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Samara Joy

Samara Joy's polyphonic stardom

A few years after winning a prestigious jazz vocal competition while still a college student, 23-year-old Samara Joy is now a multiple Grammy nominee for her album Linger Awhile. Meredith Truax/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Meredith Truax/Courtesy of the artist

Editors' Picks

Samara Joy's polyphonic stardom

Don't be shocked by the 23-year-old jazz singer's breakneck rise from precocious college student to best new artist Grammy nominee. In those few years, she's been building three careers at once.

The loneliness and longing of Luther Vandross; plus Grammy winner Samara Joy
Raymond Boyd/Getty Images; Paul Natkin/Getty Images; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center; Noam Galai/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center

It's Been a Minute

The loneliness and longing of Luther Vandross; plus Grammy winner Samara Joy

From "A House Is Not A Home" to "The Glow of Love," Luther Vandross' music has become a staple for weddings, family reunions and graduations. While Luther changed the sound of R&B, brought ballads to epic new heights and influenced countless musicians, he somehow doesn't have the same icon status as some of his collaborators and contemporaries like Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin.

The loneliness and longing of Luther Vandross; plus Grammy winner Samara Joy

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Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

Host Lara Downes (left) talks with the young, Grammy-nominated jazz sensation Samara Joy. Nicholai Hammar/NPR hide caption

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Nicholai Hammar/NPR

Amplify With Lara Downes

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to pianist Lara Downes about her interview series Amplify, which examines how Black artists today might find themselves in a new cultural renaissance.

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

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Music Interviews

At age 22, Samara Joy is a classic jazz singer from a new generation

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with 22-year-old jazz singer Samara Joy, who recently took to the stage of legendary club Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. Her album, Linger Awhile, is out now.

At age 22, Samara Joy is a classic jazz singer from a new generation

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From gospel to TikTok to vocal big shot: the rise of Samara Joy

Samara Joy Meredith Truax hide caption

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Meredith Truax

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

From gospel to TikTok to vocal big shot: the rise of Samara Joy

Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz Night In America puts the spotlight on Samara Joy, a young vocalist and songwriter who is taking cues from the past to create music that is both classic and contemporary.

From gospel to TikTok to vocal big shot: the rise of Samara Joy

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