Kali Uchis arrived at Sueños 2026 in a carriage, but the real reveal came later.
On Saturday (May 23), the Colombian American superstar used her headlining main stage set at Chicago’s Grant Park to launch her For the Girls Tour, delivering nearly an hour of hits with the kind of lush, soft-focus drama that has become one of her signatures. Her voice stayed velvety and controlled throughout, gliding over the festival grounds as she moved through fan favorites including “Telepatía,” “After the Storm,” “Moonlight,” “Dead to Me” and “Loner.”
The performance leaned fully into Uchis’ gift for world-building. Her entrance nodded to Selena’s iconic 1995 Astrodome arrival, while her custom all-white look — a fitted, sexy, western-leaning ensemble — felt equal parts angelic and festival-ready. Around her, the choreography was sleek and exacting, from mirror-heavy tableaux to sensual chair routines with male dancers, all of it reinforcing the cinematic universe she has created onstage. The For the Girls Tour will continue with stops in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and more. See the full dates here.
In an exclusive interview with Billboard Español before the set, Kali Uchis opened up about evolving beyond the Sincerely, Tour, why Mariah the Scientist was the right choice for For the Girls, and the Spanglish album she says is already finished.
What does it mean to kick off the For the Girls Tour at Sueños, one of the biggest Latin music festivals in the U.S.?
I’m really excited. I feel like every time we do the show, it’s an evolved version. I try to always make it better than last, so there’s going to be a lot of elements from the original Sincerely, Tour. I try to find ways to make it funner for me to perform.
This is my last time touring for the whole rest of the year. So I’m just going to try to give my all and do my best and then take my little break, focus on my album.
From what you’ve created for this show, what does this era say about where you are right now — both as an artist and as a woman?
It’s very cinematic. I try to play a lot with that. My show has always been a bit theatrical in a sense. We did the angel wings and the pillow fighting, and now we’re gonna do some bottle breaking. We do the gun. A lot of different things that feel very much inspired by art cinema and that theatrical type of vibe.
I changed the entrance. I used to come in on a swing, which was really fun. I’m coming in on a carriage now. Since it’s outdoors, I was like, “What can I do outdoors?” It’s like a little homage to Selena’s last show, while also making it my own. I try to always make everything I do that’s inspired by the icons feel like my own.
What made Mariah the Scientist the right artist to join you on this tour?
I love her music. I mostly listen to vintage music, but I really love Mariah’s songs. I love her songwriting. I love that she champions that, her songwriting. I think she’s an amazing, really talented girl and this tour is for the girls!
When fans enter and leave the show, what do you want For the Girls to feel like?
I want them to feel inspired. I want them to feel empowered. That’s something that I always hope for anyone who attends my show — to feel a sense of community, to feel seen through music that may have touched them or helped them through a hard time; to feel like they got to have that full experience of really being impacted in a way that shifts them in a positive way.
That’s really always my goal, for people to leave feeling inspired. I’m really somebody who came from nothing and who also didn’t have support from my family or necessarily anyone around me. I always champion being proud of yourself, who you are and where you come from, no matter what you have going on — and to be the number one supporter of yourself.
When you reflect on your career, what stays with you most?
I try to always remember where I come from, but more than anything, I feel like it’s really important for me to be very grateful for all of the changes that have happened in my life and where I am right now. But also, to use that to inspire the youth and people who might feel like giving up.
I feel like I’m where I am today because of my state of mind — I was never gonna believe the things that outwardly people wanted me to believe about myself. It was always very important for me for my inner voice to be the loudest voice.
When we caught you at Madison Square Garden, you mentioned you were working on new music. What can you share?
I have a lot of it finished, honestly. I have a whole album done. I just really want to be done with my touring and then just lock in on finalizing it and putting all those last pieces together.
Is it in English or Spanish?
Spanglish.
