Vocalist, composer, actor, and playwright Somi Kakoma is the Midwestern daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda. Hailed by The New York Times as “a virtuosic performer in full command of her instrument and powers,” she is known in the international jazz world simply as ‘Somi’. Her 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album made her the first African woman ever nominated in any of the Grammy jazz categories, as well as the first Rwandan or Ugandan ever nominated for a Grammy. Her last release, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, was a companion project to the critically acclaimed original musical “Dreaming Zenzile” that Somi also wrote and starred in Off-Broadway as a tribute to the great South African singer and activist. Her highly anticipated forthcoming album, What Does It Take to Bloom?, will be released in August 2026.