“Isolation is not rejection, it is refinement,” read the opening segment for Kali Uchis’ “Sincerely,” tour at the Moody Center on Sunday. “God removes the noise so that she can hear the whisper.”
Following the release of her fifth studio album, Sincerely, Uchis embarked on her North America tour alongside headliner Thee Scared Souls. Uchis’ performance maintained a constant lively energy, stable vocals and unmatched stage presence on the 12th stop of her tour.
Uchis opened with “Heaven is a Home…” and “Sugar! Honey! Love!” Orange hues highlighted the foggy stage, contrasting her pink floral dress. Uchis breaks the illusion of a perfect relationship, using cracked glass, performers fighting and a pink bedazzled gun prop, to show the emotions caused by toxic relationships.
Uchis dove headfirst into the current immigration crisis. Born into a Colombian household, Uchis is a first-generation American. Onstage, she shared her experiences growing up in a bilingual and immigrant household, discussing the value of acceptance, understanding and the importance of immigrants.
“Para salir adelante, hay que luchar y trabajar duro (I was raised to believe we had to work harder…),” Uchis said to the audience. “Y siempre hay que educar a los demás que los Latinos somos gente que ha logrado muchas cosas a nivel mundial. (We have to educate others that Latinos are people who have achieved many things worldwide.) … without immigrants, there is no America.”
Uchis shifted the tone with a different album and outfit as she played her first Spanish song of the night, “Muñekita (with El Alfa & JT).” With a captivating persona, Uchis’ seamlessly transitioned into a more intimate concept, filled with crowd favorites.
“¿Cómo Así?” hyped up the crowd, offering a club vibe and dance to match. She performed “Pensamientos Intrusivos” and “Igual Que Un Ángel (with Peso Pluma),” featuring angel wings and a kiss cam.
Even though all songs had a unique and enchanting cadence, the standout performance was “Dame Beso // Muévete.” The cumbia-style song, featuring salsa dancing and Uchis showing off her own footwork while fans chanted as if it were a baile, encouraged the entire venue to dance.
Deciding to surprise fans, Uchis brought Texas native and musician D4vd onstage for the first-ever performance of their collaborative song, “Crashing (with Kali Uchis).” Following up with more features, Uchis performed “See You Again,” and “After The Storm,” both songs in which she collaborates with Tyler, The Creator.
Addressing fans, Uchis said she faced criticism when creating her first predominantly Spanish album, Sin Miedo. Despite that, she then performed the first song she wrote for the album, la lune enamorada. Uchis ended the set with “telepatía,” the song she said changed her life. The track describes a love strong enough to last long distances, the stage decorated by a red heart and dim lights to match as she sang.
Uchis’s fans were delighted by her encore as she signed posters and took requests to sing acapella. Finishing with one last track with music, Uchis performed “Cry About It,” an unreleased song, before running off stage. Overall, the performance left the crowd in awe, feeling connected to her music and message and ready to be their most authentic selves.
