22-Year-Old Vocalist Samara Joy Announces Verve Records Debut Linger Awhile Out September 16

August 5, 2022: Once-in-a-generation vocalist Samara Joy has signed with Verve Records, and will release Linger Awhile, her full-length debut for the label, on September 16. At just 22 years old, Samara has already garnered critical acclaim for a voice “as rich as custard” (The New York Times) and a delivery that is  “disarming [and] unhurried” (NPR Fresh Air), just as she has built a devoted following on TikTok and made avowed fans of Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and others. The Bronx native took home the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition prize while still in college and performed on The Today Show earlier this year. Hailed as an “exciting boundary-stretcher” by the  (The Boston Globe), Samara also made her “glowing, auspicious debut” (NPR) at the Newport Jazz Festival last weekend, earning multiple standing ovations in the process. 

Linger Awhile finds Samara updating beloved songs with a modern twist, sometimes singing original lyrics using the melodies of famous instrumental solos, a style known as vocalese. Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City and featuring exemplary musicianship by Pasquale Grasso (guitar), Ben Paterson (piano), David Wong (double bass), and Kenny Washington (drums), the tracklist is comprised of reinvented classics including “Someone to Watch Over Me” (George Gershwin), “'Round Midnight” (Thelonious Monk), and “Nostalgia (The Day I Knew)” (Fats Navarro). Linger Awhile not only highlights Samara’s timeless vocals and a musical wisdom beyond her years, it also introduces this foundational popular music to a fresh audience. 

“I am deeply honored to be a part of a roster that has included so many of my greatest vocal inspirations: Sarah, Billie, Ella, and Betty to name a few,” says Samara about her Verve debut. “Being a part of this lineage is humbling, and I will continue to use all of the inspiration gleaned from them to pursue my own unique journey as a singer and an artist.” 

Watch the visualizer for lead single “Can’t Get Out of This Mood” here: https://samarajoy.lnk.to/ThisMoodVisualizer 

Pre-order / pre-save Linger Awhile here: https://SamaraJoy.lnk.to/LingerAwhile 

Samara Joy has also announced a new string of 2022 tour dates throughout Europe and North America. The young vocalist will play club dates, festivals and cultural institutions, plus highly-anticipated NYC hometown shows at The Blue Note. Later this year, Samara will perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a handful of dates across the midwest before several holiday shows in December. Check out the full touring schedule below.

Music has always been a guiding presence within Samara’s family. Her grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, led the well-known Philadelphia-based gospel group, The Savettes, and her father toured with the renowned Andrae Crouch. Although her earliest influences are the gospel and R&B sounds of Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, George Duke, and Musiq Soulchild, Samara fell in love with jazz while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed regularly with the jazz band and eventually won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. Samara attended SUNY Purchase and recently graduated as the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar. 

Meet 22-year-old Samara Joy in the video below, filmed during her Umbria Jazz Festival residency in Perugia, Italy last month.

https://SamaraJoy.lnk.to/MeetSamara

Samara Joy 2022 Tour Dates

August 5 – Denver, CO – Dazzle/Aspen

August 6 – Tulsa, OK – Lowdown

August 10 – New York, NY – Little Island

August 13 – Martha’s Vinyars, MA – Tabernacle on Oak Bluffs

August 19 – Aspen, CO – JAS at Asapen Art Museum

August 20 – Springfield, OH – Springfield Jazz & Blues

August 24-25 – Washington, DC – Blues Alley

August 26 – Atlanta, GA – Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

August 27 – Charlotte, NC – Middle C

September 1 – Cincinnati, OH – Caffe Vivace

September 2 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blue Llama

September 3 – Stevens Point, WI – Stevens Point Fest

September 4 – Menasha, WI – Fox Cities Festival

September 8-9 – Philadelphia, PA – South

September 10 – Albany, NY – Riverfront Jazz

September 12 – New York, NY – The Blue Note

September 14 - Durham, NC - Duke University

September 16 - Boston, MA - Sculler’s

September 17 - Lake George, NY - Lake George Jazz Festival

September 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - August Wilson

September 20 - Berkeley, CA - Freight & Salvage

September 23 - Monterey, CA - Monterey Jazz Festival

September 24 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (duo w/Pasquale Grasso)

September 26 - New York, NY - The Blue Note

September 28 – Albuquerque, NM – Outpost

September 29 – College Station, TX – Rudder Theatre

September 30 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM

October 1 – Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrorm Center

October 2 – Half Moon Bay, CA – Bach Dancing & Dynamite

October 7 – Azroes, Portugal – Angra Jazz

October 11-12 – Cologne, Germany – King George Jazz Club

October 14 – Toulouse, FR – Jazz Sur Son 31

October 15 – Nancy, FR – Nancy Jazz Pulsations

October 17 – Bordeaux, FR – L’Auditorium de Bordeaux

October 18 – Comeilles-en-Parisis, FR – Theater duComier

October 20 – Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, FR – Culture House

October 21 – Occitanie, FR – Saint-Mamert-du-gard

October 22 – Lisbon, Port – Seixal Jazz Festival

October 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Barcelona Jazz Festival

October 25 – Paris, FR – New Morning

November 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Shelton Auditorium

November 4 – Appleton, WI – Lawrence University

November 6 – Bronx, NY – Wave Hill Public Garden

November 10-13 – Chicago, IL – Jazz Showcase

November 18 – Storrs, CT – Jorgensen PAC

November 20 – Blue Bell, PA – Montgomery County CC

November 27-28 - Minneapolis, MN - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

November 20 - Eau Claire, WI - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 2 – Wilmington, DE – Christina Cultural Arts Center (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 3 – Germanton, MD – Black Rock Center for the Arts (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 5 - St. Louis, MO - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 7 - Austin, TX - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 9 - Phoenix, AZ - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 14-18 - New York, NY - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 20 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ardmore (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 22 – Arlington, MA – Regent Theater (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall (HOLIDAY SHOW)

Connect with Samara Joy:

Website / TikTok / Instagram / Facebook

Press Contacts:

Matt Hanks - mhanks@shorefire.com 

Allison Elbl - aelbl@shorefire.com 

Taylor Perry - tperry@shorefire.com