# 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. It is predominantly an R&B record.
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.

## Background

On January 11, 2022, Uchis announced that she was putting the finishing touches on her third studio album. On April 21, 2022, she revealed to Billboard that she had two albums ready, one in English and one in Spanish. On September 2, 2022, Uchis released the "retro house" track "No Hay Ley", the first solo release in nearly two years. On December 9, 2022, she announced that she had turned in the new album, describing it as her "latest contribution to this world". 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. According to Uchis, the song is about "being able to release people with love". 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. 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.
She felt inspired by astrology, wanting to reflect the blood moon as the trigger to "send your emotions into a spin".

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 |
| Metacritic | 84/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Clash | 8/10 |
| The Guardian | |
| MusicOMH | |
| NME | |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 |
| The Daily Telegraph | |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10 |
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". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. The album received an 8.2 out of 10 on Pitchfork and was acclaimed as "best new music" the week of its release. Michael Cragg of The Guardian awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, 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."
The album was placed in numerous year-end lists of 2023.

### Accolades

Year-end lists :
| Publication | List | Rank |
| Time | The 10 Best Albums of 2023 | 1 |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 43 |
| The Hollywood Reporter | The 10 Best Albums of 2023 | 2 |
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 23 |
| Complex | The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 | 35 |
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 29 |
| Slant Magazine | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 46 |
| The Los Angeles Times | The 20 Best Albums of 2023 | 2 |
| Variety | The Best Albums of 2023 | 6 |

## Track listing

Note
* "Como Te Quiero Yo" is titled as "Amanecer" in the vinyl edition of the album.
* 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)

## Certifications

Certifications for Red Moon in Venus :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | 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 | CDdigital downloadstreamingvinyl | Geffen | |