Somi Returns After Six Years With Soul-Searching Album “What Does It Take to Bloom?”

After a six-year absence from releasing original music, Rwandan-Ugandan vocalist Somi is breaking her silence with a powerful new body of work that promises to be her most introspective yet. The acclaimed singer-songwriter has unveiled plans for her upcoming album What Does It Take to Bloom?, set to drop August 7th via Salon Africana, alongside the release of its meditative lead single “We’re All Falling.”

Crafted across four continents—from the creative hubs of Dakar and Lagos to the cultural epicenters of Paris and New York City—the 13-track project represents Somi’s musical diary through periods of profound transition and loss. “I wrote this body of work while traversing many places and losing many people,” she explains. “This album is a mirror of searching for where and how to take root in spite of that.” The lead offering “We’re All Falling” embodies this sentiment perfectly, transforming grief and life’s impermanence into something beautiful—a gentle reminder to embrace the present moment with grace rather than fear.

True to her artistry, Somi refuses to be boxed into a single genre. The album weaves together jazz sensibilities, soul grooves, highlife rhythms, and spoken word elements that reflect her diverse African and diasporic identity. She’s enlisted some notable collaborators for the journey, including Nigerian highlife revivalists The Cavemen on “Sometimes Love” and saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin on “So You Want to Be a Woman.” The full tracklist spans themes of tradition, femininity, and self-discovery, with interludes from Somi’s mother adding intimate family dimension to tracks like “Mama On Blooming” and “Mama On Tradition.”

With “We’re All Falling” now available for streaming, Somi has officially planted the seeds for what promises to be a transformative listening experience when What Does It Take to Bloom? arrives this summer.

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