Drunken Babble

Drunken Babble is the debut mixtape by American singer-songwriter Kali Uchis. It was released independently on August 1, 2012. After her parents kicked her out of their home due to skipping school, she lived in her car and wrote songs on her keyboard which would later appear on the mixtape.

Drunken Babble
Mixtape by Kali Uchis
Released	August 1, 2012
Recorded	July 2012
Genre	Alternative R&B neo soul
Length	47:27
Label	Self-released
Producer	Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis chronology
Drunken Babble (2012) Por Vida (2015)

An alternative R&B and neo soul mixtape, Drunken Babble has a diverse musical style that incorporates genres such as doo-wop and reggae.

Upon release, the mixtape play was met with mostly positive reviews. Music critics compared its lyrical content and vocal styling to musicians such as Jhené Aiko.

On June 21, 2024, Kali Uchis re-recorded and released the track “Never Be Yours” onto streaming services due to strong demand from fans.

Background

Uchis developed a passion for music since she was in high school. She attended T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, where she learned how play the saxophone and piano, eventually participating her school’s jazz band. Around this time, she began skipping class to spend time at the photo lab, making experimental short films. Her interest in photography led to her creating the mixtape’s cover art. As a result of skipping class and breaking the curfew set by her parents led to her being kicked out of her home. She eventually began to live in her car and began to write her own songs on her keyboard and beats on her MacBook. After graduating high school, Uchis began working on the project in July 2012, attempting to finish the project in under a month.