At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, jazz soprano Samara Joy McLendon from the Bronx in New York City won the Best New Artist trophy. Along with Anitta, Omar Apollo, DOMi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Latto, Maneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, and Wet Leg, she was nominated in the same category. The award was given to the performer by Olivia Rodrigo, a previous recipient of the same designation.
The performer at the 2023 Grammys acknowledged her profound surprise and gratitude for winning the award in her acceptance speech.
she stated:
“I’ve been following you on TV for a long time….. Thank you very much for this distinction, and thank you to everyone who has heard and supported me… I’m grateful to be here because of who I am… to be here just by being myself, by being who I was born as.”
Samara received Best Jazz Vocal Album in addition to Best New Artist for her most recent single, Linger Awhile.
The Complete Samara McLendon, Joy
Samara Joy McLendon was reared in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City. She was nurtured in a musical family and was born on November 11, 1999. Her grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, sang in the gospel group The Savettes from Philadelphia. She told NPR that all of her close family members were musically inclined.
She stated:
“My father is a bass musician, so there was a lot of funk, soul, and R&B. But he was also the one who grew up mostly in church and played in church.”
McLendon was motivated by her musical heritage to pursue music as a field of study, and as a result, she enrolled in the State University of New York’s jazz studies program. She received instruction from trumpet performer and educator Jon Faddis there. Samara became well-known during her senior year at Fordham High School for the Arts. She performed with the school jazz band and took first place in the “Essentially Ellington” competition held at Fordham University in New York City.
Samara McLendon, a vocalist who has continued to succeed, was given the 2019 International Jazz Vocalist Award. She earned her magna cum laude degree in 2021 and, together with Matt Pierson, who would eventually become her manager, released Samara Joy, her debut studio album. She also shared other TikTok performances during this time that went viral and had over a million views. Her second album, Linger Awhile, which was released in 2022, earned her a Grammy.
