Last Saturday, October 13, Colombian singer Kali Uchis, a breakout star of 2018, brought the In Your Dreams Tour to a second sold-out show at Terminal 5 in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen. The 80-minute set featured two covers and some earlier singles, but centered around her stellar debut album, Isolation. Throughout the set, Kali displayed a commanding stage presence and used her versatile voice to fit the many styles of her music. Having never watched a video of Kali live, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the performance production or the vocals of the artist behind one of my favorite albums of the year. Fortunately, Kali killed it; she held the audience in the palm of her hand on Saturday and gave an unforgettable performance.
When Kali Uchis’s debut album, Isolation, was released, it received universal acclaim from critics, and after just a few listens, I understood why. Filled with Latin-inspired jams, Isolation sounded unlike anything else in music today, feeling tastefully vintage but also perfectly suited to modern society. Musically, Isolation simply can’t be placed into a genre; it is at any time neo-soul, trop-pop, ’50s throwback, or R&B, guided by Kali’s voice, which can be either slinky, sarcastic, or purely powerful. Lyrically, Isolation bilingually and effortlessly presents the viewpoint of Kali, a young, Colombian-American woman who has been working since she was 14 years old and has been through plenty of toxic relationships. She is aware that she lives in a socially-troubled world, and that people cause most of her issues. So, she responds with lyrics as biting as they are personal and production that brings darker layers to her neo-soul world. Isolation is one of the best albums of 2018 and deserves a listen from all music fans. And, fortunately, this album translated well into the live setting.
Starting as a silhouette behind the huge, draping curtain which served as a billowy backdrop to the show, Kali immediately boosted the energy with “Dead to Me,” a fan-favorite that features her signature sorry-not-sorry lyrics and aloof, sarcastic delivery. Kali could barely be heard over the singing of the crowd, which knew every word to the opener and screamed in response to her slightest head nod or hand movement. From the first song, it was clear that this show would present impressive and color-drenched lighting design that transformed Kali into an ethereal, larger-than-life figure.
The energy would continue throughout the early stages of the set, highlighted by a cover of “Todos Me Miran,” which allowed Kali to show her surprising vocal range as many in the audience happily sang along. Kali appeared to have an enormous Latinx fan base, which was not a surprise given her bilingual songs and was most embodied by a group of fans in the front row hanging a Colombian flag over the barricade for the entire duration of the set. She interacted lightly with the audience, speaking mostly in English, but when her opener spoke predominantly in Spanish, it was met with cheers all the same.
Other highlights of the set included a broken-down portion of the set, where two of her best tracks were reworked, as well as her most popular song, “After the Storm.” After stating that the band normally doesn’t perform the two tracks, Kali and her band started a light, sparsely arranged version of “In My Dreams,” which, interestingly, complemented the song’s sarcastic tone juxtaposed with dark lyrics, followed by a drum-heavy version of “Miami” in which she hit some of her highest notes of the night. When “After the Storm” began, the audience reached its peak of the night in terms of volume, and Kali let the audience rap Tyler, the Creator’s part. Throughout the night, it seemed like she knew exactly how to keep the audience engaged with her music.
Vocally and production-wise, Kali Uchis put on a spectacular show backed by a tight set list and natural charisma; however, she mostly seemed disconnected from the audience. Apart from a few small comments and an introduction to one song, which provided insight into her personality, Kali was more of a performer than a relatable person. Unlike many singers, who try to connect with audiences, Kali stayed distant, and although she never faltered as a performer, insight into her album would have been more than welcome between songs.
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