Biography

Somi was born in Champaign, Illinois while her father was completing post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

. When Somi was three years old, her family then moved to Ndola, Zambia while her father worked for the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

. They returned to Champaign, Illinois in the late 1980s when her father became a professor at the University of Illinois. Subsequently, Somi spent the rest of her childhood in Champaign where she attended both University Laboratory High School

University Laboratory High School (Urbana, Illinois)

University Laboratory High School, known as Uni, or Uni High, was established in 1921 and is a laboratory school located on the engineering part of the campus of the University of Illinois. Its enrollment is approximately 300 students, spanning five years...

 and Champaign Central High School

Champaign Central High School

Champaign Central High School is a high school located in Champaign, Illinois. It has 1,385 students in grades 9-12. The principal is Joe Williams. It is part of the Champaign Unit 4 School District school system. Its sports teams are the Central Maroons....

, and earned her undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and African Studies from the University of Illinois. After graduation, Somi spent a year doing medical anthropological research while working with AIDS orphans in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Somi moved to New York City in August 2000 and soon became a well-known on the underground soul circuit. She independently released her first album entitled Eternal Motive (2003) on her own label SanaaHouse Productions. The album was co-produced by David "Sampsonic" Sampson and was once largely out of print, but was re-issued in 2008 for digital distribution. In 2006, Somi received a Master's degree at New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

's Tisch School of the Arts

Tisch School of the Arts

Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....

 in Performance Studies while she began recording music for her second album.

Known in music industry circles for her tenacity and business acumen, Somi's original and hybrid sound began to garner international attention from both jazz and world music audiences. She calls this fusion of an African flavor into Jazz as “New African Jazz”. In 2007, SanaaHouse Productions licensed Somi's Red Soil In My Eyes to the Harmonia Mundi/World Village label for her first international distribution deal. The record received wide critical acclaim with the hit single Ingele that maintained a Top 10 position on U.S. World Music Charts for several months.

In 2009, Somi signed with independent record label ObliqSound

ObliqSound

ObliqSound is an independent record label based in New York City, Paris and Hamburg.It provides a home for artists around the globe interested in creating music that crosses the boundaries of traditional music labeling. Dedicated to both an instrumental and vocal series, ObliqSound endeavors to...

.
Her label debut "If The Rains Come First" released in North America on October 27, 2009 and subsequently debuted at #2 on Billboard Magazine's World Music Chart and #21 on Billboard Magazine's Heatseekers Chart. The album features Somi's long-time mentor, the legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela

Hugh Masekela

Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...

 as a guest on one track. Additional featured musicians include Michael Olatuja, Madou Kone, Herve Sambe, Liberty Ellman

Liberty Ellman

Liberty Ellman is a jazz guitarist born in London and raised in the United States.In the 1990s, Ellman was associated with the M-Base musical scene active in San Francisco, California, where he played with Eric Crystal...

, David Gilmore

David Gilmore

David Gilmore is an American jazz guitarist.Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987 he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson...

, Alicia Olatuja, and others. The album is co-produced by Michele Locatelli and Michael Olatuja. Recording sessions took place in both Paris and New York. Somi is currently represented by Addeo Music International (AMI)

Addeo Music International (AMI)

Addeo Music International is an international jazz booking agency established in 2008 that works with a number of internationally acclaimed artists. AMI develops its artists through focused touring initiatives and management of international performances through a network of AMI-affiliated...

  In March 2011, Somi recorded her first live concert album at the legendary Jazz Standard in New York City - it is scheduled for release in the Summer of 2011.

Somi is a 2011 TED

TED

TED may refer to:* TED , an annual multidisciplinary conference* TED spread, the yield spread between U.S...

 Global Fellow and an inaugural 2011 Association of Performing Arts Presenters Fellow. She is also the founder and artistic director of the non-profit organization New Africa Live.

Discography

• Eternal Motive (2003)
• Red Soil in My Eyes (2007)
• If The Rain Comes First (2009)

Other

Official Website

Official MySpace

Somi on ObliqSound

If The Rains Come First on ObliqSound