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Laura Kabasomi Kakoma Quotes
born 1981 United States
Laura Kabasomi Kakoma (June 6, 1981), is a Grammy-nominated American-born singer, songwriter, playwright, and actor of Rwandan and Ugandan descent. Somi is the first African woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award in a Jazz category.
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19 quotes
No one in my immediate family is a professional musician, although the love of music is definitely prevalent.
One of the greatest blessings of my journey as a professional artiste has been the unconditional love and support of family.
Mistakes might happen, but honest music supersedes all of that.
In recent years I am trying to be more conscientious about work/life balance. It’s a work-in-progress.
Know yourself, listen to your heart, and take risks. Individuality is the best thing anyone has to offer.
The best word I can use to describe how I feel when performing for an audience is FREE.
In many ways, Illinois is just as much my home as Africa because I spent the majority of my formative years there.
I don’t have a particular favourite musician. There are so many that have inspired, taught, guided, and grounded me.
Of course I had to answer a lot of questions when I announced I wanted to be a professional singer, changed my graduate school focus, and initially struggled as a waitress to pay my bills.
There is something about performance that both humbles and strengthens you simultaneously. It is where I am happiest and most liberated. My first performance was terrifying but totally thrilling.
I also enjoy vegetarian cooking, writing/reading prose, and spending time with family and friends. Honestly, like anyone who works for themselves, it gets difficult to find balance - especially with my international travel schedule.
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!)
I will, however, say that one of the main lessons I’ve learned from such artistes who inspire me is this: Know yourself, listen to your heart, and take risks. Individuality is the best thing anyone has to offer.
I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember, but didn’t consider making it a career choice until my early twenties. I studied the cello from the time I was eight years old through college and I write my songs on the piano. My primary instrument is my voice.
If you become stressed out on stage, your audience becomes stressed with you. It’s important for us to remember that our energy as performers dictates the energy of the room. That said, we can’t take ourselves so seriously.
And since there were no professional artistes in my immediate or extended family, I didn’t know what the path would be. That said, I’m thankful for New York City and the courageous community of dreamers who have helped me understand that my dreams can be lived out loud.
My mother has a beautiful singing voice that she shares generously around the house and in church! (I always consider her my first voice teacher.) And my brother Itonde has a lovely voice and plays a bit of piano and violin.
What we have to realise is that those questions and occasional resistance to our heart’s pursuits are usually coming from a place of love. Once I realised that, it gave me more room to cultivate and channel positive energy towards accomplishing my goals as a professional musician.
I am the sixth of seven children. We moved to Zambia when I was three years old and when my father began working for World Health Organisation, we returned to Champaign where he worked as a professor of Veterinary Medicine and Immunology and my mother worked as an oncology nurse.
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