Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Somi returns with What Does It Take to Bloom?, her new album released on her independent label, Salon Africana.

Comprising 13 tracks, the project marks the artist’s return to original songs following her experience as a playwright and Broadway performer. Co-produced by Somi and Benjamin James, a member of the Nigerian highlife duo The Cavemen, the album was created between Dakar, Lagos, Paris and New York.

Through this new record, Somi explores deeply personal themes: identity, belonging, loss, uncertainty and personal transformation. Her music draws on jazz and soul while incorporating various influences from African musical traditions.

Born in the United States to parents of Rwandan and Ugandan origin, the artist draws extensively on her personal journey and the many travels that have shaped her life.

“I wrote this album throughout my travels and the loss of many loved ones. It reflects my search for a place and a way to put down roots despite everything.”

Somi also hopes these songs will resonate with those who, like her, are searching for an anchor: a sense of home, even when it seems difficult to define.

An Album Shaped Between Four Major Cities

The album opens with “Throw Something” and features several tracks already released to the public, including “We're All Falling,” “Sometimes Love,” recorded with The Cavemen, and “So You Want to Be a Woman,” created with saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.

In “We're All Falling,” Somi addresses mortality and the fragility of existence. With “Sometimes Love,” she draws direct inspiration from the musical atmosphere of Lagos, where the track was recorded with The Cavemen.

“So You Want to Be a Woman,” meanwhile, explores the social expectations and pressures surrounding femininity.

The decision to work in four cities — Dakar, Lagos, Paris and New York — illustrates the international dimension of Somi’s artistic approach. It also extends her interest in building bridges between African and American cultures.

Between African Heritage and the Search for Identity

Throughout her previous projects, Somi had already explored the connections between Nigeria, Harlem and the musical and political legacy of major African figures, notably South African singer Miriam Makeba.

With What Does It Take to Bloom?, the artist turns the focus more toward her own journey. The album thus becomes a space for introspection where African roots, the American experience, travel, grief and the search for belonging come together.

Musically, Somi blends jazz, soul and African sounds to create a world that is both intimate and open to the wider world. Her voice and songwriting occupy a central place in this project, which emerges as a musical reflection on how to grow, put down roots and reinvent oneself despite life’s upheavals.

In addition to the previously released singles, the album notably includes “Mama On Bloomin'g,” “Aiwah,” “Sugar,” “Mama On Tradition,” “Ngayaya,” “Lay It Down,” “Interlude: Skin To Skin” and “Love Could Be Anywhere.”

With What Does It Take to Bloom?, Somi delivers a personal album deeply rooted in the question of identity: how can one find one’s place, build roots and continue to bloom when the world around us never stops changing?