Kali Uchis

When I was 18 or 19, I realized that everything I was doing was connected to music - writing, doing videos, making my clothes. It all centered around being an artist. So I released a mixtape that I made in my bedroom, and it ended up getting a lot more attention than I expected.

When I got my MacBook, I started playing around with Garageband a lot. It was just a creative outlet. I put everything into it. I would skip all my classes just to be making my songs. Stuff like that made me feel good.

The first time I did a show, I definitely didn't get any money. My friend just let me do this show. I was so nervous: my mic didn't work, and I was like, 'Urgh.' It was terrible. It was a dingy club off of the highway, but all these people came. It was packed out.

I didn't want to go to school, because I wanted to be an artist, and they were never going to teach me art. None of my family had ever done that kind of stuff either.

I never had any technical training. I never considered that, one day, I'm going to be Beyonce like a lot of girls aspire to be. It just kind of happened.

I think everybody needs to be more empathetic.

I was really grateful for the photography classes, the art classes, and the video classes. They would let me skip all my other classes and stay and work on my projects.

A lot of people don't give Virginia credit. Pharrell, Missy Elliott - a lot of people come from here.

It's really not easy to be an artist. It's not easy to put yourself out there and be honest. I'm making things that are really happening to me, and it's not easy to share that with the world.

I was always into music and stuff, so I would always make songs since I was little.

I am very much an artist. I like painting and collaging.

I used to love to look at cover art for vinyls.

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 outlets as possible. And in high school, I started to get really into photography and videography and would spend hours working on it.

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

I've always experimented with my look. Growing up, I thought it was so weird that people dressed alike and all bought the same things.

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 that.

California feels like Colombia but with less threats. I don't have to be constantly looking over my shoulder.

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

A lot of people were getting million-dollar deals from music I felt was trash, because their videos were going viral. I wanted to put out music that had soul, because that's what was missing.

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, and people started to take an interest in me.

You're always taught that the world is so competitive. You're taught that it's not very likely for you to become successful and that odds are you're going to be a struggling artist for the rest of your life.

I made music just for myself.

I never really wanted to be a singer. I always preferred to be behind the camera.

It's really natural for me to write bilingually.

I was one of those people at one point who was scared to put my foot down and show where the boundaries were. For me, it's really important to stand your ground and know exactly what you are, where you wanna be, and what you're doing, or else people are gonna try 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 just believe in standing up for people and against discrimination. I consider myself an advocate for human rights.

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 always considered myself a person of color.

I always felt you could age with style and grace, or you could age in denial and hold on to issues and never push through.

While performing, I can't wear anything that I'm not going to be able to dance in or heels that don't have ankle support.

It's easy to just write about love, because everyone can relate, but I like variety.

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

La India's voice is so powerful. It will give you life.

Selena is a classic and timeless singer, and she really doesn't need an introduction. Her music is always good for the soul.

My favourite 'stage' of Shakira was the brunette punk rock one, but she'll always have a special place in my heart, whatever she's doing.

If you really want to get over someone or something in your life, I suggest you throw on some Ivy Queen. She will have you feeling extra bossy.

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

I really try to balance my feminine and masculine energy when I write.

I don't really use any face products anymore because they make me break out. I like natural remedies. I usually put honey on my face. Sometimes, I put sugar in it so it's an exfoliant, too. I add raw coconut oil, which is good as a face wash and a moisturizer.

I started making music by myself and figuring all of that on my own.

There's no particular method or course of action that I take in order to decide who I'm going to work with besides feeling complete and total respect and admiration for that artist.

As an artist, you have to work hard for things that you can't really hold in your hand. I work not for money but for my career, to expand myself as an artist. Every video I make, it's not making me any money; it's just because I want to expand.

Back in the day, I used to get really upset when people used to say that I didn't really make all my own things - like my art or my videos or whatever. I work really hard on everything, so it used to upset me when people would try to discredit me or say that I wouldn't have what I had without this person or that person.

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

I just know what I want for myself.

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.

I like lowriders and music from the '50s and '60s. A lot of people assumed I was Mexican.

You can consciously make a difference with music. Bob Marley is one of those few artists that everyone can say that they love. He makes you feel good. It's very real.

I just like stuff that's raw, itself, real and genuine. I think that's the way art should be. That's the kind of stuff that people can connect to more.