Samara Joy

Samara Joy McLendon, born on November 11, 1999, in the Bronx, New York City, grew up in a musically inclined family. Her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, were founders of the Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes. Her father, Antonio McLendon, a vocalist and bass player, toured with gospel musician Andraé Crouch. Joy’s early musical experiences included classic R&B and church gospel choirs. Her formal introduction to jazz occurred while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed in the jazz band and won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington program. She later pursued jazz studies at SUNY Purchase, where she was an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar and became immersed in the works of jazz vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald.

Her career began with significant achievements while still in college. In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She subsequently signed with Whirlwind Recordings and released her self-titled debut album in 2021, earning her the title of Best New Artist by JazzTimes for 2021. This period included notable performances and viral video success on platforms like TikTok, expanding her reach. In February 2022, she performed on NBC’s ‘Today’ show with guitarist Pasquale Grasso and made appearances at major jazz festivals such as Newport and Monterey, as well as iconic venues like Carnegie Hall.

Joy continued her ascent with the release of “Linger Awhile” in September 2022 on Verve Records. This album led to two Grammy Awards in 2023 for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist, significantly raising her public profile. She appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ and ‘The Late Show’ and undertook extensive tours. In late 2023, she released “A Joyful Holiday,” an EP featuring her family, which was followed by successful holiday tours in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, she contributed the inspirational track “Why I’m Here” to the Netflix film ‘Shirley.’ Her 2024 album, “Portrait,” co-produced with Brian Lynch, further highlighted her evolution as a musician and bandleader, earning an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2025 and two more GRAMMYs, including Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance, at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards.