Few figures in jazz history have experienced the kind of meteoric rise that vocalist Samara Joy has enjoyed—especially at such a young age. At just 26, her career is nothing short of sensational.

With six GRAMMY Awards already to her name, including Best New Artist, as well as an NAACP Image Award, Joy has achieved the kind of profile typically reserved for pop celebrities. Her visibility has made her a steady presence on network television and a favorite among younger music fans, particularly on platforms like TikTok, where she has helped introduce timeless American music to new generations. Her performance history reads like a who’s who of the world’s most legendary venues and festivals, with appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Montreal International Jazz Festival, as well as iconic stages including the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Joy’s rise has been accompanied by rave reviews. DownBeat called her breakout Verve Records debut Linger Awhile “a beautiful recording,” hailing her as “a silky-voiced star,” while The New York Times described her as a “rising star,” and NPR referred to her as a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.” With each performance, she has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards, drawing comparisons to legendary vocalists including Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae.

A native of the Bronx’s Castle Hill neighborhood, Joy grew up surrounded by music. Her family’s musical legacy runs deep: her grandparents led the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father, musician and songwriter Antonio McLendon, toured with Andraé Crouch and recorded his own work. As a child, Joy was captivated by classic R&B and honed her singing in her church’s gospel choir. Her journey into jazz began in her teens while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Essentially Ellington program.

After graduating as valedictorian, Joy studied jazz at SUNY Purchase, where she met a group of instrumentalists who would become key collaborators. While still in college, she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, a victory that catapulted her into the spotlight and marked the beginning of her professional career.

In 2021, Joy released her self-titled debut album on the Whirlwind label, impressing critics with her deeply expressive approach to jazz standards and her remarkable musical sensitivity. Her follow-up, Linger Awhile (2022), showcased her exceptional interpretive ability across a diverse repertoire, including Ronnell Bright’s “Sweet Pumpkin” and Fats Navarro’s “Nostalgia.” That same year, she won the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, elevating her public profile to new heights, with appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and Today.

In late 2023, Joy embraced her roots with the release of A Joyful Holiday, an EP featuring updated renditions of holiday classics alongside her musical family. The release was followed by successful holiday tours in 2023 and 2024, culminating in two GRAMMY Awards in 2025—Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance—at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Just a year after her Best New Artist win, Joy also released the inspirational track “Why I’m Here,” co-written with PJ Morton, which was featured in the acclaimed Shirley Chisholm biopic Shirley on Netflix, starring Regina King.on Netflix, starring Regina King. 

In 2024, Joy’s artistic growth continued with the release of her album Portrait, co-produced with GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch. Reflecting her evolution as a musician and bandleader and showcasing her deep rapport with her touring band, the project earned Joy the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2025 and the GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 69th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2026. The album features her own lyrical compositions, including “Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Pursuit of a Dream),” a meditation on love and ambition built around a tune by Charles Mingus, as well as reimagined standards such as “You Stepped Out of a Dream” and “Autumn Nocturne.”

“I’m still very much a student,” Joy says. “So this is only the beginning—there is much, much more to come.”

Contact

MANAGEMENT

Red Light Management
samarajoy@redlightmanagement.com

BOOKING

North America
Scott Morris – CAA – scott.morris@caa.com
Ben Schildkraut – CAA – ben.schildkraut@caa.com

INTERNATIONAL

Nigel Hassler – CAA – nigel.hassler@caa.com
Shaz Qureshi – CAA – shaz.qureshi@caa.com

PUBLICITY

Erin Ryan
erin.ryan@umusic.com
Taylor Perry
tperry@shorefire.com