Following the release and success of “Red Moon in Venus,” Kali Uchis announced her new album “ORQUÍDEAS” on Oct. 9, 2023 on Instagram. Fans waited until the release of the album on Jan. 12, 2024. And yes, it was worth the wait.
The Spanish album title “ORQUÍDEAS” translates to “orchids” in English.
“The flower, for me, it always symbolized timelessness, femininity, luxury. It has an eerie, mystical quality about it as well. It’s also the national flower of Colombia, so for me it all tied in,” Uchis said in an interview with Billboard News.
“ORQUÍDEAS” opens with a fast-paced intro entitled “¿Cómo Así?” When I first listened to the song I had to take a step back as it was different from some of her past work, but it truly grew on me with its changing beats and beautiful vocal range from Uchis.
Using the song to introduce the album to listeners told them what the album consisted of and what the themes explored were going to be: self-assurance, love and desire.
Following the fast-paced song was another similar song entitled “Me Pongo Loca,” which follows the theme of the desire for a relationship with emotions on display instead of hidden.
Throughout the album, Uchis has five features, the first of which is “Igual Que Un Ángel” with Mexican singer Peso Pluma. Pluma has been gaining traction recently following the success of his latest album “Génesis.” The song is a beautiful love song using synth-pop, and is one of the album’s most popular songs — and one of my favorites.
“Pensamientos Intrusivos” and “Diosa” follow a similar theme of wanting to give it all for love. Both songs are about telling another person how much they would do for the other’s love and how far they would go for it. The former is the singer telling, and the latter is the singer receiving.
“Perdiste” talks about how a former lover has lost the singer, and how much better the singer is without them. “Young Rich & In Love” and “Tu Corazón Es Mío…” are the complete opposite despite being one after the other, and instead focus on new love and how devoted the lovers are to each other. “Heladito” is similar in this way.
“Te Mata,” “Muñekita” and “Labios Mordidos” were all released prior to the album’s official release date as almost teaser songs to what the rest of the album would hold.
“Muñekita” includes features by El Alfa and JT while “Labios Mordidos” includes a feature by Karol G — some notable names with the reggaeton community.
“No Hay Ley Parte 2” is a call back to “No Hay Ley” — released back in 2022 — with a feature by Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro who is often referred to as the “King of Modern Reggaeton.” The song has a club dance feel, although all of the songs do.
In my opinion, Uchis saved one of the best songs for last. “Dame Beso // Muévete” is a song that should sound familiar to any Latino whose mom would blast merengue in the early mornings to clean the entire house. This song was the perfect way to close out the album, and I’ve definitely already used it to clean my room.
“It’s a merengue, but there are parts that are not conventional. This wouldn’t pass in a traditional song, but it’s the blender she puts it in,” executive vice president of Interscope Geffen — Uchis’s record label — Nir Seroussi said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“ORQUÍDEAS” has currently surpassed 200 million streams on Spotify — Uchis’s fastest album to achieve this.
With this album’s release, Uchis also announced her pregnancy with Don Toliver, and her next album is set to release later this year.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
