A New ’Joy‘ in Jazz

Credit: Getty Images

Samara Joy has been called the new voice of jazz, a vocal phenom, a savior of the genre. This young lady is “joy” personified and today’s reason to smile, from her stunning jazz singing to her megawatt smile. The 24-year-old jazz sensation from the Bronx surprised a lot of people at last year’s Grammy Awards when she won not only Best Jazz Vocal Album but also Best New Artist, an award given only three times to a jazz artist. She will be back at the Grammys tonight as a presenter and again as a nominee. Take a listen to her incredible improvisation on the Grammy-nominated song “Tight.”

Joy’s style is old-school enchanting yet fresh. She effortlessly updates classic jazz vocals, blending them with the gospel stylings she learned from her musical family. Actor and director Regina King has called her “a young woman who just seems like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald are both living in her body.” This exciting new voice is reviving an often marginalized genre by appealing to jazz purists and bringing new fans into the tent. She may be the only jazz musician with half a million Instagram followers. And she is using her social media presence to bring jazz to Gen Z. Her voice is so beautiful it makes you just want to close your eyes and listen … for hours.

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