more people accept that.

So is it a bad thing if people don't understand you?

No, I see that as a positive thing. It used to not be. I don't know if it ever happens to you, but you know when you love something and then later in life you realize why you love it so much? It kind of was like that with me and Salvador Dalí.

Since the beginning, I always loved his [uniqueness] and how weird he was to everybody. In the music industry and my country and everything, I'm looked at like that sometimes. And I get that as a compliment. People told me that this album of mine was weird and different, I was like, "Thank you so much." And I didn't even know if they were saying it [as] an insult or not.

The full album just came out, but it includes songs like "Goteo," "Mami" and "For Ya," which you released in 2020. How long have you been working on the album? Did you go back and forth on your selection of songs or did you have a picture in mind?

It has been two years in the making, technically. Everything that we chose for the album was just natural. I would finish one song in the studio and I would be like, "Oh yeah, it was cool." But I didn't put in the album. When I would put songs in the album, I knew exactly which ones, I knew at that moment, I was like, "Yeah, this one's going in the album for sure. Like, I have a good feeling from it."

You mentioned that, for example, "Mami," you re-recorded a bunch of times. Did you feel any pressure with that one in particular because it’s an homage to Ivy Queen? Were there particular songs where you felt you had to really polish them before putting them in the album?

Well, actually I polished "Mami" so much just because I felt it was such an important song to me. I wanted it to express everything that I've always wanted to say. And I have so much to say sometimes that I had to redo it so many times. I was like, "Damn, but I wanted to mention this. So, let me change this line and put this instead." That's why I re-did it so much. The Ivy Queen idea was literally one of the last versions. I had thought of that in one of the last versions that we re-did again.

I guess you could say that you blew up almost immediately when you put out "Not Steady" on the Latin market, but you've been breaking into the U.S. market with your newest releases. Do you feel there any difference between the two markets? Have you dealt with any obstacles?

I feel there always is a difference between the two, just in general. The U.S. market is kind of just now taking in Latin. They're now accepting it a lot more, which is amazing. I have been around for a while in the U.S. market, but right now it's really been really starting to take off. And I am seeing the changes. The difference in radio play five years ago in the U.S. market is crazy. Now you hear so many more Spanish songs playing. That's the [main] thing.

They're starting to catch up. And I'm excited for that because I feel that, for me, that's always been my goal with my music – to be able to transcend between the two markets and not have a specific [label.] Things like, "Oh, she's a Latin artist." I want to be known as just an artist that makes Spanish and English music.

You've talked about this here, but as a Chilean-American, you've addressed this feeling of alienation from both sides at some points, and you mention it on "Que Wea," when you sing, "Es chilena solo cuando le conviene no más." Did you ever feel you had to change yourself to adjust and cater to the different audiences at all? How did you overcome that and learned to embrace your identity?

Honestly, yes. I felt like that in the beginning when I first started out being in the public eye immediately in Chile. It was on TV and on the radio, and it made me realize that no matter what, people definitely wanted me to change, people wanted me to act a certain way. "Oh, she's too this, she's too that." I felt like, "Wow, maybe I have to change. I guess people don't like me acting [like] this. I guess people don't like it when I mix English into my Spanish sentences."

People called me stupid for that, or people called me gringa – there's always negative things that come with it. In the beginning and I was like, "I guess I'm going to have to change my whole way, how I act, how I talk, my jokes. People don't understand me." And then I realized like, you know what? At the end of the day, I honestly shouldn't care this much. Why does it matter what these people I've never met before in my life think about me? It does not matter at all. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I was like, "whatever, I don't care at all."

"Que Wea" struck me as one of the most personal ones on the album. Do you have a favorite song or a song that you feel particularly connected to?

I have a lot that I feel are super personal to me. I feel like there’s a couple that stand out. "Dreams" is one of my favorites, and "Mi Palomita" as well. I think those two are my absolute favorites because, for example, "Mi Palomita" is a song that my grandpa always sang to me. I grew up listening to it my whole entire life and it’s extremely special for me. "Dreams" as well is a touching song for me.

I know you asked on social media, but do you feel one of these will be the one to get a video next?

Well, I have videos for every single song on the album. Some are more for me, and some have a bigger production. Some I wanted to give it a kind of natural feel and kind of homey vibe with it. And "Dreams" is one of those. I feel the video really embodied everything that I was feeling and it's super mystical. I think a lot of people are going to like it.

So, you’re going for the full visual album.

Yeah.

Production-wise, you've worked with GRAMMY-nominated producers like Hit-Boy and El Guincho. How do you choose who you want to work with? 

Honestly, I've always been super metida en todo, [in everything]. I love seeing every producer. Whenever I like a song, I like to see who produced it. I'm always super interested in that because I like to work with people that I've never worked with, I've never heard of before, and people that have [a] sound just catches my attention. All the producers on my album honestly did that for me. All the producers that I’ve worked with, I knew of them before and I wanted to work with them and I'm still happy that I got to.  Hit-boy is one of the producers that I've always wanted to work with, and I was so excited when I got to work with him. El Guincho también,[too]. I loved his work with Rosalía. He has been in the industry for so long. I love his music.

You've said that performing is one of the aspects of being an artist that you enjoy most and that you obviously miss most because we're in a pandemic. Do you have any fun interactions planned, even if they're virtual, for 2021?

I'm trying to plan a live show! I'm excited for that. Honestly, I can't wait to sing these live because I feel that's where you really get to catch a vibe with every single song. I've been singing them in my shower and every day, and I'm so tired of doing that. So, I want to finally grab a microphone and be able to sing them and have people see me and hear me that.

You have 1 billion streams global, 2 million YouTube followers, you are the first Chilean to be signed to Sony, and the first Latina to make Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list… those are a lot of feats. Do any of these put any pressure on you? Do you pay attention to those numbers and titles at all?

Honestly, I do pay attention to the titles because they're all accomplishments to me. They're all blessings. I'm so blessed to have everything that happened to me the way that it did in my career. I feel it was just waiting for me to put the pieces in the puzzle and everything just took off like that. I'm so blessed that it happened the way it did. I've never felt any type of pressure or anything. It's always [about] accomplishments and hoping that I'm going to get more and that I'm going to break more records, and that I'm going to put Chile on the map even more.

You said you were in Puerto Rico right now. Are you working on music?

Actually, I am. I'm always working on music. Right now, I'm going to a studio in a couple of days, so I'm going to be excited about that. I was in Miami two weeks ago, and I was also in the studio. I'm always making music, I love what I do so whenever I get the chance to see a studio or go to a studio. And besides that, I'm always just making music in my head.

So, aside from that, how have you been spending your days? What are you looking forward to non-music-wise in 2021?

I'm looking forward to clothing. I'm super into fashion and I have something in the works as well...

Big Voices, Ballads and Blockbuster Hits: How 1996 Became The Year Of The Pop Diva

 
J Balvin, Ozuna, Daddy Yankee & Anuel AA at 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards

J Balvin, Ozuna, Daddy Yankee & Anuel AA

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Ozuna Wins Record 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards ozuna-takes-home-record-11-billboard-latin-music-awards

Ozuna Takes Home Record 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards

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The Puerto Rican reggaeton artist was also one of the many performers during the show, bringing out Latin GRAMMY winners J Balvin and Daddy Yankee, as well as Anuel AA, for a surprise cameo
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 26, 2019 - 2:28 pm

Last night, on April 25, some of the biggest names in Latin music gathered in Las Vegas for the 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Rising reggaeton star Ozuna made his mark with the most-ever wins in the show's history, taking home 11 awards, including Artist of the Year and Hot Latin Artist of the Year, Male.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwtIha9FxJM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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More: Ozuna To Headline Madrid's 2019 YOLO Fest

Latin GRAMMY winner Nicky Jam and Latin GRAMMY/GRAMMY nominee Bad Bunny followed fellow Puerto Rican Ozuna with five and four wins, respectively. The trio collabed in 2018 on the popular "Te Boté (Remix)," which brought them on Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico's track. The song earned the crew three wins, including Hot Latin Song of the Year

https://twitter.com/Telemundo/status/1121609472177209357

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The evening was filled with killer outfits and upbeat performances. The night's big winner had some surprises during his two song medley, bringing out Latin GRAMMY-winning reggaeton heavy-hitters J Balvin and Daddy Yankee, along with fellow rising star Anuel AA to drop a few bars during "Baila Baila Baila." The trio are the featured artists on the brand-new remix of the song, along with Latin GRAMMY winner Farruko.

https://twitter.com/Telemundo/status/1121579907690242048

¡Una presentación #ConAltura! @JBALVIN @rosaliavt #Billboard2019 ✈✈✈✈ pic.twitter.com/0rH3CVvc2a

— Telemundo (@Telemundo) April 26, 2019

Balvin, along with fellow Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía and El Guincho (who co-produced Rosalía's epic El Mal Querer with her) also took the stage to perform their 2019 classic-reggaeton-inspired collab, "Con Altura." Seeing as Balvin has been dropping the hot tracks like no one's business lately, he followed with "Contra La Pared, joined on stage by collaborator and GRAMMY winner Sean Paul.

Related: Ozuna, J Balvin & More Pay Tribute To Daddy Yankee At Premio Lo Nuestro

Other performers included Latin GRAMMY/GRAMMY winner Marc Anthony, Latin GRAMMY winner Luis Fonsi, as well as Romeo Santos with his newly reunited hit bachata group Aventura.

The Many Faces Of "La Llorona"

Tomasa del Real

Tomasa del Real

Photo: Maria Jose Govea

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Tomasa Del Real On Bringing NeoPerreo To Coachella tomasa-del-real-bringing-her-take-reggaet%C3%B3n-neoperreo-coachella

Tomasa Del Real On Bringing Her Take On Reggaetón, NeoPerreo, To Coachella

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"I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general," the Chilean tattoo-artist-turned-rapper told us
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 24, 2019 - 3:24 pm

Chilean rapper Tomasa del Real has been making waves with her bold female-empowering take on reggaetón, which she has dubbed "NeoPerreo;" "perreo" is Spanish slang for the way you dance to reggaetón. From making music in her bedroom to starting an underground movement in Latin music and culture, she is ready to introduce you to her big sound and growing crew.

A tattoo artist from the small town of Iquique, Chile, she began uploading tracks and DIY videos on SoundCloud and YouTube for fun in 2013, which caught on and led her to rerelease them as a debut album, Bien Y Mal, in 2016. That same year, she also coined the term NeoPerreo and began to really catalyze the movement around it, connecting with even more rappers, like Madrid's Ms Nina, the two of whom collabed on "Y Dime" in 2019.

In 2018, her NeoPerreo Records teamed up with Los Angeles-based indie record label Nacional Records, home to other Latino artists like Aterciopelados and Ana Tijoux, and she dropped her second album, Bellaca del Año. Over the last two weekends, del Real brought her big energy to Coachella to make her debut at the fest, so we caught up with the rising rapper to learn more about the big moment and bringing NeoPerreo to California.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwk2EN5hC28/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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A post shared by Tomasa del Real ☣️ (@tomasadelreal)

You recently made your Coachella debut, how did you feel to share your music at such an iconic festival?

It was an amazing experience, and I'm happy that such a big festival is recognizing and featuring artists from the underground music scene. 

What was the most inspiring part of your first Coachella experience?

I love seeing people have fun while I'm performing, and the audience was having a lot fun with us!

A lot of people, myself included, were excited to see such a diverse musical lineup this Coachella, especially in terms of Latin music. What does it mean to you to be one of the international/Latina artist at the fest, and to be bringing NeoPerreo to California?

I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general. I'm so excited to bring NeoPerreo to Coachella and show the audience this new way to "perrear."

How do you explain NeoPerreo to someone who is unfamiliar with it? What does it feel like to be an important part of this female-led musical movement, especially when considering the gender imbalance in the larger reggaetón space?

[The term] NeoPerreo was born when I was trying to explain the type of music I was making. It was inspired by reggaetón, but I didn't want to appropriate it since I'm not from Puerto Rico. And this style of music was being made by people who were born in the digital age, who were always connected to each other and to music through their computers. I wanted to say that it was a "new" way to "perrear." Because this music is made to party. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your most recent album, Bellaca del Año; how did you choose who to collaborate with, and what was the biggest thing you were trying to achieve with that project? 

I wanted to make an album that was hot and catchy, and I think Bellaca del Año is that. I wanted people all around the world to know about NeoPerreo and know about the NeoPerreo crew, who is out here making music that we can party to. 

https://twitter.com/coachella/status/1116860240404738048

Sonora heating up 🔥 @tomasadelreal pic.twitter.com/m7Jf94Vmip

— Coachella (@coachella) April 13, 2019

Mon Laferte Talks First Coachella Performance, 'Norma' & More

Nicky Jam composite Ty Moy Kayf

Nicky Jam, French Montana, Dzharo, and Khanza

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Remix: Nicky Jam, French Montana On "Ty Moy Kayf" nicky-jam-french-montana-remix-Dzharo-Khanza-Ty%20Moy%20Kayf-russian-song

Listen To Nicky Jam & French Montana Remix Dzharo & Khanza's Infectious "Ty Moy Kayf"

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Today, Russian duo Dzharo & Khanza's track only gets more explosive with a remix featuring Latin music heavy-hitter Nicky Jam and hit-making rapper French Montana
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Apr 7, 2021 - 10:00 am

A year ago, Russian duo Dzharo & Khanza released their video for "Ty Moy Kayf," a dembow-inspired track about their love for women that has now reached over 100 million views on YouTube.

Today, that track only gets more explosive with a remix featuring Latin music heavy-hitter Nicky Jam and hit-making rapper French Montana. 

"I was already a fan of the record so when the guys reached out for me to jump on the remix, it was only right!" Montana told GRAMMY.com over email. "It feels great to come together with my international brothers to create global music for our fans. Music breaks all barriers and brings us all together," he said. 

Nicky Jam agrees: "It feels amazing. I love that we’re bringing all these cultures together and making something even bigger than us."

Jam told GRAMMY.com the production happened virtually. He knew he was hooked to the song the first time he heard it. "It’s so catchy that you just wanna keep jamming to it," he said. "After the song became a viral sensation, we realized that Spanish-speaking people were calling it “inmortal” because of how similar it sounded to 'Ty Moy Kaif' and that’s kinda how the idea came to be."

In terms of adding his Latin touch on a Russian song, which gained popularity in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, Jam knows it will only elevate Latin music. "Music has no limits, and I think we’re continuing to prove that with this track," he said. 

Watch the video above to hear the remix, and read more about the song as well as Dzharo & Khanza in their email interview with GRAMMY.com below.
 
What’s the inspiration behind this track?
Each track we have written is a reflection of ourselves, our mood and experiences in our personal and public life. We just intended to compose the track about our favorite women. A word “kayf” that means “pleasure” or “high” seemed to be the best to describe all feelings and emotions to our beloved ones. We made a successful attempt to delineate their entire roles in our lives. It turned out that each listener found something personal in the track and associated that with love. 
 
How do you feel about Nicky Jam and French Montana getting on your track?
The initiators of the collaboration was the A+ team–the Russian label. We’d got a lot of collaboration offers but we dreamt of the Latin version of the track. A+ teamed up with Sony U.S. Latin, and they proposed Nicky Jam to participate. Some moments later French Montana also joined this amazing track. The guys have given a second wind into that so the track has become even better. We were very pleased with the final result and couldn’t wait till the release–that must be a hit. 
 
How do you feel about the love this song has received in Mexico and other parts of Latin America?
We’ve already gained some success & respect in the Russian-speaking countries but we’ve never expected how great could be the success of our track outside Russia. The Latin audience is incredible, the Latin and Russian listeners have a lot in common in being passionate about the things that fascinate them. [Latinos] live to dance [and they] brought the track to the new level on TikTok, [which] actually raised the initial interest to the song. We couldn’t believe our eyes when "Ty Moy Kayf" started hitting Latin Shazam charts.        
 
Do you wish to take Russian music globally?  
That would be great to do, and we feel excited to be a part of that! Russian music is really promising. There are a lot of talented people all over the county. I bet Russian music can [earn a] place in the hearts of the global listeners as it’s always about the soul and the feelings which are the basis of every song. Not many Russian artists are well-known, for example in the USA, and we’ll be happy if anybody starts exploring Russian modern culture after listening to "You’re My High" track.

Kali Uchis On What it Means to be a Latin "Crossover" Star in the 21st Century

Kali Uchis_promo

Kali Uchis 

Photo: Marcus Cooper

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Kali Uchis On "Crossing Over," Appropriation, More kali-uchis-what-it-means-be-latin-crossover-star-21s-century-interview-sza-collab

Kali Uchis On What It Means To Be A Latin "Crossover" Star In The 21st Century

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Kali Uchis also discusses her first GRAMMY win with Kaytranada and her upcoming Spanish-language collaboration with SZA
Isabela Raygoza
GRAMMYs
Apr 6, 2021 - 3:21 pm

Kali Uchis still remembers the reactions she would get when she was crafting her first Spanish-language record, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), which was released late last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "You're going backward in your career doing this. This isn't going to get supported," she would hear. “Well, this is what I want to do,” the Colombian-American singer would answer. That album, a body of work that captures her isolation and is a cross-pollination between haunting boleros, downtempo trip-hop, and a splash of reggaeton, ended up landing on the Billboard 200 and received glowing reviews around the web. "I really just make music for the love of it, not for the same reasons that others would," Uchis tells GRAMMY.com over the phone as she’s about to board a boat in Miami. “A lot of people just look at it as a business.”

Going against the grain is exactly what Karly-Marina Loaiza has always done. (At one point, her unwavering determination to her art, and self, led her to live in her car during her teens.) Sticking to her guns is finally reaping the rewards, especially now that Latin music is consumed on a global scale and continues to become one of the fastest-rising genres in the U.S. Yet, while Latin music has been increasingly dominating mainstream airwaves worldwide—most notably since reggaeton's second explosion in the mid-'10s—Uchis is among the few successful crossover stars who didn't have to conform to the demanding and dominating rhythms of reggaeton. She's been helping forge her path, leading a new rising Latin R&B scene alongside other bilingual luminaries like Omar Apollo and Paloma Mami.

Recently, she achieved a major accomplishment in the music industry: her first GRAMMY for her song "10%" with Kaytranada. From here, Uchis can only go higher. Her latest music video "Telepatía" has already garnered nearly 20 million views in just two weeks since its release. The R&B singer is planning to hit the road again this fall and also has a collaboration with SZA underway: "I really admire her as a woman, as a creator and as a writer, so I was honored to help segue her into her first song singing in Spanish," she says. 

Just as her songs can easily tap into the depths of human emotion, with equal parts soul and grit, the 26-year-old star candidly reflects on her career with a social and critical lens. Chill yet assertive, Kali Uchis taps into racial and gender politics, all while redefining what it means to be a Latin "crossover" star in the 21st Century.  

Hi Kali! First of all, congratulations on your first GRAMMY win. When your name was announced, what went through your head?

I was in Mexico filming a commercial, and Jenn Nkiru who was directing it also won a GRAMMY for directing the Beyoncé video ["Brown Skin Girl."] We both found out that we won a short time between each other, and we were both freaking out. She went to the other room to go do a thank you speech, and I didn't really take it in because I had to be on camera. But I so couldn't focus while on set because I was like, "Oh my god, we won a GRAMMY." I need to get on my phone, make a post and thank everybody.

On your video for "Telepatía," viewers see you in Pereida, Colombia. What would you like your fans to see or know about the place of your heritage?

Since the first day that I came up with the name Kali Uchis, I was in Colombia. I have a home there, too. My first years of education were in Pereida. I spent a lot of time there going back and forth. I left to be able to have both worlds, and that's how I've lived my whole life. For me, it was always really important to represent. That's why a lot of my first videos take place there, in the streets that I played in when I was a little kid. It’s really about never forgetting where you come from.  

Everybody there [in Colombia] is so proud of me and the kids are always so happy that I'm there. At the end of the day, I feel so loved and supported by my community. That's what my dream has always been. Anybody who knows me knows I'm so proud of both of my homes [the U.S. and Colombia], and growing up that way is what contributed to a lot of who I am as a person and as an artist, the way that I see the world, and the way that I listen to music. No matter where you come from and who you are, as long as you keep working and stay true to yourself, you'll get where you want to go. 

Your parents are Colombian, you were born in Virginia and are an L.A. resident. Describe your personal connection with these places.    

There’s just so much that comes with being multicultural. I feel love for the DMV area because that's where I'm from, northern [Virginia.] When I lived there, I never really felt embraced. I always felt like people were always like, "Oh, you're not from here. You don't dress like you're from here. Your music doesn't sound like you're from here." When I was really little, we lived in an area called Chirilagua, where there’s a large Latin community. It's pretty much all Salvadorians. I love Salvadorians, and I love the Latin community there. At the end of the day, all I ever really wanted was to show love to my community and receive that love in return. It's a beautiful thing to be accepted by people in general. 

Moving to L.A., I felt very accepted and loved. L.A. is also my home. When I go to Colombia, I feel the same thing. And when it came to VA, I never fully felt that way, like I didn't belong there as much. I think that was what made it difficult to grow as an artist there and the main reason why I left. Aside from the fact that I really don't have many family members there either. My parents live in Colombia. I think it's a situation of "go where you're loved, go where you're supported." That's what I always tell everybody, no matter where you come from or who you are, just go where you're loved and supported, and try to represent where you come from the best you can. It's really complicated, and it's really interesting.

How has that transmigrational experience played a role in your musical development? 

I feel like it’s what contributed to people looking at me as a niche artist, or even me looking at myself as a niche artist. I’m okay with that. I feel like part of being a niche artist is that you can't be categorized from one place, yet somehow that makes it harder to market artists. In my case, it was like, "Where is she from? She's from here, but she's also from there." It’s just more things that contribute to you not being able to be boxed into one category. Even some people now will be like, "Colombian-American, what does that even mean?" A lot of people still don't even understand what it means to be a dual citizen. For some reason, they just can't grasp how someone could have two homes, or two cultures, or more than two [nationalities]. I think that has been a blessing and a curse for me. It goes both ways, but I also wouldn't have it any other way.

It certainly brings some challenging layers, especially when one’s developing their identity, but I believe it makes creative growth more enriching. 

Yeah, not just as artists, but as human beings. I think the most important thing is to figure out and know who you are, and not let society [determine that]. Just the idea of borders and of people obsessing with one's nationality is a very strange societal norm. Don't ever limit yourself based on those things.

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In your last video, we also see you portrayed as a retro Hollywood chanteuse and then a little more Latin-styled with a sultry edgy. Who are your fashion and style icons? 

Most of my life I have been inspired by not being able to be defined or confined to only one style. For me, being versatile, experimenting with genres, with style and never identifying as one [singular] look or anything. That's what really helped me make my life of creation fun and worthwhile—experimenting. Otherwise, you end up limiting yourself when you do one thing. In general, I'm a very nostalgic person. I love to mix futuristic things sometimes. I love the ‘90s, and I also love the ‘60s and ‘70s. Women being expressive with their sexuality, women being tomboys. 

I think gender identity and gender norms are another way that people try to restrict and confine us. I definitely had my own personal experiences with coming into my femininity and understanding what femininity was for me. Even now as an adult, I'm still realizing like, okay, I don't always have to be so glam in order to feel like me. Or, I don't have to have my identity attached to this certain brand to make me more comfortable. I'm trying to wear less makeup and just play with different styles and stuff. Just experimenting.

Thinking now as an adult, I realize that certain things in the ‘90s were actually appropriation. For instance, I never realized a certain hairstyle was called bantu knots, and that it came from an African tribe. Growing up in the ‘90s, you just saw No Doubt’s [Gwen Stefani] and Björk wearing these hairstyles and later realized that they were taking it from Black women. I think that's something that you have to be careful about, when you look at some of these older ‘90s styles, a lot of it is appropriation. Become more aware of that, and learn more about where things actually come from. That’s the most important thing to do when it comes to style. Educate yourself about what you're wearing.

On Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)—meaning Without Fear (of Love and Other Demons)—what does the title represent to you?

Sin Mideo was a phrase that pushed me to never [live life without fear]. I feel like everybody should live life without fear. We only have one life. You shouldn't live it for anybody else. You should do what makes you happy. As long as you're not hurting anybody else, you should do what feels good for you and be who you want to be, whatever that is. Sin Miedo also captured the essence of isolation. All of my songs come from my own personal experiences. So when I made the album, I was thinking, "What type of state of mind was I in when I made all this music?" Isolated. I was literally not talking to anybody. I didn't have any friends around me. I was living by myself in this L.A. apartment, very lonely and separate. It's something my aunt used to always say to me growing up, "Sin Miedo, sin miedo." My first tattoo was also "Sin Miedo. Sin Miedo is really a state of mind. I think the most important thing as an artist is to never lose your mind and vision, and as a human, to never lose your soul.

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