Samara Joy: 14 Things To Know About The Grammy Winner
More than any other Grammy Awards category, the nominations and winners of Best New Artist have always been impossible to predict. Who can forget the furious backlash that Beliebers had after their beloved teen idol, Justin Bieber, lost out to the slightly less teenybopper-ish Esperanza Spalding in 2011? Or how "Walking in Memphis" one-hit wonder Marc Cohn triumphed over chart regulars Boyz II Men, Color Me Badd, and Seal in 1992?
In 2023, Samara Joy joined that exclusive list of unlikely winners when she pipped the likes of Latin pop sensation Anitta, Eurovision Song Contest victors Måneskin, and hitmaker rapper Latto to the coveted trophy. Oh, and she also won Best Jazz Vocal Album that same night, too.
So, what's the story behind this incredible new jazz talent? From her musical family and church beginnings to her social media presence and celebrity fan base, here's the lowdown on the star who once again proved that when it comes to the American music industry's biggest night of the year, profile counts for nothing.
She comes from a musical family
Samara Joy was pretty much always going to forge a career in the music industry in some way or another. Her bassist father Antonio McLendon not only continually blasted gospel music favorites such as The Clark Sisters throughout the house, but he also played his instrument of choice with genre icon, Andraé Crouch.
Furthermore, Joy's grandfather Elder Goldwire McLendon and grandmother Ruth McLendon formed one of Philadelphia's most prominent gospel outfits, The Savettes. And in 2022, the star gave her spin on the family Christmas singalong when she invited her grandpa and pa, along with cousins Tiera Lovell Rowe and Alana Alexander and uncle Laurone McLendon to perform on a cover version of the festive classic, "O Holy Night."
In a chat with NPR Music about the collaboration released under the guise of The McLendon Family, Joy expressed her delight at being able to record with her nearest and dearest. "There's nothing like family. Your vibratos match. Your tones match ... We're connected in a way that nobody else is," she explained. "And so, spiritually and creatively, it's totally fulfilling."
Samara Joy didn't initially like jazz
Samara Joy has been hailed as the jazz music scene's next big hope, drawing comparisons with such greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. However, she didn't become enamored with the genre until later on in her high school years. In fact, she initially dismissed the genre as music for her parents, preferring instead to listen to the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Destiny's Child alongside funk and soul from the '60s and '70s.
But Joy eventually discovered the genre's wonder, going on to perform with Fordham High School for the Arts' jazz band before landing a place in the jazz studies program at the State University of New York's Purchase College. As she explained to Performer, she only seriously started to consider that she had a future in jazz when she started studying the art form at college. She began to book shows and her career suddenly became a keen possibility.
She's now hoping to inspire a new generation to get hooked on the sound and to feel just as much a part of it as she is. "Singing in church, I realized that it's not necessarily about your performance. It's not about showing off what you can do. It's more of an invitation for the audience to partake in the music," she told Performer. "So similarly, I want that to be the case whenever I sing jazz. I want it to be an inviting and collective experience for the audience."
Samara is bringing vocalese back
A form of jazz singing which adds lyrics to an improvised solo instrumental, vocalese was popularized by the likes of the bebop trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross in the 1960s. But the style is now making a comeback thanks to the talents of Grammy Award winner, Samara Joy. For example, on her second album "Linger Awhile," the New Yorker borrows the trumpet line of Fats Navarro's "Nostalgia (The Day I Knew)" and fuses it with self-penned words influenced by her love of young adult romance stories.
Joy only discovered her love of vocalese while studying at the SUNY Purchase College's Jazz Program as she explained in an interview with Performer Mag. "I think that the pressure of being in school and it being an assignment made me actually enjoy it to the point that I actually had a lot of fun with it," she recalled. "And over time, it became a style that I've enjoyed exploring and playing around with."
Speaking with Vocalo, Joy determined that the current generation may need ways to discover jazz for themselves and to call it their own. She reasoned that in order to do so, it was important to make a form of jazz that feels as fresh and current as it does traditional. "In order to get to where you're going, you have to know where we've been, what's already been created, in order to create something new," she told the outlet.
Samara Joy has some famous fans
Samara Joy's Grammy Award success wouldn't have come as a shock to Oscar nominated-actor Regina King. In 2021, the "If Beale Street Could Talk" star sang the jazz vocalist's praises in a The Hollywood Reporter round table which also included the likes of George Clooney, Spike Lee, and Chloé Zhao. "I discovered a young woman who seems like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald are both living in her body," King enthused. "... This girl looks like she's about 16 years old ... this beautiful, precious baby ... and all this power and emotion comes out ... Her name is Samara Joy, and [she] brings me joy."
At the time, Joy was a relative unknown outside of jazz circles. So the star was understandably overjoyed when she took to Instagram to share her delight at being namechecked by such a famous face. "Interrupting your evening scroll to reiterate that the one and only Regina King mentioned my whole name at this virtual table! If that weren't enough, Do you see who is in the room?! Unbelievable. Shocked is not even the word. I've been dancing all day" As she explained to XPN, the SUNY Purchase College graduate's talents have also been co-signed by the likes of Anita Baker, Jazmine Sullivan, and LaKeith Stanfield.
She won several prestigious awards in her teens
Samara Joy's double Grammy Award win in 2023 certainly wasn't the first time that the singer had been recognized for her talents. The New Yorker picked up pretty much every major jazz accolade she was eligible for in her teens. Joy first started to build her collection when she was crowned Best Vocalist at a contest staged by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Essentially Ellington Festival. She was later named a 2020 Ella Fitzgerald Scholar while studying the jazz program at SUNY's Purchase College. The star was also selected as the winner of the prestigious 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.
Speaking to Presto Music, Joy explained how the latter achievement, in particular, opened all kinds of doors. However, the timing of her achievements certainly came with their own challenges. "It was definitely pretty crazy at the time. Immediately after being announced as the winner I was getting interviewed backstage, and suddenly I was on the jazz radar," she explained. "Things gradually started progressing from there — I had a spot I was getting ready for at the Newport Jazz Festival that came with the winnings of the competition, but I won in November 2019 and obviously, 2020 halted any sort of progress being made. It's definitely something I'm very grateful for, though."
Joy spent two years as a worship leader
Although Samara Joy took some time to discover her love of jazz, she immersed herself in the world of gospel music from a much younger age. In fact, she was chosen to become her local church's worship leader while she was still in high school. Joy, who had also previously performed in several choirs, later told W magazine that she was initially apprehensive about taking on such a vital role. "All of a sudden to be put in the position of [having] to lead a song and lead a set of music — it was new to me. People were coming up to me, like, 'You sound good, but don't blink when you're up there; we can tell [that] you're nervous.'"
However, having led three services a week for two years, Joy soon realized that the responsibility could also be a godsend. "I was forced to get out of my comfort zone," she elaborated to W. "It's like, 'You accepted this opportunity, and now you have to work at it. You have to develop this confidence and get away from the shyness.'"
She keeps her Grammys at her parents' home
Samara Joy became something of an overnight sensation in 2023 when she pipped a whole host of higher-profile names to the Grammy Awards category of Best New Artist. And it was a double celebration on the night as the singer had previously picked up Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore album, "Linger Awhile."
When asked on the red carpet where she's going to display the latter gong by People, the musician replied, "What's great about this is my parents were able to be here, so as soon as they heard my name, they stood up and was louder than everyone in the room. So, I'm gonna put it up in their house because that's where it belongs." Still, while visitors to the house could see the award, Joy joked that they certainly wouldn't be allowed to touch it. "You can only look at it through a glass box," she added.
In an official interview with the Recording Academy following her win, Joy elaborated on the important part her parents played in her success, and why the award would find a suitable home in their house. "They mean so much to me," she said. "... they're the reason I am the way I am so I have to give it to them."
Samara Joy is a TikTok star
Samara Joy is a very different kind of jazz music star. Not only did she rise to fame on social media, but she's also since capitalized on all the attention to become one of her genre's biggest online names. In 2020, a video of Joy performing a rendition of the jazz standard, "Take Love Easy," went viral on Facebook. The New Yorker had only just been announced as the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar at the time, and soon had further news to celebrate when she landed a record deal with UK indie label Whirlwind Recordings. One of her TikTok performances then caught the attention of the "TODAY" producers who invited the newcomer to showcase her talents on a more traditional media platform.
Joy remains a popular presence on the platform, something she told Fast Company she has to keep a handle on — lest it takes over her day job. "TikTok is hilarious. I love watching people create on it," she shared. "... But I wasn't sure if I had a place on it. I was like, I gotta figure how to share and how to be a part of this world while still being myself and not letting it consume me or change what I do in order to be accepted by people on social media."
Her grandfather is 'disappointed' by her success
You would expect that gospel legend Elder Goldwire McLendon would be overjoyed at having a granddaughter who'd inherited his musical genes. But in an interview with The New York Times, Samara Joy revealed that he doesn't approve of her pivot into jazz.
And Goldwire, who alongside his late wife Ruth McLendon formed the Philadelphia gospel outfit, The Savettes, was particularly disappointed when Joy won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The SUNY Purchase College graduate explained, "... He thought singing belonged in the church, that it should serve as worship to God. I don't think he would ever come into a jazz club, because of his beliefs, which I respect and understand."
Admirably, Joy hasn't let her grandfather's disapproval cloud their relationship, adding, "I know that he still loves me, regardless of how he feels about the career decisions I'm making." Further evidence of this came in 2022 when Goldwire joined the two-time Grammy Award winner, and several other family members, on stage and in the recording studio for a rendition of the Christmas carol, "O Holy Night."
She has the full approval of her father, at least
While grandfather Elder Goldwire McLendon tutted at her decision to abandon gospel music for jazz, Samara Joy was given a much more supportive reaction from another musical member of her family, her bassist father. Ahead of his daughter's Grammy Award-winning success, Antonio McLendon told NPR that he had no qualms about her new creative direction. "When she came into contact with jazz, she immediately developed a respect for it. I've watched her study for hours, puzzling over things: 'How does Ella Fitzgerald scat like that?' I would hear her in the middle of the night practicing horn lines because she learned that's something Ella would do".
Although the proud dad acknowledged that his daughter had battled with performance anxiety, he now feels she's totally at ease with showing off her talents. Having worked with musical greats including Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, and Patti LaBelle, the musician will certainly have a working knowledge of good stagecraft. He may be biased, but as he tells it, Joy brings a unique quality to her live performances. "Now, I'm so amazed at her comfortability onstage," he gushed. "Picking up on all the little signals and words and signs to include people, to make them feel like they're in it together."
Samara Joy wants to give back
It's a testament to Samara Joy's character that one of the first things she thought of after her shock double Grammy Award wins in 2023 was how to inspire a new generation. Indeed, as well as giving shout-outs to fellow attendees Beyoncé and Lizzo and paying tribute to jazz legend Sarah Vaughan, the New Yorker revealed at a press conference that she planned to pay things forward in the wake of her success.
"I'm looking forward to giving back hopefully to my high school — I went to public school my whole life, so I would love to go back to my schools in the Bronx and give a performance, or start a partnership, or invite them to shows," she told press backstage at the event, per The Hollywood Reporter. "... Just sharing passion, sharing that dreams can come true."
Staff at Fordham High School for the Arts were no doubt delighted to hear about their former pupil's altruism. It was here that Joy first began performing outside of her local church. Her former drama teacher Linda Key told ABC7 that she couldn't be prouder. "To see one of our students win a Grammy, everyone in the Bronx and all the students in our school won." Principal Michael Johnson Jr. added to the plaudits, remarking, "Samara, well-rounded student. Fabulous young lady — she graduated valedictorian of her cohort."
She's made her first movie
Not content with effortlessly bridging the gap between the TikTok generation and the classic jazz sounds of artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington, Samara Joy has also brought her touch of class to the film world. In 2022, the singing sensation landed her first acting gig in "Sharper," a psychological thriller about a vengeful man who stops at nothing to satisfy his quest for money. Admittedly, the role wasn't that much of a stretch. Joy plays a singer in the A24-produced movie — an experience that she enjoyed immensely. "I went in and I filmed for like a day with these actors — Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, and John Lithgow, those were the ones that were in the room," she dished to Metro Silicon Valley. Pulling double duty, the performer also recorded several musical numbers for the Apple TV+ original which stars fellow multi-talented star, Briana Middleton. We're sure it's likely to be her inevitable first step toward an eventual Oscar win!
Samara isn't going to let success go to her head
Sure, Samara Joy has received countless awards and acclaim for her rare musical talent. But that doesn't mean to say she's about to believe her own hype any time soon. In an interview with W magazine ahead of her shock double victory at the biggest event on the American music industry calendar, Joy insisted that she will always keep her feet on the ground. "Thinking about all this stuff now is overwhelming. I'm not going to get a big head about it because I'm aware of all the things I want to improve. And I always want to be like that," she explained.
The star was equally as humble during her Best New Artist Grammy Award acceptance speech. Thanking her family and everyone who had helped and supported her in her career thus far, the young star also acknowledged all those in the star-studded audience who had galvanized her confidence over the years. "All of you are so inspiring to me," she gushed. As she told W magazine, she isn't content with simply resting on her laurels. Instead, she wants to keep pushing ahead and evolving. "I want to celebrate the wins, but also think about what I can do to move forward, elevate, get better, learn, and just be a better artist and a better person," she noted.
She wouldn't have made an album without the pandemic
In the space of just four years, Samara Joy went from relative obscurity to Grammy darling. And if it hadn't been for the COVID-19 pandemic, then it's potentially unlikely that the New Yorker would have even recorded an album, let alone won two major accolades for one. Like many artists, Joy used the unexpected downtime during the various lockdowns to further explore her creativity. During an interview with Jazz Speaks about her self-titled debut LP, the singer said, "We recorded it in October of 2020. And now that it is being released, things are vastly different now, compared to where we were when we recorded. I think that's one way the pandemic affected me is taking advantage of the opportunity to make music, even if the circumstances aren't exactly ideal."
Joy, who credited producer Matt Pierson for the idea of making an album during such a difficult period, also got a bit of a shock when she was finally able to perform the material outside her home. Still, it was a welcome surprise. "One thing that I am not going to take for granted is a live audience and people who appreciate listening to the music, and how that helps me grow — interacting with people," she told Jazz Speaks. "The music doesn't have the same effect, singing to the camera, as it does when you're singing to people and exchanging energy and everything."