Kali Uchis brought a hazy funk to The Tonight Show on Wednesday, performing her single “After the Storm” with Tyler, the Creator and the Roots.
“After the Storm” reaches back to the Seventies, when bright synthesizers started to infiltrate R&B; the recording features contributions from Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic fame.
On The Tonight Show, Uchis sang about the value of persistence – “winners don’t quit, so don’t you give up” – as a pair of backing vocalists executed coordinated dances on the red-lit stage behind her. Tyler, the Creator appeared briefly, rapping the intricate, gravelly verse.
This is the second time that Uchis and Tyler, the Creator performed together on The Tonight Show recently. In September, Uchis served as the rapper’s foil when he played the yearning Flower Boy track “See You Again.”
“After the Storm” is set to appear on Uchis’ upcoming album Isolation, out April 6th. It will be the first project from her since 2015’s Por Vida EP. The album’s release is well-timed: Uchis is currently part of a top ten hit on R&B/hip-hop radio, serving as Daniel Caesar’s love-drunk duet partner on “Get You.”
