Bumi Thomas is a dynamic contemporary African, acoustic Jazz-folk-soul singer and songwriter whose style is inspired by her multicultural heritage. Her music explores identity, sensuality, Love, spirituality, retrospective and cross-culturism.
Born in Glasgow, raised between the tranquility of Kano (a Nomadic desert town in Nigeria) and the colourful excitement of Lagos (one of the most vibrant cosmopolitan cities in Africa) and now based in London after completing a degree in Fine Art Media & Visual Communication, Bumi’s music represents the journey of a modern African creative in the Diaspora.
“My journey is essentially about transcending boundaries. Its ethos: a delicate exploration of the relationship between art and experience, how that expression is transformed to music and how that music translates to pure emotional impulse. As an artist, I find that my work also encapsulates my evolution as a woman.”
Bumi’s sound is a synergy that combines jazz, folklore, high life, Afro-beat rhythms, reggae grooves and tribal nuances. A truly organic fusion of ornate rhythms, thought stimulating lyrics, ambient melodies infused with funk and delivered with soul. A sound- scape rich in texture, imagination, originality and poetry inflected by the influence of Tracy Chapman, Sade Adu, Bobby McFerrin, Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba.
As a singer/songwriter, Bumi is inspired by the journey of life, the emotional spectrum of the human experience and the opportunity to drive positive change using art and music as the mechanism of empowerment. “I feel like I have earned the right to stimulate other people’s consciousness with something that isn’t generic but ultimately unique.”
In 2011, Bumi received the Womatt Best of British (BOB) Award for Best Solo Newcomer and was also nominated for two BEFFTA awards “Best Female Act” and “Best Female UK Based Afro-Caribbean Act”. Her Debut EP ‘Feather Pearl’ will be released in Summer 2012.
