SOMI

Some musicians benefit from a deep connection with the place and traditions into which they are born. Others find who they are on extended journeys, connecting with sounds that are foreign yet inherently familiar. Somi Kakoma —the vocalist, composer, and writer born in Illinois to parents who emigrated from Rwanda and Uganda—discovered her musical identity traversing the cultural bridge between America and Africa. That sense of discovery continues to guide a career in which she has forged a musical signature, channeling the jazz, soul, and the music of her roots.