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Stories   >   Samara Joy's won 2 GRAMMYs and shes performing in Malta / Lovin Malta

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Samara Joy's won 2 GRAMMYs and shes performing in Malta / Lovin Malta

Posted: 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 Ruth McLendon, who led the well-known Philadelphia-based gospel group, The Savettes. Her father toured with the renowned Gospel artist Andrae Crouch, and her home was filled with the sounds of not only her father’s songs and songwriting process, but the inspiration of many Gospel and R&B artists, including Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, George Duke, Musiq Soulchild, Kim Burrell, Commissioned, and many others.

“Although I didn’t grow up singing in church,” explains Samara, “I constantly heard my family singing inspirational music together, which instilled in me an appreciation for my musical lineage. Through musicals in middle school, I loved exploring the range of my voice and applying the different colors to fit the characters I played. Finally, during high school, I joined the choir at my church, eventually becoming a worship leader, singing three services a week for nearly two years. That was my training.”

Samara’s first exposure to jazz was while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed regularly with the jazz band, eventually winning Best Vocalist at JALC’s Essentially Ellington competition. However, jazz wasn’t really her focus until the time came to choose a college. Wanting to attend a state school close to home, she picked SUNY Purchase, gaining acceptance into their acclaimed jazz program, with a faculty that includes many jazz masters (including Pasquale Grasso and drummer Kenny Washington, who both appear on her debut recording.)

Although having only recently celebrated her 21st birthday, Samara has already performed in many of the great jazz venues in NYC, including Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, and Mezzrow, in addition to working with jazz greats such as Christian McBride, Pasquale Grasso, Kirk Lightsey, Cyrus Chestnut, and NEA Jazz Master Dr. Barry Harris.

Samara's self-titled debut recording is slated for release on July 9 through Whirlwind Recordings. It presents her backed by the trio of guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist Ari Roland, and drummer Kenny Washington. Within the album's liner notes, veteran writer Will Friedwald comments that Samara Joy is “a fantastic collection of highly original new arrangements, beautifully sung by a rising talent, and a very impressive first album. People are forever using the word 'timeless' as if it were the greatest praise ever, but in a way, Samara’s voice and her music seem to belong to all time, like she’s connected to the entire history of jazz all at once - as if she were existing in every era simultaneously, she sounds both classic and contemporary.”

On her GRAMMY winning Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile, the 22-year-old made her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable label. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King, appearances on the TODAY Show and millions of likes on TikTok — cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star. On Linger Awhile, Samara will introduce that massive audience to a slew of classic standards several times older than she is through her timeless, irresistible sound.


Lovin Malta writes…..Every year, the Malta Jazz Festival invites the finest jazz musicians to Valletta. This year, the festival is thrilled to welcome one of the brightest rising stars in the jazz world, Samara Joy.

At just 23 years old, Samara Joy has already made a significant impact on the jazz scene. Her velvety voice can send shivers down your spine, whether you’re watching her performances on TikTok, YouTube, or live in concert.

It comes as no surprise that she has been signed by the legendary label The Verve, known for releasing music by jazz icons like Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone, as well as notable artists from other genres like The Velvet Underground and Kurt Vile.

In 2022, Samara Joy released her second studio album, ‘Linger Awhile,’ which earned her two GRAMMY awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album.

She also had the honour of performing at the GRAMMYs and captivating audiences on shows like the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where she showcased her rendition of ‘Guess Who I Saw Today’ and made appearances on other prestigious American TV shows.

On 14th July, Samara Joy will grace Malta with her presence as the headline act of this year’s Malta Jazz Festival. Her performance will take place at Ta’ Liesse (Quarry Wharf) in Valletta, with the magnificent Grand Harbour serving as a breathtaking backdrop.

Samara Joy’s performance will conclude the first night of the Malta Jazz Festival, following performances by local jazz trio SFERA and the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet.

The Malta Jazz Festival offers six days of exceptional events from 10th to 15th July. Be sure to check the lineup for this year’s festival by visiting www.festivals.mt/mjf or the festival’s Facebook page.

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