Since February 5, 2023, the name of Samara Joy has been on everyone’s lips! At only 23 years old, the young American singer received two Grammy Awards including that of “revelation of the year”, all categories combined. She owes these laurels to a perfect mastery of the jazz vocal art of which she could become one of the queens. Some discerning ears hear in her voice the echo of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan or Betty Carter. Will she be able to resist this dazzling notoriety?
Since this particular day which propelled her into the fire of the protectors, Samara Joy has seen her daily life drastically accelerate. The jazz academy in Paris also presented him with a trophy and requests for interviews are multiplying. It is certain that his stage appearances will be numerous in the coming months as his agenda is filling up visibly. Faced with this surge of requests, the young woman keeps her feet on the ground and does not ignite. “It’s true that it’s unexpected and heavy at times, but I have a team around me who manages this schedule that has become a bit hectic. I can tell you that it’s going much faster than I had imagined. I hadn’t planned all this. I would never have thought that in 2023 my life would change so much. It will take me some time to digest everything that has just happened to me. I feel like I’m in an endless spiral but I have no reason to complain. I talk a lot with my family. I use FaceTime and I try not to get too distracted by the perks of this job. I have to stay focused on my artistic development and my mastery of vocal art. My father gives me a lot of advice on what to say and how to act because, for him, it will have an impact on the person I will become. So you have to have positive thoughts. When I’m away from home, I think about that a lot.” (Samara Joy on Joe Farmer’s microphone)
Beyond the popular enthusiasm for this rising artist, there is an undeniable talent for jazz interpretation. Although she now embraces with ease a repertoire inherited from her elders, Samara Joy did not plan to evolve in this swing universe. Gamine, she was more seduced by gospel, funk and soul music. His taste for the great voices of yesteryear developed gradually. ” What captivated me the most when I started to discover jazz was the authenticity of this music. When you listen to the voice of a jazz singer only accompanied by two or three musicians, you immediately perceive the intention. You instantly understand the story you are being told. It is this poetic dimension that made me enter jazz. In a way, it reminds me of my childhood in church. In hymns, one voice can tell you so much. There are no frills. It’s not a show! It is a unique moment of popular communion through a melodious narration. I would like, in the future, to tell stories throughout a concert. That’s why I like Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach. Behind their works, there was a form of activism that fascinates me. I could say the same thing about blues singers or Duke Ellington who, through his emblematic work “Black, Brown and Beige”, drew the contours of jazz”. (Samara Joy on RFI)
To date, Samara Joy has only released two albums. The latest, ” Linger Awhile “, multi-award winning, is unanimous. On this disc, she mischievously plays with the intonations of her voice by adopting vocal techniques borrowed from her idols. She is also a marvelous master of “Vocalese”, a singular approach to jazz musicality invented by the late singer Jon Hendricks. “ I draw a lot of inspiration from him when I write the lyrics to my songs. Thanks to him, I learned to tell a simple story And efficiency. I have no other choice but to refer me to Jon Hendricks, so At heritage, to find my own way. He was an incredible singer, an exceptional lyricist, and I really enjoy interpreting his words. The “vocalise” is a singing technique that transforms notes into words, an instrumental solo becomes a vocal improvisation. In one of his interviews that I read recently, he said that his ultimate goal would have been to improvise lyrics while improvising a solo. I think I am unable to realize this today. Improvisation is such a difficult exercise that I wouldn’t risk it! I was inspired a lot by Jon Hendricks. I listen a lot to instrumentalists, trumpeters, saxophonists, pianists, and when I hear a melodic line lyrical enough to be vocally adapted, I grab it. I immediately imagine lyrics that could be modeled on these solos”. (Samara Joy – April 2023)
Samara Joy’s epic has only just begun, but the fervor that accompanies her first steps suggests a majestic destiny. The list of concerts grows longer every day and spectators who will have the pleasure of applauding his vocal prowess will be able to congratulate themselves, in a few years, on having witnessed the birth of a jazz star.
Samara Joy will perform to a sold out Village Vanguard in New York, April 25-30, 2023. She will be heading to Europe this summer with concerts in Italy, Germany, France, including Antibes, Vienna, Montpellier, Marseille, Marciac and Paris (La Villette). Long live!
⇒ The website of Samara Joy.