Kali Uchis and Phony Ppl
What do you get when you cross Shakira with Lady Gaga? If you’re up-and-coming pop diva Kali Uchis, you hope it’s you. The 22-year-old Colombian-American aspires to do it all, from songwriting to singing and producing her own songs, directing videos, and designing fashions. It’s hard to tell from her debut mixtapes (2012’s Drunken Babble and 2015’s Por Vida) if she has what it takes to back up her expansive ambitions, with little different to offer from the same cookie-cutter electronic-tinged pop R&B already churned out by the Gaga/Grande/Gomez hit machine. She certainly got our attention with a couple of cameos on Gorillaz’s album Humanz, but there’s only one preview track available for her upcoming still-unscheduled debut album, a number called “Tyrant” featuring young British singer Jorja Smith that sounds for all the world like someone from 1995 Avenida Revolución remixed Lana Del Rey. That may or may not make you want to go see her September 30 at Observatory North Park.