Kali Uchis

“We're all born into whatever citizenship, circumstances, or class we happen to be born into. Immigrants and so many people in the working class work so hard every day for nickels and pennies...”

“I think everybody needs to be more empathetic.”

“Just because someone is your family member doesn't mean they're a good person.”

“As female artists, we have to be constantly criticized for the way that we look, the way that we dress, on a whole other level that men don't have to face.”

“N.E.R.D. was also from - not too far from where I was from growing up. For a lot of people who make music, that was a huge influence in teen years.”

“Colombian culture has had a huge influence on me and taught me a different way of looking at things - I was always different from the people I went to school with, and I learned to embrace t...”

“I was kicked out of the house, and I was really difficult as a kid. I'm happy it happened because I was able to grow so much from it, you know? It's always hurtful to feel that you can't be...”

“Not everything happens when you expect it; it is what it is. The people who ride with you, ride with you.”

“Sometimes I leave mayonnaise on the ends of my hair for a few hours while I'm writing; it's a really good moisturizer.”

“I'm Colombian. My family all have different complexions; some are people of color. I've been called every name by white people, been mocked for speaking in Spanish by white people.”

“I've never been pressed to be friends with everyone or be popular, even in school - I've always done my own thing.”

“I'm constantly progressing. My style is changing every day.”

“It was really important for me to understand that I needed to provide for myself, and I needed to become a provider for my own family, too.”

“I wasn't into social media at all, but when I decided I was going to put out my own music, I said, 'Okay, I'm just going to post it.' And that's when it started its rounds on the Internet, a...”

“I was a very creative child. I played the saxophone and piano, and I was always writing poetry and stories, or drawing in my notebook. I just tried to express myself through as many creative...”

“I really love secondhand clothes. It's fun to turn them into something new.”

“I've always been very insecure and had a lot of self-doubt growing up. That was partially because of how I was raised.”

“I've done my own videos, I do my own styling, so I feel like I've just always been a visual artist... I was one of those kids who wanted to make my own clothes and take pictures of everythin...”

“As a musician, you are all the music that you absorb into your mind; that just subconsciously connects.”

“Being able to incorporate my language into songs is really cool. It's really cool to see that people are susceptible to it. It helps with writing a lot to turn off one language and then go t...”