American jazz singer (born 1999)
Samara Joy
Joy in 2022
Birth name Samara Joy McLendon Born November 11, 1999 (1999-11-11 ) (age 24)
Bronx, New York , U.S. Genres Years active 2019–present Labels Website
samarajoy .com
Musical artist
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
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
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
As lead artist
As featured artist
Awards and honors
References
^ Rose, Naeisha (May 20, 2021).
"Samara Joy's new album drops in July" . Queens Chronicle . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ 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 .
^ Mason, Sheila Horne (March 1, 2020).
"The 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – The SASSY Awards!" . Jazz Police . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Alpers, Mira (July 12, 2021).
"Craving Connection: Samara Joy Speaks" . Jazzspeaks . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ 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 .
^
a
b Charleston, Rita (January 29, 2021).
"Vocalist Samara Joy seeks to spread understanding of jazz music" . The Philadelphia Tribune . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
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 .
^ Frankenstein, Anne (August 22, 2021).
"Samara Joy shows the Great American Songbook still matters" . The Big Issue . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
a
b
"Meet Samara McLendon" . Purchase College. Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ Contreras, Ayana (September 7, 2021).
"Samara Joy's Quest for New Tradition" . Downbeat . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
a
b Whitehead, Kevin (August 12, 2021).
"Newcomer Samara Joy Makes An Imposing Debut On Her Self-Titled Album" . NPR . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
a
b Faircloth, Keanna (November 21, 2019).
"Meet Samara McLendon on Afternoon Jazz, Before the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition" . WBGO. Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^
"INTRODUCING THE FOUNDATION'S ELLA FITZGERALD MEMORIAL SCHOLARS" . ellafitzgerald.com . Retrieved November 21, 2022 .
^
Gelly, Dave (August 7, 2021).
"Samara Joy: Samara Joy review – classic American song in safe young hands" . The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ Garelick, Jon (November 11, 2022).
"Holiday cheer from Samara Joy, with her own twist on tradition" . Boston Globe . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^ Sieff, Adam (July 26, 2021).
"Samara Joy: 'Samara Joy' " . London Jazz News . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019).
"Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition" . WBGO. Retrieved June 6, 2022 .
^
"Purchase College: Commencement 2021" . purchase.edu . Retrieved November 21, 2022 .
^ DeLuke, R.J. (May 7, 2021).
"Samara Joy: Ascension Into Jazz" . All About Jazz . Retrieved June 14, 2022 .
^
a
b Haas, Scott (June 16, 2021).
"Samara Joy — voice of a new generation" . Bay State Banner . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
a
b
"2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics' Poll Results" . Jazz Times . April 27, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 21, 2022).
"NJPAC Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month With Great Shows" . New Jersey Stage . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Felicia (February 15, 2021).
"Go Behind the Scenes of Women of Color on Broadway's "Summertime" Music Video" . Playbill . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ 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 .
^ Bohrman, Gabrielle (October 6, 2020).
"The Art of Going Viral" . Purchase News . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^
"Samara Joy Sings" . TikTok. Retrieved November 21, 2022 .
^ Harrington, Jim (March 22, 2022).
"Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy Performs At West Falmouth Library" . Daily Republic . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ Harrington, Jim.
"Emmet Cohen w/ Samara Joy Duo @ Jazz Club Ferrara" . American Pianists . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ Harrington, Jim (April 11, 2022).
"Monterey Jazz Festival releases 2022 lineup" . Daily Republic . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ 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 .
^ Russonello, Giovanni (January 24, 2022).
"Watch 5 Standout Performances From Winter Jazzfest" . The New York Times . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^
"Litchfield Jazz Fest July 29–31 lineup announced" . Daily Republic . March 9, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ 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 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 23, 2022).
"Samara Joy Performs On TODAY WITH HODA & JENNA" . Broadway World . Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
"Samara Joy talks world tour, sings 'Can't Get Out of This Mood' " . Today . September 27, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (May 20, 2022).
"Samara Joy to be Featured in Carnegie Hall's 16th Annual Notable Occasion" . Broadway World . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Ackert, David (August 31, 2022).
"Samara Joy shines at 2022 Newport Jazz Festival: Video, Photos" . Jazz Blues News . Retrieved November 21, 2022 .
^ Hobart, Mike (June 10, 2022).
"Julius Rodriguez: Let Sound Tell All — a wide-ranging debut" . Financial Times . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Johnson, Veronica (October 20, 2022).
"Samara Joy: Linger Awhile (Verve)" . JazzTimes . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^ Quinn, Peter.
"Samara Joy: Linger Awhile" . Jazzwise . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^ Johnson, Veronica (September 21, 2022).
"Samara Joy – 'Linger Awhile' " . London Jazz News . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^
"Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Dianne Reeves with Samara Joy: Big Band Holidays" .
Raleigh Magazine . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^
"Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra ft. Dianne Reeves w/ Samara Joy" . Austin Chronicle . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^
"SAMARA JOY VERVE RECORDS DEBUT EARNS 2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS" . Music Connection . November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^
Grammy Nominations , CNN, November 15, 2022.
^ @billboardcharts (February 13, 2023).
"Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (
Tweet ). Retrieved February 14, 2023 – via
Twitter .
^
"Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/04/12 公開" .
Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 12, 2023 .
^
"UK Official Charts: Samara Joy" .
Official Charts . Retrieved November 1, 2023 .
^
"Samara Joy, by Samara Joy" . Samara Joy . Retrieved February 9, 2023 .
^
"Samara Joy: Spotify Singles" . January 30, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023 .
^
"Samara Joy: Now and Then" . November 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023 .
^ Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019).
"Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition" . WBGO . Retrieved February 6, 2023 .
^ Grein, Paul (October 25, 2022).
"Christian McBride & Inside Straight Win Big at Inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Full List" . Billboard . Retrieved February 6, 2023 .
^
"Samara Joy" . Grammy Awards . Retrieved February 6, 2023 .
^ 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 .
^ Enos, Morgan (November 10, 2023).
"2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List" .
Grammy . Retrieved November 24, 2023 .
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