Red Moon in Venus

Red Moon in Venus is the third studio album by American singer Kali Uchis. The album was released on March 3, 2023, through Geffen Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances by Omar Apollo, Don Toliver and Summer Walker.^[2] It is predominantly an R&B record.^[3]

Red Moon in Venus
Studio album by Kali Uchis
Released	March 3, 2023 (2023-03-03)
Recorded	2020–2021
Genre	R&B neo soul psychedelic soul[1]
Length	43:14
Language	English Spanish
Label	Geffen Interscope
Producer	Aaron Paris Al Shux Albert Hype Benny Blanco Cashmere Cat Chris LaRocca Clairmont the Second Darkchild DJ Khalil Dylan Wiggins Grades Jahaan Sweet J.LBS Josh Crocker Kali Uchis Manuel Lara Mndsgn Omar Apollo P2J Sounwave Toneworld Vicky Nguyen WahWah James WondaGurl Yussef Dayes
Kali Uchis chronology
Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) (2020) Red Moon in Venus (2023) Orquídeas (2024)
Alternative cover
Alternative cover used on vinyl releases.
Singles from Red Moon in Venus
"I Wish You Roses" Released: January 19, 2023 "Moonlight" Released: February 23, 2023

Red Moon in Venus debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and two on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with over 55,000 album-equivalent units, making it her first top-10 album on that list.^[4]

Background

On January 11, 2022, Uchis announced that she was putting the finishing touches on her third studio album.^[5] On April 21, 2022, she revealed to Billboard that she had two albums ready, one in English and one in Spanish.^[6] On September 2, 2022, Uchis released the "retro house" track "No Hay Ley", the first solo release in nearly two years.^[7] On December 9, 2022, she announced that she had turned in the new album, describing it as her "latest contribution to this world".^[8] She released the single "I Wish You Roses" on January 19, 2023, along with its music video. The song was produced by Dylan Wiggins and Josh Crocker.^[9] According to Uchis, the song is about "being able to release people with love".^[10] On February 23, 2023, she released the second single for the album, "Moonlight", accompanied by a lyric video.

The singer announced the album title three days later. Uchis revealed through her Instagram stories that many of the songs on the album were written and recorded years ago, specifying that the album was recorded during lockdown.^[11] The release date and the cover were both revealed on January 23. About the project, Uchis explained:

Red Moon in Venus is a timeless, burning expression of desire, heartbreak, faith, and honesty, reflecting the divine femininity of the moon and Venus.

— Uchis on the subject of the album, Consequence^[12]

She felt inspired by astrology, wanting to reflect the blood moon as the trigger to "send your emotions into a spin".^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10[13]
Metacritic	84/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Clash	8/10[16]
The Daily Telegraph	[17]
The Guardian	[18]
The Line of Best Fit	7/10[19]
Exclaim!	8/10[20]
MusicOMH	[21]
NME	[22]
Pitchfork	8.2/10[1]
Rolling Stone	[23]

Red Moon in Venus received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[14] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[13]

The album received an 8.2 out of 10 on Pitchfork and was acclaimed as "best new music" the week of its release.^[24] Michael Cragg of The Guardian awarded the album with 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "Over a vintage soul confection, Uchis travels through heartache, finishing somewhere near desolation: “What’s the point of all the pretty things in the world, if I don’t have you?” Things end, however, with resolution on the sun-dappled, 60s soul of Happy Now, in which Uchis urges herself to “remember all the good things”. Astrological guff never sounded so lush."^[25]

The album was placed in numerous year-end lists of 2023.

Year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Time	The 10 Best Albums of 2023	1	[26]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2023	43	[27]
The Hollywood Reporter	The 10 Best Albums of 2023	2	[28]
The Guardian	The 50 Best Albums of 2023	23	[29]
Complex	The 50 Best Albums Of 2023	35	[30]
Rolling Stone	The 100 Best Albums of 2023	29	[31]
Slant Magazine	The 50 Best Albums of 2023	46	[32]
The Los Angeles Times	The 20 Best Albums of 2023	2	[33]
Variety	The Best Albums of 2023	6	[34]

Track listing

Red Moon in Venus track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producers	Length
1.	"In My Garden..."	Karly-Marina Loaiza	Loaiza	Kali Uchis	0:25
2.	"I Wish You Roses"	Loaiza	Loaiza Josh Crocker Dylan Wiggins	Crocker Wiggins	3:39
3.	"Worth the Wait" (featuring Omar Apollo)	Loaiza Omar Velasco	Loaiza Apollo Vicky Nguyen Jason Pounds	J.LBS Nguyen Apollo	2:30
4.	"Love Between..."	Loaiza	Loaiza Leon Moore Crocker	Crocker	2:35
5.	"All Mine"	Loaiza	Loaiza Daniel Traynor Alexander Shuckburgh	Grades Al Shux	3:29
6.	"Fantasy" (featuring Don Toliver)	Loaiza Caleb Zackery Toliver	Loaiza Jahaan Sweet	Sweet P2J	2:58
7.	"Como Te Quiero Yo"	Loaiza Cristina Chiluiza Brandon Cores	Loaiza Alberto Melendez Manuel Lara	Lara Albert Hype	2:14
8.	"Hasta Cuando"	Loaiza Chiluiza Cores	Loaiza Melendez Lara	Lara Albert Hype	2:09
9.	"Endlessly"	Loaiza	Loaiza Rodney Jerkins Marvin Hemmings	Darkchild Toneworld	2:35
10.	"Moral Conscience"	Loaiza	Loaiza Wiggins	Wiggins	3:32
11.	"Not Too Late (Interlude)"	Loaiza	Loaiza Clairmont II Humphrey	Clairmont the Second	2:35
12.	"Blue"	Loaiza	Loaiza Crocker	Crocker Yussef Dayes	3:12
13.	"Deserve Me" (with Summer Walker)	Loaiza Nija Charles Taylor Parks Summer Walker	James Colwell Chris LaRocca Ebony Oshunrinde Aaron Cheung	WondaGurl Aaron Paris LaRocca WahWah James	4:25
14.	"Moonlight"	Loaiza	Loaiza Magnus August Hoiberg Benjamin Levin	Cashmere Cat Benny Blanco Leon Michels[a]	3:07
15.	"Happy Now"	Loaiza	Loaiza Mark Anthony Spears Khalil Abdul-Rahman Ringgo Acheta Dan Seeff Sam Barsh	Sounwave DJ Khalil Mndsgn	3:49
Total length:					43:14

Note

• "Como Te Quiero Yo" is titled as "Amanecer" in the vinyl edition of the album.
• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

• Kali Uchis – vocals
• Phil Cornish – piano (track 1)
• Josh Crocker – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, programming (2, 4, 12); guitar (2, 4)
• Vicky Nguyen – keyboards (3)
• Rocco Palladino – bass guitar (12)
• Yussef Dayes – drums, synthesizer programming (12)
• Alexander Bourt – percussion (12)
• Elijah Fox – piano (12)
• Malik Venner – saxophone (12)
• Miles James – synthesizer (12)
• Nick Movshon – bass guitar (14)
• Homer Steinweiss – drums (14)
• Paul Castelluzo – guitar (14)
• Benny Blanco – keyboards, programming (14)
• Magnus Høiberg – keyboards, programming (14)
• Leon Michels – keyboards (14)

Technical

• Prash Mistry – mastering (all tracks), mixing (5–10, 13–15)
• David Kim – mixing (1–4, 11, 12)
• Benny Blanco – mixing (14)
• Cashmere Cat – mixing (14)
• Austen Jux-Chandler – engineering
• Hector Castro – engineering (3, 4, 7, 8, 12)
• Miguel Correa – engineering (7, 8)
• Jens Jungkurth – engineering (14)
• Leon Michels – engineering (14)
• Morning Estrada – recording (2–4, 6–8, 10, 13)
• David Bishop – recording (13)
• Lavar Bullard – mixing assistance (6–10, 13–15)
• Luca Brown – engineering assistance (5)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Red Moon in Venus Chart (2023) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 70 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 99 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 34 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 53 French Albums (SNEP)[39] 90 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[40] 53 Scottish Albums (OCC)[41] 47 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[42] 35 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 29 UK Albums (OCC)[44] 52 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[45] 4 US Billboard 200[46] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Red Moon in Venus Chart (2023) Position US Billboard 200[48] 149 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[49] 59

Certifications

Certifications for Red Moon in Venus

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[50]	Gold	40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[51]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release formats for Red Moon in Venus

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	March 3, 2023	CD digital download streaming vinyl	Geffen	[52]