Samara Joy

Listening to her beautiful voice transports you back to an earlier era.

Simply put, Samara Joy is sensational.

Her Verve debut shows that, at just 22 years old, with a rich and velvety yet refined voice that harkens back to the most iconic jazz vocalists of all time, Samara belongs in the company of iconic singers Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday.

Samara is also sharing her music on TikTok and Instagram, fostering a community of young followers while also capturing the attention of fans like Regina King and Angela Bassett. She is poised to be a household name, synonymous with timeless jazz music.

In an interview with Melissa Harris-Perry on The Takeaway, Samara shared, “I was surrounded by music growing up. My father and his siblings, my uncles and aunts, they all sing. My grandparents had a choir called the Savettes of Philadelphia where my grandmother and grandfather were the lead singers.

“Growing up around music, I’ve always tried to copy them but I didn’t really break out on my own until I was in college. I always participated in musical theater and choral performances and stuff like that, but college is where the gigs started coming in.”

On discovering her love for jazz, Samara said, “When I was growing up, I really didn’t have much exposure to jazz, or at least the kind of jazz that I listen to now. Now I feel like, with jazz, even though I had a lot of different influences growing up, including gospel and singing in church which all helped me develop my voice and develop all the music that I really love and develop my approach, I guess, as a singer, I think that with jazz, I feel at home in it.”