“I’m sorry to say my feelings are split, but a lot of times they are.”
For many, this sentiment is an enduring dichotomy in both everyday life and society at-large. How can one continue to dream of a bright future that seems to grow bleaker with each passing scroll on social media?
And then, you hear a voice like Samara Joy’s: one that acknowledges the weight and dreariness of the world we live and yet, like a healing balm, reinvigorates your belief in a life worth living. Pure light in a time of darkness. A dream, no longer deferred.
The 26-year-old songstress accomplishes this and so much more on her critically-acclaimed album Portrait and, more specifically, its fourth track medley “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True.” Both were nominated at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards (with Portrait winning “Best Jazz Vocal Album”) and the current 6-time winner continues to express her gratitude in receiving these coveted accolades.
“I am in awe,” Joy tells ESSENCE of her Grammy nominations. “I’m in awe, and I’m humbled, and I’m grateful because It has to do with so many things outside of just me. It’s timing, it’s support, it’s what my parents prayed over me and my siblings – being in the right place at the right time.”
The Bronx-born beauty has always had a love affair with music, due largely to her father Tony McClendon, a beloved bassist with a voice that is a “treasure,” according to his daughter. Growing up in church, Joy realized that music, service and faith come together to form ministry, which would be her ultimate charge in life. In fact, those are the greatest lessons she learned from her late grandfather and Sunday Best finalist Elder Goldwire McLendon, who passed just before the new year.
“He was always a servant. He was like that from like 15, 16 until his final days. We could not go anywhere – coffee shop, diner – without him making conversation with the waitress or with the chef, like they were the only people in the world,” Joy says with a sweet smile as she reminisces. “Being active in the church community as well as in the community at large, and leaving a good impression on people no matter who they are, I think are the main things that I learned from him.”
At 16, Joy was selected to become one of the worship leaders at her church, a feat typically achieved after the age of 18. But an anointing and a calling like hers just can’t be stifled, so when the time came to step up, Joy took on the challenge, even if she was fearful at first. “‘How am I going to lead people into the Holy of Holies? I haven’t lived through the stuff that these songs are talking about,’” she recalls telling herself.
“But I enjoyed it so much and I learned so much about encouraging people and about being a vessel that I am eternally grateful for that music ministry, for giving me a chance like that,” Joy continues. “Now, being a minister it feels natural. I never want to forget the weight of that kind of responsibility, but it feels natural and it feels like my calling.”
After a leap-of-faith decision to enroll in a jazz program without much jazz knowledge, Joy’s life began to open up. Midway through her college tenure, she won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and before you know it, she was recording material for her self-titled debut album. After graduating in 2021, Joy began touring all across the globe, wowing critics with her undeniable vocals and gaining fans with each new tour stop. And by 2023, she began her hot streak at the Grammys with the release of her second album, picking up “Best New Artist” and “Best Jazz Vocal Album.”
Achieving this level of critical success is a dream, and Joy tells ESSENCE that it all goes back to her foundation.
“I am grateful to my parents for instilling a certain level of self-awareness, faith, and humility in me,” she says. “We would listen to sermons literally right before school. [At] 7:00 AM, pastors just blasting in the car, reading scripture together about healing, about wisdom, about faith, about strength, about having peace of mind and somebody to turn to when you feel like you have reached a certain block.”
“I don’t wanna say it’s rare, but I’m grateful for it to this day,” Joy adds. “It strengthens me and it reminds me of where I am, my place in the world, my purpose and doesn’t allow me to become consumed or overwhelmed by any sort of external forces.”
Sometimes, 16-year-old Samara resurfaces, though.
“I’m sorry to say, my feelings are split, but a lot of times they are,” she reveals. “I’m split between being like, ‘Do I even deserve this? How am I going to maintain this kind of life that I didn’t necessarily prepare for.’ And at the same time, I do feel ready and I feel grateful to accept such a responsibility because this is what I love to do.”
Joy not only feels love and support from her family, fans and critics, but from her longtime boyfriend as well. Although she rightfully elects to keep the inner workings of their relationship private, she tells ESSENCE that meeting him “was like meeting my best friend.”
“It is so perfect, and I love every minute of it,” she says, gleefully.
In a time where instant gratification is a focal point, Joy is steadfast on building a career that lasts. After she released her second album Linger Awhile, she started working with a new band for her live shows and slowly began adding new material here and there. Over the next two years, the amalgamation of new material and arrangements were put into a singular project, and Portrait was born. It’s a scenic, yet rewarding process that she will continue to implement moving forward.
“I always wanna keep adding onto myself. And that’s a long process,” Joy says, firmly. “Longevity is always the goal. I wanna take the time it takes to invest in the music and invest in the things that I feel are weak in my interpretation and strengthen them so that by the time the next album does come around and all the material is strong, then we can release it.”
So what does the future hold? For Samara Joy, she’s leaving it in God’s hands as she takes things one step at a time. “Touring is a constant,” she says, but ultimately, she wants to circle back to some of life’s simplest pleasures as she continues to minister to others through song.
“I want to write more. I want to journal more. I want to paint more. I’m a terrible painter, but I like doing it,” she says with a laugh. “Once the sun comes out and it stops snowing [in New York.] We’ve got things to do. 26 is just the beginning.”