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Stories   >   Samara Joy joins 'Coltrane Jazz Fest' roster of GRAMMY winning artists / YES! WEEKLY

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Samara Joy joins 'Coltrane Jazz Fest' roster of GRAMMY winning artists / YES! WEEKLY

Posted: 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 like “Guess Who I Saw Today” and “Can’t Get Out Of This Mood,” which Samara performed at the GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony earlier this year before taking home awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album. While reinvigorating beloved songs and standards for a fresh audience with her timeless, irresistible sound, the 23-year-old is quickly making the case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous singing sensation recorded by the venerable Verve Records. Trio.

YES WEEKLY! writes….Samara Joy, the 2023 Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist, will perform at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Oak Hollow Park. The 23-year-old Joy is already being compared to the likes of Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald after starting her professional career just two years ago. Joy is only the second jazz musician ever to be awarded the Best New Artist Grammy. She also won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her September 2022 release, “Linger Awhile.” Jazz Times magazine named Joy the ‘Best New Artist’ for her debut, self-titled album released in 2021. As early as high school, she took ‘Best Vocalist,’ at a competition hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Samara Joy’s videos have gone viral, including one that has topped 1.5 million views. She has 200,000 followers on TikTok. She has appeared on the Today show, at the Newport Jazz Festival, and done European tours including a series of sold-out concerts in Italy and Austria.

The John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) honors Coltrane, a globally revered jazz saxophonist, composer and High Point  NC native son who graduated from William Penn High School, now  Penn Griffin School of the Arts in the city.         SEE THE YES! WEEKLY PAGE