Few figures throughout jazz history have experienced the kind of meteoric success that vocalist Samara Joy has, especially at such a young age. At just 26, her career is nothing short of sensational.

With six Grammy Awards to her name, including a Best New Artist win as well as an NAACP Image Award, Joy has achieved the kind of profile typically reserved for pop celebrities.

Her visibility has made her a steady presence on network TV and a favorite among younger music fans on TikTok, where she’s helped introduce timeless American music to new generations. With each performance, she has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards as well as her own songs, drawing comparisons to her legendary jazz heroines, including Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae.

The Bronx native began singing as a child and won the Best Vocalist at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Essentially Ellington program before studying jazz at SUNY Purchase, winning the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition while still a student. Joy returns to Hill Auditorium with her septet after her sold-out 2024 UMS debut.