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Samara Joy

Samara Joy
Joy singing into a microphone
Joy in 2022
Background information
Birth nameSamara Joy McLendon
Born (1999-11-11) November 11, 1999 (age 25)
Bronx, New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active2019–present
Labels
Websitesamarajoy.com

Samara Joy McLendon[1] (born November 11, 1999) is an American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile (2022), reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.[2] At the 2023 Grammy Awards, she won the awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist. Her 2023 single "Tight" won Best Jazz Performance at the following ceremony.

Early life and education

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A native of the Castle Hill[3] neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City,[4] Joy was born in 1999 into a musical family. Her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, were founders of Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes. Her grandfather, Elder Goldwire McLendon was also a finalist on season 3 of BET's Gospel Talent show Sunday Best. Her father—a vocalist and bass player who has toured with gospel musician Andraé Crouch[5][6]—introduced her to gospel greats such as The Clark Sisters,[7] and soul and Motown music.[8] She attended Fordham High School for the Arts and performed in its jazz band.[9] During this time, she won Best Vocalist at the Essentially Ellington festival, a high school competition hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center.[9][6]

She first encountered jazz in a meaningful way[10] when she enrolled in the jazz program at SUNY's Purchase College as a voice major,[11][12] and was named an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar.[13] Friends there introduced her to the recordings of great jazz vocalists including Sarah Vaughan and Fitzgerald,[14] and such instrumentalists as Kenny Washington, Jon Faddis (with whom she studied),[15] and Ingrid Jensen.[12]

Career

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In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.[16][17] Working with producer and eventual manager Matt Pierson, she recorded her self-titled debut album while still in college,[11] graduating magna cum laude in 2021.[18][19] Samara Joy was released on July 9, 2021, on Whirlwind Recordings.[20] Jazz Times named her Best New Artist for 2021.[21][22] In February 2021, she was featured in Women of Color on Broadway, Inc.'s music video of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.[23] In an interview, film director Regina King called her "a young woman who seems like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald are both living in her body."[24]

She released a number of viral video performances, including one that had been viewed more than 1.5 million times as of October 2020.[25] These videos had as of November 2022 gained her 200,000 followers on TikTok.[26] Partly on the strength of this success, she toured Europe,[20] including a series of sold-out concerts in Italy and Austria.[7] In 2021 and continuing into 2022, she toured the U.S.,[27][28] including bookings at the 2022 Monterey Jazz Festival,[29] Lincoln Center Summer For The City's Jazz Underground series,[30] Winter Jazzfest,[31] and other festivals,[32][33] as well as in Europe.

On February 15, 2022, she performed on Today with guitarist Pasquale Grasso[34] and performed again on Today in September 2022.[35] On June 15, 2022, she was featured at Carnegie Hall's 16th Annual Notable Occasion.[36] and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival.[37] She was featured on jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez's 2022 album Let Sound Tell All.[38]

On September 16, 2022, she released her second album, Linger Awhile, on Verve Records.[39] The album features drummer Kenny Washington, guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianist Ben Paterson, and bassist David Wong.[40][41] Her bookings for Winter 2022 included singing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on its Big Band Holidays tour.[42][43]

She was nominated and won two awards at the Grammy Awards in 2023:[44] Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile and Best New Artist.[45]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details Peak chart positions
US
[46] 		JPN
Hot
[47] 		UK
Jazz
[48]
Samara Joy
  • Released: July 9, 2021
  • Label: Whirlwind
  • Format: LP, CD, digital[49]
Track listing
  1. "Stardust" (3:53)
  2. "Everything Happens to Me" (3:57)
  3. "If You Never Fall in Love with Me" (2:33)
  4. "Let's Dream in the Moonlight" (2:46)
  5. "It Only Happens Once" (4:21)
  6. "Jim" (3:58)
  7. "The Trouble with Me Is You" (2:36)
  8. "If You'd Stay the Way I Dream" (2:00)
  9. "Oh Loverman, Where Can You Be?" (3:46)
  10. "Only a Moment Ago" (3:54)
  11. "Moonglow" (3:22)
  12. "But Beautiful" (feat. Pasquale Grasso) (5:00)
 — 94 4
Linger Awhile
  • Released: September 16, 2022
  • Label: Verve
  • Format: LP, CD, digital
 158 38 1
Portrait
  • Released: October 11, 2024
  • Label: Verve
  • Format: LP, CD, digital
 — — —

EPs

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Title Details
A Joyful Holiday
  • Released: October 27, 2023
  • Label: Verve
  • Format: LP, CD, digital

Singles

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As lead artist

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Title Year Details
"Warm in December" 2022 Digital single
"Lush Life" 2023 Digital single
"Someone Like You" Spotify Sessions single, subsequently released digitally[50]
"Tight" Digital single
"Now and Then" Released in collaboration with US retailer "Theory"[51]
"Why I'm Here" 2024 Digital single
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Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Summertime" 2021 Ayanna Fowler, Barbara Douglas Non-album single
"If You Were Mine" Bruce Harris Quartet Soundview
"Bird of Red"
"Django's Lullaby" Ruben Fox Introducing...
"So Much Joy" Ruben Fox, Shenel Johns, Vuyo Sotashe
"Fragile" Eric Wyatt A Song of Hope
"Say Her Name"
"Solitude" Pasquale Grasso Pasquale Plays Duke
"I'm in a Mess" 2022 Be-Bop!
"In Heaven" Julius Rodriquez Let Sound Tell All
"Two Hearts (Lawns)" Terri Lyne Carrington, Ravi Coltrane New Standards Vol. 1
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" 2023 Gregory Porter Christmas Wish

Awards and honors

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Year Association Category Nominated Work Result Ref.
2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Herself Won [52]
2021 JazzTimes Best New Artist Won [21]
2022 Jazz Music Awards Best New Jazz Artist Won [53]
2023 Grammy Awards Best New Artist Won [54]
Best Jazz Vocal Album Linger Awhile Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal Nominated [55]
2024 Grammy Awards Best Jazz Performance "Tight" Won [56]
2025 Grammy Awards "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me" (with Sullivan Fortner) Pending [57]
Best Jazz Vocal Album A Joyful Holiday Pending

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Naeisha (May 20, 2021). "Samara Joy's new album drops in July". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 13, 2023). "Samara Joy's 'Linger Awhile' Hits No. 1 on Multiple Billboard Charts After Best New Artist Grammy Win". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Mason, Sheila Horne (March 1, 2020). "The 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – The SASSY Awards!". Jazz Police. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Alpers, Mira (July 12, 2021). "Craving Connection: Samara Joy Speaks". Jazzspeaks. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  5. ^ Walker, Gary (March 18, 2022). "Watch a charming set by Samara Joy and Pasquale Grasso, hosted by Gary Walker, at Yamaha Studio". WBGO. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Charleston, Rita (January 29, 2021). "Vocalist Samara Joy seeks to spread understanding of jazz music". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Marcel, Jean-Pierre (March 4, 2022). "Women's History Month: Meet Jazz Artist Samara Joy, the Voice of a New Generation". Ebony. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  8. ^ Frankenstein, Anne (August 22, 2021). "Samara Joy shows the Great American Songbook still matters". The Big Issue. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Meet Samara McLendon". Purchase College. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Contreras, Ayana (September 7, 2021). "Samara Joy's Quest for New Tradition". Downbeat. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Whitehead, Kevin (August 12, 2021). "Newcomer Samara Joy Makes An Imposing Debut On Her Self-Titled Album". NPR. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Faircloth, Keanna (November 21, 2019). "Meet Samara McLendon on Afternoon Jazz, Before the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition". WBGO. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "INTRODUCING THE FOUNDATION'S ELLA FITZGERALD MEMORIAL SCHOLARS". ellafitzgerald.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Gelly, Dave (August 7, 2021). "Samara Joy: Samara Joy review – classic American song in safe young hands". The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  15. ^ Garelick, Jon (November 11, 2022). "Holiday cheer from Samara Joy, with her own twist on tradition". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Sieff, Adam (July 26, 2021). "Samara Joy: 'Samara Joy'". London Jazz News. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019). "Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition". WBGO. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  18. ^ "Purchase College: Commencement 2021". purchase.edu. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  19. ^ DeLuke, R.J. (May 7, 2021). "Samara Joy: Ascension Into Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Haas, Scott (June 16, 2021). "Samara Joy — voice of a new generation". Bay State Banner. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics' Poll Results". Jazz Times. April 27, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 21, 2022). "NJPAC Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month With Great Shows". New Jersey Stage. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Fitzpatrick, Felicia (February 15, 2021). "Go Behind the Scenes of Women of Color on Broadway's "Summertime" Music Video". Playbill. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (January 13, 2021). "Director Roundtable: Regina King, Spike Lee, George Clooney and More Reflect on State of "Cinematic Experience" Amid Pandemic". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  25. ^ Bohrman, Gabrielle (October 6, 2020). "The Art of Going Viral". Purchase News. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  26. ^ "Samara Joy Sings". TikTok. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  27. ^ Harrington, Jim (March 22, 2022). "Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy Performs At West Falmouth Library". Daily Republic. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  28. ^ Harrington, Jim. "Emmet Cohen w/ Samara Joy Duo @ Jazz Club Ferrara". American Pianists. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Harrington, Jim (April 11, 2022). "Monterey Jazz Festival releases 2022 lineup". Daily Republic. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  30. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (June 3, 2022). "Lincoln Center Summer For The City to Present Jazz Underground Featuring Samara Joy and More". Broadway World. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  31. ^ Russonello, Giovanni (January 24, 2022). "Watch 5 Standout Performances From Winter Jazzfest". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  32. ^ "Litchfield Jazz Fest July 29–31 lineup announced". Daily Republic. March 9, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  33. ^ Edgar, Hannah (June 13, 2022). "Hyde Park Jazz Festival announces 2022 lineup featuring Charles McPherson Quintet, Qwanqwa and Hear in Now". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  34. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 23, 2022). "Samara Joy Performs On TODAY WITH HODA & JENNA". Broadway World. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  35. ^ "Samara Joy talks world tour, sings 'Can't Get Out of This Mood'". Today. September 27, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  36. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (May 20, 2022). "Samara Joy to be Featured in Carnegie Hall's 16th Annual Notable Occasion". Broadway World. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  37. ^ Ackert, David (August 31, 2022). "Samara Joy shines at 2022 Newport Jazz Festival: Video, Photos". Jazz Blues News. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  38. ^ Hobart, Mike (June 10, 2022). "Julius Rodriguez: Let Sound Tell All — a wide-ranging debut". Financial Times. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  39. ^ Johnson, Veronica (October 20, 2022). "Samara Joy: Linger Awhile (Verve)". JazzTimes. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  40. ^ Quinn, Peter. "Samara Joy: Linger Awhile". Jazzwise. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  41. ^ Johnson, Veronica (September 21, 2022). "Samara Joy – 'Linger Awhile'". London Jazz News. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  42. ^ "Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Dianne Reeves with Samara Joy: Big Band Holidays". Raleigh Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  43. ^ "Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra ft. Dianne Reeves w/ Samara Joy". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  44. ^ "SAMARA JOY VERVE RECORDS DEBUT EARNS 2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS". Music Connection. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  45. ^ Grammy Nominations, CNN, November 15, 2022.
  46. ^ @billboardcharts (February 13, 2023). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved February 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  47. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/04/12 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  48. ^ "UK Official Charts: Samara Joy". Official Charts. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  49. ^ "Samara Joy, by Samara Joy". Samara Joy. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  50. ^ "Samara Joy: Spotify Singles". January 30, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  51. ^ "Samara Joy: Now and Then". November 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  52. ^ Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019). "Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition". WBGO. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  53. ^ Grein, Paul (October 25, 2022). "Christian McBride & Inside Straight Win Big at Inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  54. ^ "Samara Joy". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  55. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  56. ^ Enos, Morgan (November 10, 2023). "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List". Grammy. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  57. ^ Frazier, Nina (November 8, 2024). "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List". Grammy. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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