[Cover photo credit to Knoor the Luo]

Somi’s forthcoming album was written and and recorded between Dakar, Lagos, Paris and New York City, and captures her “self” in transit rather than acting as documents of those places. What Does It Take To Bloom? arrives on August 7th, 2026, via Salon Africana. The single “Sometimes Love” featuring The Cavemen. is out now.

Joined by Nigerian sibling duo The Cavemen., the single is a love song that “transports listeners to the intoxicating heat of Lagos where the song was recorded.”

When asked about the inspiration behind the single, Somi said:

This song is about keeping an open heart and the possibility of finding love – in all its forms – at any moment in our journey.

Having spent years navigating the global Jazz scene, Somi embraces a hybrid of Jazz, Soul, highlife, spoken word, and her African heritage. What Does It Take to Bloom? finds Somi “taking greater vocal risks while trusting her instincts more deeply.”

The album is “grounded in finding belonging – recognizing that the journey towards wholeness is rarely linear and always unfinished.” She “hopes listeners will find themselves within the music” and offers the album as a document of “her coming home to herself.” 

Select Tour Dates:
Sept. 17 – Champaign, IL – Krannert Center for Performing Arts
Sept, 18 – Evanston, IL – Space
Sept. 19 – Indianapolis, IN – Jazz Kitchen
Sept. 27 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Skidmore College
Sept. 29 – Madison, WI – Wisconsin Union Theater
Oct. 1 – New York, NY – World Music Institute presents at Sony Hall
Oct. 3 – South Orange, NJ – South Orange Performing Arts Center
Oct. 10 – Denver, CO – Dazzle
Oct. 11 – San Francisco, CA – SFJazz Center 
Oct. 12 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa

Additional dates to be added.