Somi

Born in Champaign, Illinois during her father’s postdoctoral studies, Somi grew up between Ugandan and Rwandan heritage that shapes her work as a Billboard-charting American jazz and pop singer-songwriter. She divides her time between New York City and Lagos, Nigeria. At three she moved with her family to Zambia after her father joined the World Health Organization; they returned to Champaign before she turned ten once he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana.

She attended two high schools, earned bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and African studies from the University of Illinois, and later received a master’s in performance studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

After performing jazz standards she began shaping her own approach, which she terms “New African Jazz,” and issued her debut album Eternal Motive in 2003 on SanaaHouse Productions. Her voice, a full and smoky natural alto with broad range, draws on the lineages of Dianne Reeves, Nina Simone, Letta Mbulu, and Dee Dee Bridgewater’s later recordings.

In 2007 her label placed the follow-up Red Soil in My Eyes with Harmonia Mundi’s World Village imprint; the single “Ingele” enjoyed an extended stay on Billboard’s world music chart and reached the Top Ten, with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, guitarist Lionel Loueke, and bassist Vashon Johnson among the players.

Following tours through the U.S., Europe, and Africa she returned stateside and signed with ObliqSound. Her third album, If the Rains Come First, arrived in 2009 and reached number two on the world music chart, showcasing vocal overdubbing techniques together with Swahili and Ugandan dialects; keyboardist Toru Dodo and New York guitarist David Gilmore were among the sidemen.

She released the acclaimed Live at the Jazz Standard on Palmetto in 2011 and was named a TED Fellow in the Arts. Two years later she joined Sony’s revived OKeh imprint. Having lived in Nigeria and absorbed its musical traditions, she kept a diary and presented material in small salon-style concerts before recording.

Co-produced with Keith Witty and Cobhams Asuquo, Lagos Music Salon appeared in summer 2014 and featured guest turns from Common and Angélique Kidjo; its first video, “Last Song,” entered VH1 Soul rotation. In 2017 Somi issued her fifth studio album, Petite Afrique, which examined the immigrant experience in the United States while drawing inspiration from Harlem’s creative and cultural legacy. Produced by Keith Witty, the set included guitarist Liberty Ellman, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, and trumpeter/associate producer Etienne Charles.