Samara Joy
Jazz's Rising Star
Grammy-winning vocalist bringing timeless jazz standards to new generations with velvet-voiced authenticity.
About
Samara Joy McLendon is an American jazz vocalist born in the Bronx in 1999 who has achieved meteoric success since winning the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019. Her self-titled debut album (2021) earned JazzTimes Best New Artist, while her second album Linger Awhile (2022) topped the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. At age 26, she has won six Grammy Awards including Best New Artist (2023) and multiple Best Jazz Vocal Album awards.
Music Style
Joy is a masterful interpreter of jazz standards known for her rich, velvety voice and intimate rapport with her musicians. She tours with a tight jazz trio or quartet emphasizing interplay and space for solos, blending classic jazz tradition with contemporary sensibility.
Background
- Hometown
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Education
- SUNY Purchase College
- Instruments
- vocals
- Active
- 2019–present
Similar Artists
If you like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter — you'll love this artist