Samara Joy McLendon (born November 11, 1999) is an 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, released in 2022, reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. At the 2023 Grammy Awards, she won the awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist. Her 2023 single "Tight" won Best Jazz Performance at the following ceremony. Joy won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019, and, aged just 21, became a fixture of New York’s jazz clubs. Her debut album 'Samara Joy' saw her present her original take on jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, backed by Pasquale Grasso and his trio, with Ari Roland and Kenny Washington. Her second studio album 'Linger Awhile' continued to showcase her deep connection to classic jazz, backed by Matt Pierson's masterful production and the returning talents of Pasquale Grasso. Joy grew up in the Bronx, the grandparents of the founders of the Philadelphia-based gospel group The Savettes. Joy has already performed at many of the great jazz venues in New York, 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.
