Samara Joy's polyphonic stardom
Samara Joy stood gently swaying, within a rare circle of calm late last year, as a Hammond organ purred in sanctified accord. It was four days before Christmas. Joy was at Ardmore Music Hall just outside of Philadelphia, preparing to sing "O Holy Night," which she'd released as a holiday single with The McLendon Family — her family, who was with her onstage. Joy took a deep breath and started into the hymn, her voice centered in a contralto register, exuding understated warmth and composure. It was only later in the song, when she sang "a night di-vine" — punching up the last syllable to a climactic E-flat, which she held for six long seconds before the vocal equivalent of a barrel roll — that Joy showed any sign of exertion, or the glittery star power she'd accrued. The turn in that moment was a reminder that for all her persuasive ease as an ingénue, she's acutely aware of her charisma, and how to wield control.
One month earlier, several days after Joy celebrated her 23rd birthday, she'd been named a nominee in two categories at the 65th Grammy Awards: best jazz vocal album, for her strong sophomore effort on Verve, Linger Awhile; and more surprisingly, best new artist, alongside the likes of Atlanta rapper Latto, Latin pop singer Anitta and Nashville troubadour Molly Tuttle. Joy was on a train from Washington D.C. to New York when she got the news — "but I had to keep quiet, 'cause I was in the quiet car," she later said, on The Jennifer Hudson Show. Arriving at Penn Station, she was greeted by her sister, who filmed her uncorked reaction to the nominations; a jubilant clip on Joy's TikTok has, at last count, racked up almost 4 million views.
What has come since for Joy is a high-wire act, a teetering balance of prior obligations and new opportunities. for 80,000 NFL fans — and then hustled back to the tour. When Big Band Holidays returned to New York for several nights at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joy kicked into multitask mode, dropping her seasonal singles, engaging in a blizzard of promotional activity, and performing on and As Lara Downes on the NPR series : "All of a sudden, Samara Joy was everywhere." It's no wonder that, in order to spend the holidays with family, her best option was to bring them onstage.
