La Luz (Fín)

"La Luz (Fín)"
Single by Kali Uchis and Jhay Cortez
from the album Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
Language
  • Spanish
  • English
ReleasedOctober 1, 2020 (2020-10-01)
Recorded2020
Genre
Length2:59
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Kali Uchis
  • Jhay Cortez
  • Tainy
Producer(s)Tainy
Kali Uchis singles chronology
"Aquí Yo Mando"
(2020) 		"La Luz (Fín)"
(2020) 		"Telepatía"
(2021)
Jhay Cortez singles chronology
"Dime a Ve"
(2020) 		"La Luz (Fín)"
(2020) 		"Only Fans (Remix)"
(2020)
Music video
"La Luz (Fín)" on YouTube

"La Luz (Fín)" (stylized in all lowercase; transl. "The Light (End)") is a song by American singer Kali Uchis and Puerto Rican singer Jhay Cortez. It was released on October 1, 2020, serving as the second single from Uchis' second studio album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios).

Background and composition

I don't really like to have a lot of collaborations on my projects, so I always knew that I just wanted it to be a few people that made sense for me. So, for Jhay, I knew that I wanted people who were true to Latin music, true to the culture, and also killing it in that space, people that were, for lack of a better word, "seasoned," and I just really wanted to be able to work with someone who was also just already in that world because it's is a new world to me.

— Kali Uchis on collaborating with Jhay Cortez on "La Luz (Fín)"[1]

"La Luz (Fín)" is a "soft to the touch" song blending Latin pop,[1][2] reggaeton,[3] and R&B[4][5] over a downtempo, "simple, but intoxicating" dembow beat.[5][6][7]

Kali Uchis described the song as having sexual undertones, saying it's about "the moment when you set your sights on someone and can't wait to do everything freaky imaginable with them."[2]

Uchis and Jhay Cortez first met in Miami to record the song, finishing it immediately.[1]

Critical reception

"La Luz (Fín)" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rob H of Beats Per Minute commented on the song's production and sensuality, calling it "intimidating in the levels of sexuality" and an "all around steamy affair".[6] In a review of the parent album, Oliver Corrigan of Gigwise praised Uchis' vocal delivery, calling it "delicately intimate" and also noted that the song's musicality was reminiscent of her earlier R&B work.[4] Upon release of the song, Carolyn Droke of Uproxx called the song "steamy",[8] later saying in an article that it served as a preview of its parent album's "rhythmic sound".[9] Brany Barragan, a writer of The Daily Californian complimented the collaboration between Uchis and Cortez, saying the latter "perfectly contrasted Uchis' soft vocals" while also praising the former's "shape-shifting talent" and experimentation in the reggaeton genre.[10]

Music video

The music video for "La Luz (Fín)", directed by Uchis and Lauren Dunn, was released on October 27, 2020.[11][12] The video features aesthetics pulling from the early 2000s.[13]

American singer Omar Apollo, a frequent collaborator of Uchis, appears in the music video.[14]

Charts

Chart performance for "La Luz (Fín)"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[15] 16

References

  1. ^ a b c Luzmila Caraballo, Ecleen (December 31, 2020). "The Making of Kali Uchis's 'Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)'". Remezcla. Retrieved November 4, 2023. So that was the thing, like for Jhay it was like "OK, that's like a little Latin pop song."
  2. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (October 1, 2020). "Listen to Kali Uchis' New Song "La Luz" With Jhay Cortez". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 4, 2023. I was so excited to make my version of a Latin pop song because there's no other song like it on my upcoming album. I love Jhay and Tainy's music so I was honored to get in the studio with them.
  3. ^ Exposito, Suzy (December 30, 2020). "A musical shapeshifter with universal ambitions, Kali Uchis aims 'to show what Latin music can be'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 4, 2023. MC Jhay Cortez appears in the soft-to-the-touch reggaeton of "La Luz (Fín)."
  4. ^ a b Corrigan, Oliver (November 17, 2020). "Album Review: Kali Uchis - Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros Demonios) ∞". Gigwise. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2023. the follow-up single of 'La Luz (Fín)' signalled a reversion back to her sensual R&B facade. Along with her delicately intimate vocal delivery, this exemplified a popularised spooning of modern R&B which has happily fed the Western masses through recent years.
  5. ^ a b Grech, Seb (November 25, 2020). "Album Review: Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved November 4, 2023. "la luz(Fín)" is better, as Kali just feels more confident on a more down tempo classic R&B beat where she steams it up alongside Puerto Rican singer Jhay Cortez.
  6. ^ a b H, Rob (October 2, 2020). "Kali Uchis is upfront in her attraction on "La Luz" with Jhay Cortez". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (December 2, 2020). "Kali Uchis makes her own space on the idiosyncratic Sin Miedo". The FADER. Retrieved November 4, 2023. ... sleek, foot-moving dembow beats on "te pongo mal (préndelo)" and "la luz (Fín)".
  8. ^ Droke, Carolyn (October 2, 2020). "Kali Uchis And Jhay Cortez Are Full Of Lust On 'La Luz'". UPROXX. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Droke, Carolyn (November 7, 2020). "Kali Uchis Announces Her Sophomore Album, 'Sin Miedo'". UPROXX. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Barragan, Brany (November 25, 2020). "Kali Uchis' 'Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞' teases new sounds but fails to successfully dive in". The Daily Californian. Retrieved November 4, 2023. Additionally, "La Luz (Fín)" and "Te Pongo Mal (Prendelo)" bring reggaeton to Sin Miedo. ... its feature by Jhay Cortez perfectly contrasts Uchis' soft vocals. Both tracks are a statement of Uchis' shape-shifting talent.
  11. ^ "Kali Uchis Prepares To Meet Her Crush In The Sultry 'La Luz' Video". UPROXX. October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Reed, Ryan (October 27, 2020). "Watch Kali Uchis Cruise Through Clouds in 'La Luz' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "Kali Uchis shares the playful video for "La Luz"". The FADER. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  14. ^ Villa, Lucas (November 4, 2021). "Kali Uchis & Omar Apollo Have a History of Collaborating, Here's What's Next for Them". Mitú. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Kali Uchis Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2023.