Kali Uchis

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.

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.

When you're an artist, you're working, literally, for the sole purpose of art, and when people discredit you, it's probably the most disrespectful thing you can do.

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.

The constant pressure to be the perfect, ideal female - there's no such thing.

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.

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

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.

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

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