GRAMMY-nominated East African singer-songwriter Somi has unveiled the first glimpse into her long-awaited new album, delivering an emotionally resonant single that explores loss, transformation and the search for belonging.
After six years without a full collection of original material, the acclaimed vocalist has officially announced her upcoming album, What Does It Take to Bloom?, scheduled for release on 7 August 2026 through Salon Africana. Leading the project is the deeply reflective first single, “We’re All Falling”, a song that confronts mortality while offering a message of grace, presence and healing.
For audiences across South Africa, Somi is no stranger. The multi-award-winning Rwandan-Ugandan artist has built a loyal following through her distinctive fusion of jazz, soul, African musical traditions and spoken word. Most recently, she shared the stage with celebrated South African artists Thandiswa Mazwai and Msaki at the Sankofa Festival, further cementing her connection with local audiences.
A Return Six Years in the Making
For many artists, an album serves as a snapshot of a moment in time. For Somi, What Does It Take to Bloom? represents something far more personal.
Written and recorded across Dakar, Lagos, Paris and New York City, the album reflects years of movement, reflection and emotional evolution. It examines what it means to remain true to oneself amid uncertainty, change and life’s inevitable losses.
The project asks a profound question: Do we recognise growth while it is happening, or only after it has transformed us?
Rather than offering easy answers, the album appears to embrace the complexity of that journey, weaving together global influences and deeply intimate storytelling.
The Meaning Behind ‘We’re All Falling’
The album’s lead single, We’re All Falling, stands among its most emotionally charged moments.
Written during a period marked by personal loss, the song acknowledges the fragility of life and the reality that time is finite. Yet despite its weighty subject matter, it avoids sinking into despair.
Instead, the track becomes an invitation to embrace the present and extend compassion to ourselves and others.
Speaking about the project, Somi explained:
“I wrote this body of work while traversing many places and losing many people. This album is a mirror of searching for where and how to take root in spite of that. I pray these songs offer each listener a sense of Home or, at the very least, a witnessing of me coming Home to myself.”
Those words capture the emotional centre of the album: a search for grounding amid movement, uncertainty and change.
Mapping the Self Instead of a Place
Throughout her career, Somi’s music has often explored geography, identity and migration.
Her previous works have traced cultural pathways between Africa and America, drawing inspiration from places, histories and iconic figures such as Miriam Makeba. Her catalogue has consistently examined how location shapes identity.
This new album shifts the focus inward.
Instead of mapping cities, countries or collective histories, What Does It Take to Bloom? explores the internal landscape of self-discovery.
It is a project concerned with womanhood, belonging, healing and the ongoing process of becoming.
Refusing to Be Defined by a Single Genre
One of Somi’s defining qualities has always been her refusal to fit neatly into a category.
While often associated with jazz, her music has long blended influences from soul, African rhythms, highlife traditions and spoken-word storytelling.
That artistic independence continues on the new album.
According to the announcement, What Does It Take to Bloom? sees Somi taking greater vocal risks and trusting her instincts more fully than ever before. By rejecting artistic limitations and embracing creative freedom, she positions blooming not merely as a theme but as an act of self-determination.
An Album Rooted in Belonging
At its core, the album is an exploration of belonging.
It acknowledges that the path toward wholeness is rarely straightforward and that growth often unfolds in unexpected ways. Through stories of love, loss, memory and resilience, Somi examines the experiences that shape identity and ultimately allow individuals to flourish.
Listeners can expect a deeply personal body of work that reflects both vulnerability and strength, while continuing the artist’s tradition of connecting global perspectives with intimate storytelling.
What Does It Take to Bloom? Tracklist
The forthcoming album features 13 tracks:
- Throw Something
- Sometimes Love (ft. The Cavemen)
- What Does It Take to Bloom?
- Mama On Blooming
- So You Want to Be a Woman (ft. Lakecia Benjamin)
- Aiwah
- Sugar
- Mama On Tradition
- Ngayaya
- Lay It Down
- Interlude: Skin To Skin
- We’re All Falling
- Love Could Be Anywhere
With We’re All Falling now available on major streaming platforms, listeners have their first opportunity to experience the emotional depth and artistic evolution that define this new chapter in Somi’s career.
As the countdown to What Does It Take to Bloom? continues, one thing is clear: Somi is not simply releasing another album. She is inviting audiences into a deeply personal journey of reflection, healing and self-discovery.
