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Samara Joy

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Samara Joy
Joy singing into a microphone
Joy in 2022
Background information
Birth nameSamara Joy McLendon
BornNovember 11, 1999(1999-11-11)(age24)
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 byJazzTimes. Her second album,Linger Awhile(2022), reached number one on theBillboardJazz Albumschart.[2]At the2023 Grammy Awards,she won the awards forBest Jazz Vocal AlbumandBest New Artist.Her 2023 single "Tight" wonBest Jazz Performanceat the followingceremony.

Early life and education

[edit]

A native of theCastle Hill[3]neighborhood ofthe 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 ofBET's Gospel Talent showSunday Best.Her father—a vocalist and bass player who has toured with gospel musicianAndraé Crouch[5][6]—introduced her to gospel greats such asThe Clark Sisters,[7]and soul andMotownmusic.[8]She attendedFordham High School for the Artsand performed in its jazz band.[9]During this time, she won Best Vocalist at theEssentially Ellington festival,a high school competition hosted byJazz at Lincoln Center.[9][6]

She first encountered jazz in a meaningful way[10]when she enrolled in the jazz program atSUNY'sPurchase Collegeas a voice major,[11][12]and was named anElla FitzgeraldScholar.[13]Friends there introduced her to the recordings of great jazz vocalists includingSarah Vaughanand Fitzgerald,[14]and such instrumentalists asKenny Washington,Jon Faddis(with whom she studied),[15]andIngrid Jensen.[12]

Career

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In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won theSarah 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]graduatingmagna cum laudein 2021.[18][19]Samara Joywas released on July 9, 2021, onWhirlwind Recordings.[20]Jazz Timesnamed 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"fromPorgy and Bess.[23]In an interview, film directorRegina Kingcalled 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 2022Monterey 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 onTodaywith guitarist Pasquale Grasso[34]and performed again onTodayin September 2022.[35]On June 15, 2022, she was featured at Carnegie Hall's 16th Annual Notable Occasion.[36]and appeared at theNewport Jazz Festival.[37]She was featured on jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez's 2022 albumLet Sound Tell All.[38]

On September 16, 2022, she released her second album,Linger Awhile,onVerve Records.[39]The album features drummerKenny Washington,guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianistBen Paterson,and bassist David Wong.[40][41]Her bookings for Winter 2022 included singing with theJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestraon its Big Band Holidays tour.[42][43]

She was nominated and won two awards at theGrammy Awardsin2023:[44]Best Jazz Vocal AlbumforLinger AwhileandBest New Artist.[45]

Discography

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As lead artist

[edit]
Album 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
Linger Awhile Longer
  • Released: June 16, 2023
  • Label:Verve
  • Format: LP and (as "Linger Awhile (Deluxe Edition)) CD, digital
 — — —
A Joyful Holiday
  • Released: October 27, 2023
  • Label:Verve
  • Format: LP, CD, digital
 — — —
Year Singles Details
2022 "Warm in December" Digital single.
2023 "Someone Like You" Spotify Sessions single, subsequently released digitally.[50]
"Tight" Digital single.
"Now And Then" Released in collaboration with US retailer "Theory".[51]
[edit]
Singles 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

Awards and honors

[edit]
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]

References

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  1. ^Rose, Naeisha (May 20, 2021)."Samara Joy's new album drops in July".Queens Chronicle.RetrievedApril 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.RetrievedFebruary 5,2024.
  3. ^Mason, Sheila Horne (March 1, 2020)."The 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – The SASSY Awards!".Jazz Police.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  4. ^Alpers, Mira (July 12, 2021)."Craving Connection: Samara Joy Speaks".Jazzspeaks.RetrievedApril 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.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  6. ^abCharleston, Rita (January 29, 2021)."Vocalist Samara Joy seeks to spread understanding of jazz music".The Philadelphia Tribune.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  7. ^abMarcel, Jean-Pierre (March 4, 2022)."Women's History Month: Meet Jazz Artist Samara Joy, the Voice of a New Generation".Ebony.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  8. ^Frankenstein, Anne (August 22, 2021)."Samara Joy shows the Great American Songbook still matters".The Big Issue.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  9. ^ab"Meet Samara McLendon".Purchase College.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  10. ^Contreras, Ayana (September 7, 2021)."Samara Joy's Quest for New Tradition".Downbeat.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  11. ^abWhitehead, Kevin (August 12, 2021)."Newcomer Samara Joy Makes An Imposing Debut On Her Self-Titled Album".NPR.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  12. ^abFaircloth, Keanna (November 21, 2019)."Meet Samara McLendon on Afternoon Jazz, Before the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition".WBGO.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  13. ^"INTRODUCING THE FOUNDATION'S ELLA FITZGERALD MEMORIAL SCHOLARS".ellafitzgerald.com.RetrievedNovember 21,2022.
  14. ^Gelly, Dave(August 7, 2021)."Samara Joy: Samara Joy review – classic American song in safe young hands".The Guardian.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  15. ^Garelick, Jon (November 11, 2022)."Holiday cheer from Samara Joy, with her own twist on tradition".Boston Globe.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  16. ^Sieff, Adam (July 26, 2021)."Samara Joy: 'Samara Joy'".London Jazz News.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  17. ^Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019)."Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition".WBGO.RetrievedJune 6,2022.
  18. ^"Purchase College: Commencement 2021".purchase.edu.RetrievedNovember 21,2022.
  19. ^DeLuke, R.J. (May 7, 2021)."Samara Joy: Ascension Into Jazz".All About Jazz.RetrievedJune 14,2022.
  20. ^abHaas, Scott (June 16, 2021)."Samara Joy — voice of a new generation".Bay State Banner.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  21. ^ab"2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics' Poll Results".Jazz Times.April 27, 2022.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  22. ^Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 21, 2022)."NJPAC Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month With Great Shows".New Jersey Stage.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  23. ^Fitzpatrick, Felicia (February 15, 2021)."Go Behind the Scenes of Women of Color on Broadway's" Summertime "Music Video".Playbill.RetrievedJune 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.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  25. ^Bohrman, Gabrielle (October 6, 2020)."The Art of Going Viral".Purchase News.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  26. ^"Samara Joy Sings".TikTok.RetrievedNovember 21,2022.
  27. ^Harrington, Jim (March 22, 2022)."Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy Performs At West Falmouth Library".Daily Republic.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  28. ^Harrington, Jim."Emmet Cohen w/ Samara Joy Duo @ Jazz Club Ferrara".American Pianists.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  29. ^Harrington, Jim (April 11, 2022)."Monterey Jazz Festival releases 2022 lineup".Daily Republic.RetrievedApril 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.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  31. ^Russonello, Giovanni (January 24, 2022)."Watch 5 Standout Performances From Winter Jazzfest".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  32. ^"Litchfield Jazz Fest July 29–31 lineup announced".Daily Republic.March 9, 2022.RetrievedJune 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.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  34. ^Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 23, 2022)."Samara Joy Performs On TODAY WITH HODA & JENNA".Broadway World.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
  35. ^"Samara Joy talks world tour, sings 'Can't Get Out of This Mood'".Today.September 27, 2022.RetrievedNovember 21,2022.
  36. ^Rabinowitz, Chloe (May 20, 2022)."Samara Joy to be Featured in Carnegie Hall's 16th Annual Notable Occasion".Broadway World.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  37. ^Ackert, David (August 31, 2022)."Samara Joy shines at 2022 Newport Jazz Festival: Video, Photos".Jazz Blues News.RetrievedNovember 21,2022.
  38. ^Hobart, Mike (June 10, 2022)."Julius Rodriguez: Let Sound Tell All — a wide-ranging debut".Financial Times.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  39. ^Johnson, Veronica (October 20, 2022)."Samara Joy: Linger Awhile (Verve)".JazzTimes.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  40. ^Quinn, Peter."Samara Joy: Linger Awhile".Jazzwise.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  41. ^Johnson, Veronica (September 21, 2022)."Samara Joy – 'Linger Awhile'".London Jazz News.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  42. ^"Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Dianne Reeves with Samara Joy: Big Band Holidays".Raleigh Magazine.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  43. ^"Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra ft. Dianne Reeves w/ Samara Joy".Austin Chronicle.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  44. ^"SAMARA JOY VERVE RECORDS DEBUT EARNS 2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS".Music Connection.November 15, 2022.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  45. ^Grammy Nominations,CNN, November 15, 2022.
  46. ^@billboardcharts (February 13, 2023)."Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..."(Tweet).RetrievedFebruary 14,2023– viaTwitter.
  47. ^"Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/04/12 công khai".Billboard Japan(in Japanese).RetrievedApril 12,2023.
  48. ^"UK Official Charts: Samara Joy".Official Charts.RetrievedNovember 1,2023.
  49. ^"Samara Joy, by Samara Joy".Samara Joy.RetrievedFebruary 9,2023.
  50. ^"Samara Joy: Spotify Singles".January 30, 2023.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
  51. ^"Samara Joy: Now and Then".November 2023.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
  52. ^Faircloth, Keanna (November 25, 2019)."Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition".WBGO.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
  53. ^Grein, Paul (October 25, 2022)."Christian McBride & Inside Straight Win Big at Inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Full List".Billboard.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
  54. ^"Samara Joy".Grammy Awards.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
  55. ^Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023)."'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 13,2023.
  56. ^Enos, Morgan (November 10, 2023)."2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List".Grammy.RetrievedNovember 24,2023.
[edit]
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