Kali Uchis

Kali Uchis has been in a relationship with rapper Don Toliver since 2020. In January 2024, they announced that they were expecting their first child through the music videos for "Tu Corazón Es Mío" and "Diosa". Their son was born in March 2024.

Uchis is bisexual. She was estranged from her mother before they reconciled after the birth of Uchis's son. Her mother died from lung cancer in 2025, and Uchis dedicated her album Sincerely to her, incorporating her mother's voice into the song "Sunshine & Rain…".

Born Karly Marina Loaiza, Uchis grew up between Northern Virginia and Pereira, Colombia. Her father is Colombian and her mother is American. She is the youngest of five children and spent summers in Colombia with her father, aunts, and uncles. During high school, she learned piano and saxophone and played in a jazz band.

Uchis developed interests in photography, poetry, mixed-media art, and experimental filmmaking. She often skipped class to work in a photo lab and initially imagined directing films rather than performing. After breaking her parents' curfew and skipping school, she was kicked out of her home and lived in her car, where she wrote songs on a keyboard that later appeared on her debut mixtape, Drunken Babble.

She released Drunken Babble in 2012 shortly after graduating high school. The project drew on doo-wop, reggae, and early 2000s R&B, and helped bring her to the attention of the music industry.

Uchis released her debut EP, Por Vida, in 2015. The project included production from Diplo, Tyler, the Creator, Kaytranada, and BadBadNotGood. She also collaborated with Snoop Dogg on "On Edge" for his 2014 mixtape That's My Work 3. In October 2015, she toured the United States and Canada with Leon Bridges.

Her early collaborations expanded in 2017 when she appeared on Gorillaz's album Humanz. She released "Tyrant" with Jorja Smith and "Nuestro Planeta" with Reykon before issuing Isolation in April 2018. The album received widespread critical acclaim and reached number 34 on the Billboard 200. Its songs included "After the Storm" with Tyler, the Creator and Bootsy Collins and "Just a Stranger" with Steve Lacy.

Uchis supported Lana Del Rey on selected North American dates of the LA to the Moon Tour in 2018. She also received Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations for collaborations with Daniel Caesar and Juanes.

In 2020, Uchis released To Feel Alive, an EP recorded entirely in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, she issued Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), her first project predominantly sung in Spanish. The album reached number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and included collaborations with Rico Nasty, Jhay Cortez, and Jowell & Randy.

The album's single "Telepatía" became a major breakthrough after a TikTok lip-sync challenge helped drive its popularity in 2021. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Uchis's first entry on the latter chart.

Uchis also appeared on Kaytranada's song "10%", which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. She collaborated with SZA on "Fue Mejor" and with the Free Nationals and Mac Miller on "Time", Miller's first official posthumous release.

Uchis released Red Moon in Venus in March 2023 after issuing the singles "I Wish You Roses" and "Moonlight". The album reached number four on the Billboard 200 and featured Omar Apollo, Don Toliver, and Summer Walker. Its supporting tour ran from April to May 2023, with Raye as a special guest.

Her fourth studio album, Orquídeas, arrived in January 2024. The Spanish-language album included the songs "Muñekita" with El Alfa and JT, "Labios Mordidos" with Karol G, and "Igual que un Ángel" with Peso Pluma. Orquídeas received the Latin Pop Album of the Year award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards and won Favorite Pop Album at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards.

Uchis released her fifth studio album, Sincerely, in May 2025, followed by the deluxe edition Sincerely: P.S. in October. In September 2024, she also launched homebody by Uchis, a self-care line featuring beauty products, home goods, and apparel.

Uchis has cited 1960s music, particularly early soul, R&B, and doo-wop, as a major influence on her sound and visual style. She has also discussed her interest in jazz and named Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as formative influences.

Her other cited influences include Björk, Curtis Mayfield, Loose Ends, Ralfi Pagan, Irma Thomas, Celia Cruz, Mariah Carey, La Lupe, Lana Del Rey, Selena, Shakira, and Ivy Queen. She speaks English and Spanish fluently and has used both languages throughout her music, with Sin Miedo and Orquídeas emphasizing her Spanish-language work.