US-based Rwandan jazz vocalist and songwriter Somi has made history after she was nominated for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be held on January 31, 2021, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The nominations were announced during a virtual live stream on November 24, 2020. The Grammy Awards, which recognize achievements in the music industry of the United States, is organized by the Recording Academy, an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. To celebrate creative excellence through the Grammys, the Recording Academy will recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020. The 39-year-old singer, born Laura Kabasomi Kakoma, took to social media to share her excitement after the Grammys shortlisted her latest album ‘Holy Room’ for the award in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category alongside four other albums including Thana Alexa’s ‘Ona’, ‘Secrets Are the Best Stories’ by Kurt Elling Featuring Danilo Pérez, Carmen Lundy’s ‘Modern Ancestors’ and Kenny Washington’s ‘What’s The Hurry’. “Today I was nominated for my very first Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude (and can’t stop crying!),” the New York-based singer posted on her social media shortly after her nomination. The singer’s successful album was recorded live at the Alte Apor (Germany) with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, one of the most innovative German jazz ensembles of the times. “Thank you to my family and all who have supported, cheered, inspired, and loved me through my journey. Thank you to the Recording Academy for this honor ….and to the glorious Frankfurt Radio Big Band for making this project a reality. I am so, so, so grateful! Indeed, the journey is a Holy Room [her new album] (oh, and I cut off my locs!),” she further reacted. The singer who also won the NAACP Image Award winner for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2018, was in Kigali in 2018 where she performed as the main headliner at the monthly Kigali Jazz Junction. The nominations were made in 84 categories and Beyoncé received the most nominations with nine, followed by Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch with six each. South African comedian, political commentator, actor and television host Trevor Noah will host the award-giving gala.
