Somi - What Does It Take to Bloom? (2026)

Jazz, soul, highlife and spoken reflection co-exist without apology on 13 new songs co-produced with Benjamin James and featuring his group The Cavemen. as well as saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.

For the Grammy-nominated vocalist and songwriter Somi, each new album is an act of place-making. The catalogue of the Rwandan/Ugandan-American artist reads like a map of migration and memory, with records rooted in Lagos, Harlem, and the spirit and political inheritance of Miriam Makeba.

What Does It Take To Bloom? is her ninth album overall and her first collection of original songs in six years. Musically, it also represents a new chapter in collaboration.

During sessions in Lagos, Somi connected with Benjamin James, whose partnership would become pivotal. As one-half of the Nigerian duo The Cavemen., James brings a contemporary approach to heritage-centred sound. The collaboration proved so seamless that Somi invited him to co-produce the full album, with moods and rhythms ranging from the upbeat highlife-soul fusion of Aiwah, via jazzy statements like Throw Something, to the soulful reflection of the title track, What Does It Take To Bloom?.