In a world full of maybes, they kept saying yes

By Val Hernández
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Love songs often get stuck on the butterflies. The dizzy spark of a first kiss, the adrenaline of “forever and always,” the cinematic swell of strings when everything is still brand new. Colombian singer Laura Kalop takes a different route on her latest single '6 Vidas.' This isn’t about falling in love — it’s about choosing to stay in it. Again, and again, and again.

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Kalop wrote the song for her husband Jairo, celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary, and that intimacy is written into every note. The lyrics read like vows being renewed: “En cada vida yo te buscaría, en cada vida nos elegiría” (“In every life I would search for you, in every life I would choose you”). But it isn’t a fairy-tale gloss. She’s honest about distance, crises, and routines: “Ya no me recibes con flores, ni corres al verme llegar” hits like a gut punch at first, until you realise she’s reframing it. Flowers aren’t needed anymore. They’ve reinvented themselves and grown into a quieter, more resilient love.
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What makes '6 Vidas' shine is how Kalop taps into Colombian tradition while still sounding fresh. The track is sort of steeped in vallenato, a folk genre from the Caribbean coast built around storytelling lyrics and the accordion. Traditionally, vallenato is about heartbreak, nostalgia, and longing — but Kalop flips it, turning those sounds into a promise of endurance. With Alexander “Don Alex” González on accordion and Manuel Valdez on guitar and co-production, she crafts something vallenato-ish: not strict folklore, but romantic, melodic, and recognisable to Colombian ears while sleek enough for global listeners.

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If you’ve never heard vallenato, imagine the intimacy of a singer-songwriter ballad, the weight of country storytelling, and the accordion as its heartbeat. Then add subtle pop production, bass, and harmonies. That’s where “6 Vidas” lives. At moments, it echoes tropipop from the 2000s — think early Fonseca or a softer Carlos Vives — though Kalop’s delivery is gentler, less stadium anthem and more whispered confession.

Vocally, it’s very her. Kalop is a trained soprano, often belting with dazzling musical-theatre precision, but here she dials it back. The song leans on warmth and storytelling more than vocal acrobatics. For listeners with hearing sensitivities, that restraint makes the track more accessible too — no piercing high notes, just a laid-back, singable melody that lets the emotion do the heavy lifting.
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The title metaphor is pure magical realism — very García Márquez energy. The idea of multiple lives evokes a love so strong it spills over across time and universes. Why six specifically? Kalop hasn’t said, but fun fact: her father, piano master Raúl Castaño, has had the number six follow him everywhere. Knowing that, the choice feels less random and more like a winking coincidence — cute, intentional or not.

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Still, “six lives” works as metaphor: if the universe gave infinite chances, she’d still choose the same person. That’s a sentiment anyone who’s found their person can relate to. Or, in my case, it’s the kind of love I hope to find someday. (Although I do hope my partner never stops bringing me flowers — I’m holding onto that one, thanks.)

Is '6 Vidas' built for international charts? Maybe not. Kalop remains a small independent artist, and this probably won’t storm Colombian radio either. But among her listeners, this feels destined to be a fan favourite. It’s tender without being corny, traditional without being dated, personal yet universal. And honestly, even if you don’t speak Spanish, the sincerity in her delivery cuts through. With subtitles or a quick lyric translation, this could resonate anywhere.

Think of it this way: if Belly and Conrad from The Summer I Turned Pretty had a Colombian soundtrack moment, this would fit right in.

The song already has a music video, keeping things close to home. Just Kalop and her husband, coffee mugs in hand, walking through a house together — a visual reflection of love that’s less fireworks, more everyday tenderness. I also got to hear it live earlier this year at Cumbia House in Bogotá, where it landed even more powerfully. Stripped of studio polish, it felt like an intimate promise sung directly to us.

'6 Vidas' is a love song for the long haul. Not about the spark, but the afterglow. Not about fantasy, but the everyday choice to remain. In a pop landscape obsessed with breakups and make-ups, Kalop offers something radical: the beauty of staying.
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Anyway, let me go text the person I’d still choose in all my six lives.

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Taken by Nicolás Rondó

About the artist

Laura Kalop is a Colombian singer-songwriter known for fusing pop with traditional Andean sounds. She trained as a classical vocalist and holds a Master’s degree in Musical Theatre from New York University. The daughter of renowned Colombian pianist Raúl Castaño, Kalop has released multiple projects, including her self-titled debut album Laura Kalop (2011), Raíz (2016) and the EP Koraje (2022), which reflect themes of identity, resilience, and personal growth. She was awarded Best Unpublished Work at the Festival Mono Núñez in 2014 and named Best Pop Artist at the Subterránica Awards in 2017. Her work bridges tradition and contemporary pop, always with a strong sense of cultural pride.

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