There is a particular kind of question that follows women through every stage of life: What does it really mean to become a woman?

For GRAMMY-nominated vocalist and songwriter Somi, that question becomes the emotional centre of her latest single, “So You Want to Be a Woman (feat. Lakecia Benjamin)” — a soulful, searching track that refuses to package womanhood into a neat definition.

Instead, Somi opens a conversation between the woman she is today and the younger version of herself who could not yet understand the beauty, expectations and weight that would come with growing up.

Turning Womanhood Into Sound

Released ahead of her upcoming album What Does It Take to Bloom?, the single brings together Somi’s commanding vocals and the fiery saxophone of GRAMMY-nominated musician Lakecia Benjamin.

The result is more than a showcase of jazz musicianship. It feels like an emotional reckoning.

The song examines the often-unspoken responsibilities placed on women — the pressure to carry, nurture, succeed, endure and still somehow make it all look effortless.

For Black women navigating modern life, those expectations can hit particularly close to home.

Somi does not present an easy answer. Instead, she asks whether the next generation can inherit something different: more freedom, more possibility and more space to define themselves.

An Album Built Across Continents

That search for self runs throughout What Does It Take to Bloom?, which was written and recorded across Dakar, Lagos, Paris and New York City.

For Somi, geography has always been part of the storytelling. Her music has connected African and American experiences, drawing from jazz, soul, highlife, spoken word and her African heritage.

This time, however, the destination is more personal.

Rather than mapping a particular city or cultural memory, the album maps the self — its contradictions, relationships, traditions, losses and possibilities.

That makes the project especially relevant in a world where young Africans are constantly negotiating multiple identities, influences and expectations.

Refusing to Fit the Box

Somi’s artistic evolution is also about refusing easy categorisation.

Her music exists somewhere between genres and continents, allowing each influence to remain visible without forcing them into a single definition.

That creative freedom mirrors the album’s central idea of blooming.

Growth is rarely a straight line. Sometimes it means questioning traditions. Sometimes it means confronting uncomfortable truths. And sometimes it simply means giving yourself permission to become someone you could not have imagined before.

With tracks including “Sometimes Love” featuring The Cavemen., “Mama On Blooming”, “Mama On Tradition”, “Ngayaya” and “We’re All Falling”, the album promises a deeply personal exploration of belonging and becoming.

A Different Definition of Blooming

What Does It Take to Bloom? ultimately asks listeners to look inward.

For Somi, coming home to yourself is not about reaching a perfect final version. It is about accepting that wholeness can remain unfinished.

And perhaps that is the most powerful message young women — and anyone questioning who they are becoming — can take from the project.

You do not have to fit the box.

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Sometimes, blooming begins with asking the question.

Stream / Download: https://orcd.co/soyouwanttobeawoman