It struck a chord with many when it was released a year ago. The song highlights the flaws and mistreatment prevalent in mental institutions, attracting attention from audiences and critics alike. Recently, Lia Kali shared her journey behind the song on the popular Spanish TV show “El Hormiguero” on Antena 3TV, where she spoke about the personal struggles that inspired her music.
“UCA” is more than a musical piece, it is a powerful testimony to the challenges faced by a young girl caught in a system that fails to provide true support and compassion, instead perpetuating oppression and cruelty. The song delves into a tale of turmoil within a family dynamic that quickly escalates into violence, leading Lia Kali to seek refuge and ultimately find herself confined to an adolescent psychiatric facility out of desperation.
Life in a psychiatric center was like torture, says Lia Kali
During her appearance on “El Hormiguero” Lia Kali explained how her freedom and autonomy were taken away in the name of treatment. She painted a picture of living conditions at UCA, where young people are often heavily medicated and kept isolated, looking more like prisoners than patients. The song recounts how she was forced to take medication without a diagnosis, highlighting the lack of empathy and care that compounded her suffering and that of other young people in similar circumstances.
Showman Pablo Motos asked Lia Kali “what was life like?” I never asked him… I’ve never been with anyone who already was…. How was life there?
And Lia answered flatly: “Torture.” I mean… all of a sudden… that’s when you realize it and that’s also why, when I… when I asked myself if I wanted to release this song or not , I realized I did it because I talked to people who were still dealing with it. centers and who still knew that the same practices were still carried out, which ultimately are torture, which consists of tying people to the bed in the same way for a week.
Kali described the inhumane and degrading practices that persist in some adolescent crisis units, where young people are tied to beds and over-medicated, deprived of human contact and basic understanding – treatments that she said amount to to torture.
“Are you going to tell me that you’re trying to heal and help someone who’s sick and all she needs is a fucking hug, and you won’t let her have any physical contact or talk to anyone and your solution is to take medication. until she doesn’t even know who she is anymore and she’s tied to the bed without really caring about her diagnosis? I think that in Spain there is a big problem because what we do with people who are disturbing is to put them to sleep. They don’t care. » said Lia Kali.
She went on to say: “So I am ashamed and very sad that even today there are people whose loved ones have to suffer similar tortures, tortures that are even banned in Europe, for example mechanical restraint, which ties you to a bed, in many places in Europe, where it’s banned because it’s considered torture, and that’s what it is. I mean, having a child, even a child tied to a bed, whether it’s for an hour, ten minutes, whatever, it’s torture. He’s a child… For God’s sake!
Lia Kali’s powerful story in “UCA” has sparked conversations about the morality of psychiatric treatment for juveniles and the urgent need for change within these facilities. The singer not only criticizes the physical and emotional damage she suffered, but also condemns apathy and systemic mistreatment by individuals who are supposed to provide protection and healing.
Lia Kali’s appearance in “El Hormiguero” not only helped share her personal journey, but also amplified the song’s message, reaching audiences who may not have been aware of the reality faced many adolescent crisis units, or those who have suffered it and thought it. “it was normal” or simply did not find the strength to express himself. Her courage in sharing her story has been hailed as a step towards demanding change, motivating others to speak out and take action against injustice and torture in the mental health sector.
Psychiatry, treating patients “like dogs”
“What I found was a bunch of psychopaths who were there, probably underpaid, but treating us like we were literally dogs. And at the UCA de Sant Boi I will say it and well, even while appreciating, for me the hardest thing was to say that I was there for a week, because after this week they realized that I was not obliged to be there. I got there because of something that didn’t make any sense and he was a doctor who didn’t want to stop and look at what was happening to me at home and why I was the way I was. I was at that time and he sent me to a place where I didn’t belong.
Testifying to a practice denounced as common in psychiatric hospitals, Lia declared that she “was medicated without a diagnosis, right? I mean it was super crazy and I was aware of everything and I was like “How can there be such psychopaths here who like to watch and laugh even when they pin someone down and throw them to the ground” . [floor]?’. You know, those…” when talking about the moment when hospital staff put their knees on the patient’s chest: “Yeah, that happened to me. And I remember the face. I have that kid’s face etched in my mind, that half-smile, enjoying that and saying Loco, man, we got some real psychopaths. How come there is not much greater control in Spain? Damn, these are our people, you know? They are also people. They are people who feel, they are people who love and they are people for whom life has sometimes gotten the better of them. Sometimes they are born that way, different. And I don’t think anyone deserves that. Hopefully this will never happen to any member of your family, no and I hope that changes. And what I’m saying here now, I hope that tomorrow there will be more control over these shit centers where people are literally mistreated.”
“UCA” by Lia Kali transcends being a song, it serves as a call to bring about change by highlighting that art has a role, in addressing the darkest truths of society to inspire empathy. In a world where young voices are often ignored or silenced, Lia Kali has found a powerful way to ensure that her voice alongside others is recognized.
Learn more about Lia Kali
According to its agents site:
“Lia Kali first discovered music at home and when she was just sixteen she was riding her bike to all the jams in Barcelona. It was there that she made friends with many of the city’s musicians and artists and began to engage with reggae, jazz, soul and rap. Since then, she has never stopped singing. Lia moved from jams to other live stages in Barcelona with numerous projects, such as the Amy Winehouse tribute she performed. This is how she realized that her love for the stage was much more than a first glance: the stage is her place of life. Eventually, she grew tired of singing other people’s songs and began writing her own pieces and discovered the healing they contained. Lia Kali writes the soundtrack to her daily stumbles and falls and released her first singles in 2022, going viral and reaching millions of streams and views across music and TikTok platforms. In March 2023 she launches her very first album “Contra Todo Pronostico” where she summarizes the featurings with the real who-is-who of the Spanish urban and rap scene like Toni Anzis, Acción Sanchez, J Abecia, Zatu Rey from SFDK and even the respected top Colombian rapper Nanpa Básico. Lia Kali is today the most requested voice on the scene and with her first album, she says one thing above all: no label can measure up to her!
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