Samara Joy’s Austin City Limits Debut To Air on Saturday, November 1 on PBS
Watch an Exclusive Preview via Billboard HERE
NAACP Image Award Winner and 5X Grammy Winner’s Tour Continues With Upcoming Stops in Philly, DC, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and More
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October 31, 2025: NAACP Image Award winner and 5x Grammy-winning jazz sensation Samara Joy’s Austin City Limits debut will premiere on PBS stations nationwide tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, at 7pm CT/8pm ET. The mesmerizing performance features songs from Joy’s latest studio album Portrait, plus standouts from her breakthrough album Linger Awhile and a new arrangement of Betty Carter’s “Beware My Heart.”
Backed by her touring band, Joy’s ACL debut confirms her place as “a once-in-a-generation talent” (CBS News 60 Minutes). As the New York Times put it, “Her performances feel both timeless and startlingly fresh — the sound of jazz’s future with deep reverence for its past.”
Billboard shared an exclusive preview of the performance today. Watch HERE.
Following the initial broadcast (check local listings here), the full episode will be available to stream online via pbs.org/austincitylimits.
At just 25 years old, the “next-generation leader in jazz” (Rolling Stone) has amassed an extraordinary list of accomplishments: five GRAMMY Awards, her latest studio album Portrait, her first NAACP Image Award, and spots on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and EBONY’s “STAMPED” list of cultural headliners. This year, she made her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut, performed sold out shows all over the world, was featured in ELLE’s Women in Music issue, and even guest starred on Sesame Street.
Earlier this month, Joy joined The Jennifer Hudson Show to perform “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” from her album Portrait - watch HERE. Essence writes, “With Portrait, the Grammy-winning vocalist paints a picture of artistic independence—one rooted in legacy, faith, and fearless evolution” (read HERE). Joy also gave an interview to The Associated Press recently, offering insight into her tremendous growth since her Grammys Best New Artist win in 2023 (read HERE).
You can listen to Portrait, out now on Verve Records, HERE.
Samara’s tour continues through the end of 2025 into 2026, with upcoming stops in Philly, DC, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and more. Please see all announced dates below, and for more information, please visit https://www.samarajoy.com/.
Samara Joy 2025 Tour Dates
Nov. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - Miller Theater
Nov. 12 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
Nov. 14 - Carmel, IN - The Palladium
Nov. 15 - Madison, WI - Wisconsin Union Theater
Nov. 18 - Chesterfield, MO - The Factory
Nov. 19 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Nov. 21 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theater
Nov. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Folly Theater
Dec. 10 - Boston, MA - Boston Symphony Hall (with Boston Pops)
Jan. 24, 2026 - Grand Cayman - McBride’s World at Sea
Feb. 12, 2026 - Miami, FL - Arsht Center
Feb. 14, 2026 - Tampa, FL - David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
Feb. 17, 2026 - Melbourne, FL - Maxwell X. King Center for the Performing Arts
Feb. 19, 2026 - Naples, FL - Artis
Mar. 25, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall (with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
Mar. 26, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall (with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
Apr. 1, 2026 - Dallas, TX - AT&T PAC, Winspear Opera House
Apr. 2, 2026 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Apr. 4, 2026 - San Antonio, TX - Tobin Center / HEB Performance Hall
Apr. 9, 2026 - Scottsdale, AZ - Highlights Church, Arizona Musicfest
Apr. 11, 2026 - Las Vegas, NV - The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
May 12, 2026 - Chicago, IL - Symphony Center (with Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
May 16, 2026 - New York, NY - Geffen Hall (with New York Philharmonic)
About Samara Joy
A native of the Bronx, Samara Joy became entranced by classic R&B as a child and cut her teeth as a singer in her church’s gospel choir. And while her family history is deeply musical — her grandparents helmed the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father, the musician and songwriter Antonio McLendon, has produced, composed and arranged his own astounding original work — she didn’t delve into the jazz tradition until college at SUNY Purchase. During her studies there she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, which introduced her to the larger jazz scene as a rising star to watch. She was heard, by audiences and critics alike, as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards and a rightful heiress of the sound, technique and charisma that defined her jazz heroines — including Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln and Carmen McRae.
Joy released her self-titled debut on the Whirlwind label in 2021, followed a year later by Linger Awhile, her breakout Verve debut, of which DownBeat said, “With this beautiful recording, a silky-voiced star is born.” The album earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in addition to a headline-making win for Best New Artist. A deluxe edition of the album was released, as well as the EP A Joyful Holiday, which won two Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance (“Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” feat. Sullivan Fortner).
Her latest Verve album, Portrait, which Joy co-produced with the veteran trumpeter/bandleader and multi-Grammy winner Brian Lynch, showcases the intimate, soulful chemistry she’s developed with her touring band. Portrait also spotlights her burgeoning gifts as a lyricist, in ingenious arrangements that meld her thoughtful words with music by Charles Mingus, Sun Ra and her late mentor Barry Harris.
Connect with Samara Joy:
Website / TikTok / Instagram / Facebook
Press Contacts:
Allison Elbl (Shore Fire) - aelbl@shorefire.com
Taylor Perry (Shore Fire) - tperry@shorefire.com
Erin Ryan (Verve Records) - Erin.Ryan@umusic.com