On February 11th and just in time for Valentine’s Day, internationally acclaimed Grammy-nominated vocalist SOMI will release her new single, “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” featuring two-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and vocalist Gregory Porter.
The song is the third to be released from Somi’s fifth studio album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, a deeply personal tribute to the legendary Miriam Makeba, and will be to be released on March 4th, which would have been Makeba’s 90th birthday.
SOMI’s latest single, “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” puts the jazz/soul singer in a shared spotlight with Gregory Porter. “Many years ago, and long before the making of this album, my mentor, the late Hugh Masekela, told me to check out ‘Love Tastes Like Strawberries’ as a cover. I invited Gregory Porter to record it with me as a duet in tribute to Makeba’s 1965 Grammy-Award-winning album, An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba, that featured a series of duets; with her Makeba’s mentor, Harry Belafonte.”
In recognition of Makeba’s resonance throughout Africa and the diaspora, Somi invited several special guests to perform on Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba including from South Africa: Grammy-winning male vocal group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, singer-songwriter Msaki, vocalist and activist Thandiswa Mazwai, and jazz pianist-composer Nduduzo Makhathini. In addition to Gregory Porter, additional guests include Nigerian singer-musician Seun Kuti (Fela Kuti’s youngest son), and GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter and activist Angelique Kidjo.
In celebration of her Makeba’s milestone birthday, Salon Africana will present Somi and Friends: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, a festive celebration of Miriam Makeba’s life scheduled for March 19 at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. For tickets, click here.