Tyrant
by Kali Uchis (featuring Jorja Smith)

Album: Isolation (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kali Uchis explained to Pitchfork why she chose the word "tyrant" to describe an emotionally abusive dude on this song.

    "A restrictive vocabulary is not any fun for a writer, and I liked how calling someone a 'tyrant' was direct," she said. "I can be really dramatic and overly sensitive sometimes, and that was a direct reflection of how I felt about a guy that was emotionally manipulative. On the track, I talk about trying to decide whether I should give this person my time because I don't know if they're going to abuse the power of me actually opening up. If I give you a little, are you gonna be like, 'Oh yeah, this is mine now' and then just s--t on me?"
  • Uchis told Genius how the song came together:

    "I was in the studio with Sounwave, and we were just going through a whole bunch of different song ideas that we had, potentially for the album. When he played that one, it just came into my head. And then, I used some lyrics from a really old song of mine that I never released. Like, the first two lines of it was from an old song. That's how I jumped it off, and then the rest of it just came rolling in right after."
  • The song features a verse by English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith. Uchis explained:

    "I had actually never even met her before. I just sent her the song and then, she sent me the verse back and I was like, 'This is amazing.' And then, I was kind of worried, because I usually don't work with people that I've never met before. I usually have to connect with you as a person before I'm going to make music with you, but I got lucky with her because then when I met her, we actually ended up becoming good friends and talking s--t over wine. And, she ended up just being really cool."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Pete Anderson

Pete AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Pete produced Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked, Meat Puppets, and a very memorable track for Roy Orbison.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?