Bronx-raised jazz vocalist Samara Joy won two Grammys Sunday night at the 67th annual awards ceremony, which celebrated the best artists in the recording industry. The 25-year-old jazz sensation took home Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 2023 EP A Joyful Holiday and Best Jazz Performance for the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Me.
Sunday night’s awards marked Joy’s fourth and fifth Grammys. She told the Recording Academy that she would give her latest haul to her parents.
“What they’ve given me, I can’t ever fully repay,” Joy told the Academy. “So, I will just keep giving gratitude and honor to them because without them I wouldn’t be here, in more ways than one.”
The Bronx native stunned in a black, floor-length gown by Grace Ling, featuring silver details and a high slit— a timeless fashion choice reflective of her timeless vocals.
Joy grew up in Castle Hill and graduated as the valedictorian of Fordham High School for the Arts. She said she began singing jazz in her senior year of high school and later became the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar in the jazz program at SUNY Purchase.
The jazz star comes from a musical family. Her father was a bassist and vocalist who performed with gospel artist Andraé Crouch. She grew up singing with her family and at church, and her grandparents performed with a Philadelphia-based gospel group called The Savettes.
Joy’s career has earned her accolades and admiration from industry professionals and fans alike. In 2023, she won the Grammy for Best New Artist with her sophomore album Linger Awhile.
The Bronx crooner is currently touring her third album, Portrait, released in October. She’ll be back in the five boroughs on April 30 to perform on the Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.
