Music of the present has now taken us right back on a Soundcloud time-traveling trip to an alternate version of the ‘60s-'70s in the form of Kali Uchis. With her April March-esque lyrics with ‘tude, a tinge of Amy Winehouse-meets Astrud Gilberto-inflected soul, and blonde locks that that might just shine brighter than Gwen Stefani’s, the 21 year-old singer-producer is the decade-spanning musical influencer that 2015 needs.

Since releasing her debut mixtape, Drunken Babble, in 2013, Uchis has seen a steady rise on the interwebs. Uchis just released her first full-length EP Por Vida earlier in February and Kali-domination shows no signs of stopping. Filled with bangers that range Tracks such as “Loner” are a brutally honest take on the inner workings of the singer’s mind while lyrics like “Should have left your ass in the friend zone” on the reggae-tinged “Know What I Want” showcase her DGAF attitude. “[Por Vida] centers around things that I was going through. I write about my experiences, so it was more like a diary,” says Uchis. “It was just my relationships with people and becoming a woman—just growing into myself and learning my place and where I wanted to be. I still haven’t reached my full potential, I’m still growing and I’m still very young.”

In the diary form Uchis speaks of, her sincere vocal imperfections and honest lyrics on Por Vida act as an honest peek into the young genre-bending songstress’ world—it’s just not as confrontational as one would think. “I never was the type of person who liked being in the spotlight. I didn’t really go to school, I didn’t go to my own prom, I just worked on art and made my own stuff,” admits the Colombia-born Uchis. “I was very introverted and just ...I don't like Hollywood shit and networking and going to parties. I would rather work on my shit and let my work speak for itself.”

And it does. The musician cites everyone from Jeanette to Barbara Mason as inspirations, but her influence carries over into her bombshell vintage style and expertly curated music videos, mix covers, and even her Instagram. “The things that I’m inspired by and into are cohesive,” says Uchis. “I like ‘60s and ‘70s music and ‘60s and ‘70s style.”

Despite Uchis’ confident demeanor, there are moments where you realize that the driven singer is still an up-and-coming artist who faces the everyday struggles of being a young woman in 2015 while on the verge of making it big at the same time. After collaborating on numerous tracks for Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator’s latest album, Cherry Bomb, Uchis was given the chance to perform tracks with Tyler during Coachella this spring. “I’ve never performed in front of that many people before—it was like a stadium,” says Uchis. “It made it even scarier because I turned around [backstage] and Kanye West was standing there behind me and Beyonce was right there behind him. Then this really creepy dude that I was trying to get away from showed up backstage as well as this guy that I liked and I was like, ‘Why is everyone here right now?”

Everyone is “here” because true recognize true, and Kali is a true voice that can’t be ignored this year. Since premiering her new video for “Rush,” the Por Vida track produced by Kaytranada with help from BADBADNOTGOOD, it’s quite clear that Kali Uchis shows no signs of slowing down. “I’ve come a long way. I started making music two years ago and it’s been a journey,” says Uchis. “It’s definitely helped me out now with myself and helped me face a lot of fears. I had to face a lot of fears and figure a lot of shit out about myself to get to be the person I am now.”