|
Makeba, who emerged from a Black township to
global fame with songs like "Pata Pata" and "Malaika" and spent
three decades in exile for fighting white minority rule, set an
example through her life as much as through her music, Somi
said.
"You can put on a record and still feel called to arms," the
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter said in an interview in
between rehearsals for her weekend Pretoria show.
Born in the U.S. state of Illinois to parents from Rwanda and
Uganda, Somi, 40, said she created her album "Zenzile: The
Reimagination of Miriam Makeba" as a "love letter" to her idol.
Zenzile was Makeba's first name. The album melds new versions of
Makeba's material with original compositions by Somi. It was
released on March 4, when Makeba would have turned 90, and
launched at the Apollo Theatre in New York.
For Somi, Makeba's struggle resonates with current racial and
social justice battles, such as the Black Lives Matter movement
in the United States and other countries, and the 2020 EndSARS
protests that shook Nigeria.
Somi, who in 2021 became the first woman of African descent to
receive a Grammy nomination in a jazz category - for the album
"Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper" - said she felt Makeba had blazed
a trail for younger generations.
"The space-making she did on our behalf ... as the first African
artist to show up on the global cultural stage, we are all
indebted to her," she said.
"I would like to believe that she would be delighted to see how
much more of the continent is being seen and heard. To know that
we are actually having a seat at the table these days in a new
way."
Somi enthused her young South African audience on Sunday,
dazzling the jubilant crowd with powerful vocals on a smoky
low-lit stage.
"I love the fact that she really reinvigorated songs that we
already know and love," said Mthokozisi Khanyile, buzzing after
the show.
(Reporting by Sisipho Skweyiya; Writing by Sofia Christensen;
Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Richard Chang)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
