Samara Joywon her first-everGrammy Awardsat this year’s ceremony on Sunday, and she already knows exactly where to place her trophies.
“It’s incredible. I started singing it because I loved it, and jazz has such a rich legacy, such a rich history, and there are people still adding to it and making it better based on the foundation that legends have set,” Joy said of her decision to make music within the genre. “So, I’m really honored to be here in the name of jazz.”
However, she hasn’t always been immersed in the genre, which has spawned legendary artists likeLouis Armstrong,Billie Holidayand Duke Ellington.
“It’s funny. I did not grow up listening to jazz,” admitted the musician, who took home best jazz vocal album and best new artist at the 2023 ceremony. “I started about six years ago now, but one of my favorite singers, one of my true pillars was Lalah Hathaway. I listened to her all the time. I was like, ‘How she do that? How she get low, and then get high, and then in the middle with all the runs and stuff like that?'”
Samara Joy.VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
At the time of the interview, Joy had already been named the winner of the best jazz vocal album Grammy and shared where she plans for the trophy to live.
“What’s great about this is my parents were able to be here, so as soon as they heard my name, they stood up and was louder than everyone in the room,” explained the musician. “So, I’m gonna put it up in their house because that’s where it belongs.”
She then joked that the award will remain “in the safe,” where it can’t be broken. “You can only look at it through a glass box,” said Joy with a laugh.
The best new artist winner gained recognition as a jazz vocalist in college before going viral on TikTok in 2020 with over 1.5 million views. In 2022, she released her sophomore albumLinger Awhileto critical acclaim.
In a recent interview withForbes, Joy spoke about the best new artist nomination. “It’s definitely a surreal feeling and I’m definitely honored to be the ambassador chosen at this particular moment to represent the music that I love so much,” she told the outlet. “The diversity in the best new artist genre this year just goes to show that when more artists are involved in the voting process and everything like that, then that’s what you get. You get the variety that is actually represented in the world.”
source: people.com
