Choose artist...
Home   >   Projects   >   O Holy Night featuring The McLendon Family
Samara Joy

O Holy Night featuring The McLendon Family

Verve
Release Date: December 2, 2022

Press Release

Read press

Artist Details

Read bio

Tour Dates

View

Website

Visit
Meet Samara Joy
Trinity Church Wall Street | Nov 8 Live Concert
1 O Holy Night  

23-year-old vocalist nominated for BEST NEW ARTIST at the GRAMMY Awards®

Verve Records debut album Linger Awhile nominated for BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM

Once-in-a-generation vocalist Samara Joy- nominee for Best New Artist at the GRAMMY Awards® - will leave you feeling festive with her new holiday singles “O Holy Night” and “Warm in December.”

Samara Joy’s latest holiday single “O Holy Night” features vocals by multiple generations of her tight-knit family. Her grandfather Elder Goldwire McLendon, 92-year-old gospel singer who led the well-known Philadelphia-based The Savettes, joins Samara on the classic holiday favorite, alongside her father Antonio McLendon, a gifted bassist and vocalist who toured with the renowned Andrae Crouch, Samara’s uncle Laurone McLendon, and her cousins Tiera Lovell Rowe and Alana Alexander. The track, which was recorded by Christopher Allen and produced by Matt Pierson, also features Sullivan Fortner on Hammond B3.

  • Already a 3x GRAMMY winner, Samara Joy, creates more awards buzz with latest album: 'Portrait' / PBS Newshour
    Posted At: January 28, 2025
    With five GRAMMY wins and a chart-topping debut album already under her belt, 24-year-old Samara Joy makes her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable Verve Records. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King and appearances on the TODAY Show, The Tonight ...

  • The Sound Of Joy / jazzwise
    Posted At: January 23, 2025
    jazzwise - Peter Quinn writes…..Vocal sensation Samara Joy’s rise since her debut album in 2021 has been meteoric, with three Grammy Awards under her belt; and a Jazzwise Album of the Year for her 2024 long-player, Portrait. Peter Quinn spoke to the Bronx-based singer and reflects on the personal stories behind her cool exterior and immaculate vocal sheenThe last time I interviewed Samara Joy for Jazzwise –...

  • Samara Joy on her third and most personal album: 'Portrait' / qobuz
    Posted At: January 8, 2025
    With three GRAMMY wins and a chart-topping debut album already under her belt, 24-year-old Samara Joy makes her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable Verve Records. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King and appearances on the TODAY Show, The Tonight...

  • Samara Joy 'A Joyful Holiday' set for the Chicago Theatre / NewCity Music
    Posted At: December 10, 2024
    NewCity Music's David Witter writes….As one of the first great jazz singers to emerge from Generation Z, twenty-five-year-old Samara Joy has demonstrated a grasp of vocal skills and techniques that many jazz singers take decades to perfect. Releasing her debut album onlhy weeks after graduating from college, Joy took home a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2023 and then Best Jazz Performance in 202...

  • Samara Joy's 'Portrait' makes CONSEQUENCE Staff Picks: Favorite Albums of October 2024
    Posted At: November 4, 2024
    Samara Joy’s new Verve Records release, Portrait, is the proper follow-up to Linger Awhile, her 2022 breakthrough LP, and it represents the next phase in her continuing artistic evolution — unbound by expectations. Portrait documents the immersive, seemingly telepathic rapport she’s developed with her touring band, which includes musicians she learned the jazz craft alongside while earning her undergra...

  • How Samara Joy kept herself grounded with 'Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True' / RollingStone
    Posted At: October 28, 2024
    From RollingStone….After the jazz musician became a Grammy Award-winning artist and found herself in a new social space within the industry, she needed to make a record that encouraged her to stay on courseRollingStone's Larisha Paul, Andrea Velarde write……A lot has changed for Samara Joy over the past four years. Her self-titled debut album, recorded at the height of the pandemic, arrived in 2021 and posit...

  • Samara Joy - Portrait featured in NEW UNIVERSITY - Tuesday Tunes
    Posted At: October 22, 2024
    NEW UNIVERSITY writes…Samara Joy meshes classic and modern in her third studio album, “Portrait,” released on Oct. 11.  As the artist explores core jazz standards, she introduces a new era for herself with her own original lyrics.Winning her first Grammy for Best New Artist in 2023 and her third for Best Jazz Performance in 2024 for her performance of “Tight,” Samara Joy has become one of the most nota...

  • Samara Joy Q&A's with Gothamist on her new album, life after fame, and being her own creative director
    Posted At: October 15, 2024
    A native of the Bronx, Samara Joy became entranced by classic R&B as a child and cut her teeth as a singer in her church’s gospel choir. And while her family history is deeply musical — her grandparents helmed the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father, the musician and songwriter Antonio McLendon, has produced, composed and arranged his own astounding original work — she didn’t delve in...

  • Grammy-winning Samara Joy releases her new Verve album: 'Portrait' / 88.3WBGO
    Posted At: October 10, 2024
    Samara Joy’s new Verve Records release, Portrait, is the proper follow-up to Linger Awhile, her 2022 breakthrough LP, and it represents the next phase in her continuing artistic evolution — unbound by expectations. Portrait documents the immersive, seemingly telepathic rapport she’s developed with her touring band, which includes musicians she learned the jazz craft alongside while earning her undergra...

  • On 'Portrait,' Samara Joy enthusiastically leads her superb octet with innovative arrangements / glideMagazine
    Posted At: October 8, 2024
    glideMagazine's Jim Hynes writes….Seldom has an album come with more anticipation given young jazz vocalist Samara Joy’s Grammy win as Best New Artist in 2023.  Arguably, much of Joy’s meteoric rise was attributable to the traditionalists who had found their new Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughn. Joy burst out with a natural affinity for singing jazz standards to adoring audiences. She could easily have ...

  • Triple Grammy winner Samara Joy announces new studio album on Verve: 'Portrait' / jazzwise
    Posted At: August 29, 2024
    jazzwise writes…..Eight-track collection Portrait - recorded at Van Gelder Studio - presents a ‘Portrait’ of Joy’s growth as a songwriter, arranger and bandleader and is released on 11 October via Verve RecordsThree-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy has announced her new studio album, Portrait, which is released on Verve Records on 11 October. Emerging from the crucible of an unrelenting global t...

  • Samara Joy set to release, and tour new 'Portrait' album / rollingout
    Posted At: August 29, 2024
    Samara Joy set to release new album ‘Portrait’ and embark on international tour. The 3-time Grammy winning singer will release her 3rd studio album on Oct. rollingout's Jaya Jackson writes….Grammy-winning artist Samara Joy is making waves once again with the upcoming release of her third studio album, Portrait, scheduled for Oct. 11 via Verve Records. This follows her remarkable win for Best New Artist...

  • Samara Joy captivates all at NYC's Town Hall / The Aquarian
    Posted At: July 8, 2024
    The Aquarian's Debra Kate Schafer writes….Captivated is an understatement, if we’re being honest. The way Samara Joy fills a room is not to be missed; she shines because of her voice (of course), but because of her personality, as well.In actuality, her smile alone could’ve lifted the spirits of everyone in attendance at these Town Hall shows, so imagine the surge of warmth in everyone’s hearts once the sin...

  • Samara Joy to headline 'Jazz Institute of Chicago' gala / DOWNBEAT
    Posted At: March 26, 2024
    Samara Joy is a Grammy Award-winning American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile, was released in September 2022, winning the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and herself for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards.A native of the Castle Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, Joy was ...

  • Mike Curb College Students learn from Samara Joy / CSUN Today
    Posted At: January 22, 2024
    CSUN Today writes….In early December, about 50 music students gathered in a rehearsal room at CSUN’s Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, for a Q&A session with Samara Joy, 24, one of the brightest stars in jazz. Joy opened by performing “Reincarnation of a Love Bird” and “Can’t Get Out of This Mood,” her rich voice permeating the room.The session was billed as a master class, thou...

  • Samara Joy isn't trying to make jazz mainstream, just more accessible / HUFFPOST
    Posted At: December 21, 2023
    HUFFPOST's Taryn Finley writes….Samara Joy casted a spell on the audience at The Jazz Club at Aman in midtown New York in November. The crowd was mesmerized by Joy before she even uttered a word. The house lights dimmed as the 23-year-old stepped up to the mic in the spotlight with a high, voluminous ponytail and black sequin cocktail dress. The crowd’s trance deepened when she started her set, melodiously ...

  • Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday makes 'cleveland.com's The years 12 best new Christmas albums'
    Posted At: December 19, 2023
    What’s on your playlist this year?cleveland.com's Gary Graff writes…..If you ask Stevie Wonder, what Christmas means is candles burnin’ low, lots of snow and ice and mistletoe.It also means music -- and a lot of that.The winter holidays bring an annual sleigh full of new titles as artists from all genres try their hand at the sounds of the season. It’s a ritual right up there with fruitcakes and ugly sweate...

  • Samara Joy's 'Linger Awhile' is #1 on the 2023 NACC JAZZ: YEAR-END TOP 10
    Posted At: December 14, 2023
    The 2023 Chart Year Is Over & We Have Your Year-End Recap! A full year-end NACC 200 as well as year-end Top 50 charts for NACC NEXT, NACC Non-Comm, NACC Canadian, and Singles, plus our Blues, Chill, Electronic, Folk, Heavy, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, R&B/Soul, & World genre charts are available to NACC subscribers.We thank you so much if you took the time to log in and report your charts this year. T...

  • Samara Joy's 'Linger Awhile Longer' makes 88.5KGNU: Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2023
    Posted At: December 11, 2023
    88.5KGNU Rodger Hara writes……2023 continued the energy and productivity that the isolation of the pandemic generated among singers, songwriters, composers and arrangers. The music that was released reflects the ways in which tradition and roots are honored as foundations for building new sounds for today. Fun year! Making the list in the #1 spot is Samara Joy Linger Awhile Longer Verve. Samara Joy has ...

  • Samara Joy set for 'The Factory,' in 'A Joyful Holiday' featuring the McLendon Family / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Posted At: December 6, 2023
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Daniel Durchholz writes…..You could say that Samara Joy has had a pretty, pretty, pretty good year. | It started with the Grammy Awards back in February. She was nominated in two categories – Best Jazz Vocal Album, for her 2022 release “Linger Awhile” and Best New Artist, the latter category loaded with higher-profile newcomers including Olivia Rodrigo, Japanese Breakfast, Finneas ...

  • Samara Joy's holiday EP: 'A Joyful Holiday' makes Wild Mercury Rhythm: Happy Holidays 2023
    Posted At: December 3, 2023
    2X GRAMMY winner Samara Joy has released a holiday EP ‘A Joyful Holiday.' The 6-song collection of seasonal favorites is an extension of her latest album Linger Awhile and features a similar cast of jazz musicians - Pasquale Grasso on guitar, David Wong on bass and Kenny Washington on drums - plus Sullivan Fortner on piano. The tracklist includes previously-released singles “O Holy Night” (performed with mu...

  • Samara Joy makes her Santa Barbara debut, during the holidays, at the Granada / Santa Barbara Independent
    Posted At: November 27, 2023
    Shining Jazz Star Joy on Holiday - Acclaimed and Grammy-Kissed Jazz Chanteuse in Holiday Mode, with Family in TowSanta Barbara Independent - Josef Woodard writes….When jazz singer of the moment Samara Joy appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2022, she took to the smaller outdoor stage, in a time slot before the masses had arrived. All in her presence were wowed. When Joy returned to the festival in Sep...

  • Harmonies of triumph and heartache: Samara Joys soul-stirring night at Jorgensen / The Daily Campus
    Posted At: October 23, 2023
    The Daily Campus - Thaomy Phung writes…..Samara Joy, two-time 2023 Grammy winner for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album for her release, “Linger Awhile,” enthusiastically returned to the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts for her second visit on Oct. 20, 2023.The ambiance was incredible, a juxtaposition between a rainy afternoon in your local coffee shop and a walk through Central Park, dancing...

  • Samara Joy is set to release seasonal project and gifts fans now with 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' / 107.5WBLS
    Posted At: October 10, 2023
    SAMARA JOY RELEASES ‘HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS’ AHEAD OF HOLIDAY ALBUM107.5WBLS writes….Samara Joy wants to bring joy to your Christmas this year. The Bronx native will end the year with her first Christmas release, the EP A Joyful Holiday. Before the two-time GRAMMY Award winner drops her seasonal project later this month, she gifted her fans with a cover of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Chris...

  • Samara Joy gives us an early gift with 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' from upcoming holiday EP / SOULBOUNCE
    Posted At: October 4, 2023
    Samara Joy is a Grammy Award-winning American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile, was released in September 2022, winning the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and herself for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards.A native of the Castle Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, Joy was ...

  • Samara Joy gives us something jazzy to hold on to with 'Tight' / SOULBOUNCE
    Posted At: September 11, 2023
    Samara Joy, the Grammy Award-winning singer released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile, was released in September 2022, winning the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and herself for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards.In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Work...

  • Initially penned for Betty Carter, 'Tight' is a fan-favorite in Samara Joy's live sets, and makes 'Vibe's New Releases'
    Posted At: September 10, 2023
    Two-time GRAMMY-winner Samara Joy has returned with her new self-produced single “Tight.” Featuring Joy with her working band (pianist Luther Allison, bassist Mikey Migliore and drummer Evan Sherman), the track was recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in NYC. Originally written by Betty Carter and a true showcase of Joy’s incredible range, “Tight” has been a fan favorite during Joy’s onstage sets...

  • Samara Joy returns wirh self-produced fan favorite: 'Tight' / udiscovermusic.
    Posted At: September 8, 2023
    The track continues a whirlwind year for the acclaimed jazz artistudiscovermusic. - Rhian Daly writes….Two-time Grammy-winning jazz artist Samara Joy has returned with her new single “Tight” – a fan-favorite track from her live shows.The song was recorded at New York’s legendary Electric Lady Studios and was self-produced by Joy. It features her working band comprising pianist Luther Allison, bassist Mikey ...

  • Samara Joy will headline Folly Theater Jazz Series / Kansas City
    Posted At: August 16, 2023
    Kansas City's NINA CHERRY writes….Earlier this year, twenty-three-year-old jazz vocalist Samara Joy won two Grammy awards. Joy’s project Linger Awhile––which brought some classic Great American Songbook standards back into the limelight––won Best Vocal Jazz Album, and her velvet voice and brilliant, captivating storytelling earned her Best New Artist.Joy will take the stage in Kansas City on October 14, a p...

  • Samara Joy performs at Newport Jazz Festival / Warwick Beacon
    Posted At: August 16, 2023
    Warwick Beacon's Stephanie Bernaba writes…..Few musical artists possess the soul required to illuminate the entire history of a genre with their harmonies. Samara Joy, the 23-year-old jazz vocalist carrying nearly a century’s worth of history in her voice, may be the exception.At the tender age of 23, at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, Samara Joy won Best Jazz Vocal Album for her debut LP “Linger Awhile,” and a sec...

  • Samara Joy & Nina Simone featured on WPSUPenn State Public Media: Jazz Archive
    Posted At: August 11, 2023
    With a voice as smooth as velvet, SAMARA JOY’s star has been on the rise with each performance. Following her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she is currently recording her debut recording, which will feature Samara backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio.Her GRAMMY Award winning Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile, had the 22-year-old, make her case to join the likes of Sarah...

  • Samara Joy Q&A's with stereophile
    Posted At: August 9, 2023
    stereophile's Ken Micallef writes….23 year-old Samara Joy is the recipient of the 2023 Grammy Awards for best new artist and best jazz vocal album. Her 2022 sophomore outing, Linger Awhile (Verve), is a jubilant celebration of The American Songbook. Her warm, velvet-dark vocal tone, graceful swing sense, and intuitive interpretations provide a master class in classic jazz fundamentals.Joy owns the past but ...

  • Rising star artist/vocalist Samara Joy's big year / DOWNBEAT
    Posted At: July 27, 2023
    “I don’t want to listen to jazz because I have to save it. I want to listen to it and play it because I like it.” - Samara JoyDOWNBEAT's Alexa Peters writes…..It would be safe to say that Samara Joy, the 23-year-old vocalist with a spellbinding voice and sophisticated command of the jazz tradition, is having an exceptional year.In February, Joy won both the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore...

  • Samara Joy joins 'Coltrane Jazz Fest' roster of GRAMMY winning artists / YES! WEEKLY
    Posted At: July 5, 2023
    With a voice as smooth as velvet, SAMARA JOY’s star seems to rise with each performance. Following her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, her GRAMMY-winning album Linger Awhile was followed up with Linger Awhile (Deluxe Edition). This expanded version features never-before-heard b-sides and alternate arrangements. Both editions include brand new music plus fan-favorites lik...

  • Samara Joy's won 2 GRAMMYs and shes performing in Malta / Lovin Malta
    Posted At: July 4, 2023
    With a voice as smooth as velvet, SAMARA JOY’s star seems to rise with each performance. Following her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she is currently recording her debut recording, which will feature Samara backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio.Growing up in New York, music was a pervasive presence, due to the inspiration of her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and R...

  • Samara Joy's confident elegance and clear emotional investment engages Saratoga Jazz Festival crowd / Nippertown
    Posted At: June 27, 2023
    With a voice as smooth as velvet, SAMARA JOY’s star seems to rise with each performance. Following her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she is currently recording her debut recording, which will feature Samara backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio.Growing up in New York, music was a pervasive presence, due to the inspiration of her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and R...
Go to artist details