Samara Joy

• Gent Jazz
  Monday 13•July•2026
  20:15•

Twenty-six-year-old Samara Joy grew up in the Bronx in a deeply musical family. Classical R&B and her church’s gospel choir planted the earliest seeds, but her love for jazz truly blossomed later, during her teenage years at SUNY Purchase College. In 2019, Joy won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, where juror and renowned jazz bassist Christian McBride hailed her as a 'once-in-a-generation talent’. Her eponymous debut album (2021) confirmed her extraordinary voice and musical sensitivity, and led to a recording contract with Verve Records.

With 'Linger Awhile’ (2022)—her debut on the legendary jazz label—Joy immediately earned two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, an exceptional honour for a jazz vocalist. She became an instant point of reference, both within and beyond the jazz world. Her Grammy tally has since risen to five. Drawing on the elegance and flair of Billie Holiday and the influence of icons such as Sarah Vaughan, Dianne Reeves, and Betty Carter, Joy approaches jazz standards and the Great American Songbook with a voice that is entirely her own, as can be heard and enjoyed on 'Portrait’ (2024). With her technical precision, expressive musicality, and genuine warmth, Samara Joy captivates audiences - especially on stage - with effortless authority.

For fans of: Sarah Vaughan, Gregory Porter, Billie Holiday, Dianne Reeves