1) Ennik Somi Douma (… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists with this name:
1) Ennik Somi Douma (born March 9, 2001), known by her Korean name Jeon Somi (hangul: 전소미) or mononymously as Somi, is a Korean-Canadian singer based in South Korea, best known for finishing first in Mnet's survival reality program Produce 101 and debuting in girl group I.O.I. She is also a former member of the project girl groups Unnies and Girls Next Door. She is currently a solo artist under The Black Label, a subsidiary of YG. She debuted on June 13, 2019 with the digital single "Birthday".
2) Somi is a U.S. singer and songwriter of African extraction.
Born in Illinois to East African parents, Somi and her six siblings began to shuffle through the life of a diplomat scientist-cum-university professor’s family, thus exposing Somi to stories and music from all over the world. Having lived in Zambia, Kenya, and Tanzania, upon moving to New York City Somi was the featured vocalist in the African Globe Theatre production of Drums under the African Sky. This led to collaborations with Amel Larrieux, Tsidii Le Loka, Roy Hargrove, Lionel Loueke, and Lonnie Plaxico. She gained more attention after being featured in Source Magazine alongside Mos Def and other lyricists involved in a police anti-brutality project entitled Hip-Hop for Respect, and in 2005 she shared a stage with Cassandra Wilson at the Blue Note jazz club’s New Year’s Eve celebration. She has performed at Joe’s Pub, B.B.King’s, The Blue Note in New York City, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and Chicago's famed South Shore Jazz Fest, among many other international venues.
Somi recently found time to complete a master’s degree at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has been profiled in numerous media including CNN International, BBC World, National Public Radio, TV 5 Monde, VH1, MTV, and BET. In 2006 she was invited by the International French Cultural Centre to tour fifteen African countries. Earlier in the year she helped the Rwanda Ministry of Culture and World Culture Open to organise the fifth Pan-African festival of Dance in Kigali, Rwanda, while consulting for the United Nations Development Programme’s International Conference on Creative Economies for Development.
Love Juju #1
Somi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't look, won't ask, won't tell
I won't deny this is magic
I can hear your heart beat slow
Shekere and blindfolds
If I turned my eye it would be tragic
You're using juju
They say it must be juju
You're using juju
Dark chocolate, cowry shells
Plantain and mango smells
Please don't wake me if I'm dreaming
Black skin, palm wine, long hair
This feels like truth or dare
I swear my heart feels like it's screaming
They say it must be juju
You're using juju
They say it must be juju
You're using juju
In Somi's song Love Juju #1, the artist sings about the mesmerizing effect of falling in love. The lyrics convey the idea of being under a spell and captivated by someone’s charm. The lines "You came and you cast your spell, I won't look, won't ask, won't tell, I won't deny this is magic" indicate the feeling of being mystified and captured by the magic of love. Despite the ambiguous nature of the love interest's intentions, the singer cannot resist the charm and continues to be drawn into the enigma.
The song also includes references to African culture and traditions, such as the use of shekere and cowry shells, which are instruments and symbols often used in traditional African music and spiritual practices. The use of these cultural references in the lyrics adds to the song's ambiance and carries a deeper meaning.
Furthermore, the lyrics also touch on the theme of superstition, where outsiders attribute the singer's love interest's charm to the use of juju, a type of magic used in African culture. The phrase "They say it must be juju, You're using juju" indicates the suspicion of some individuals regarding the singer's love interest's charm, hinting at cultural prejudices and stereotypes.
Overall, Love Juju #1 is a romantic song that explores themes of mysticism, cultural identity, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
You came and you cast your spell
Someone has enchanted the singer
I won't look, won't ask, won't tell
The singer is fully surrendering to the spell
I won't deny this is magic
The singer knows that what is happening is otherworldly
I can hear your heart beat slow
The artist is completely immersed, listening to every little detail
Shekere and blindfolds
The objects and tools used in this ritual
If I turned my eye it would be tragic
The singer will not back out, no matter what
They say it must be juju
The people around are confused by what they see
You're using juju
The artist is sure that this is magic
Dark chocolate, cowry shells
The items that have been placed on the altar
Plantain and mango smells
The surroundings and the atmosphere of the place
Please don't wake me if I'm dreaming
The singer doesn't want to lose this dream-like state
Black skin, palm wine, long hair
The physical attributes of the person who cast the spell
This feels like truth or dare
The singer is either daring to tell the truth or daring to believe
I swear my heart feels like it's screaming
The feeling of the magic is taking over the singer's being
Contributed by Ruby P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Linda Smith
on Ingele
What an artiste !! I found her by entering the words Four African Ladies into Google to see if a painting I was in the process of doing had any meaning. Somi's "Four African Women" came up and I have loved her work ever since. Hope she comes on tour to England.