Samara Joy - Linger Awhile

At just 22 years old, Samara has already garnered critical acclaim for a voice “as rich as custard” (The New York Times) and a delivery that is  “disarming [and] unhurried” (NPR Fresh Air), just as she has built a devoted following on TikTok and made avowed fans of Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and others.

“I am deeply honored to be a part of a roster that has included so many of my greatest vocal inspirations: Sarah, Billie, Ella, and Betty to name a few,” Samara shared in a statement about her Verve Records debut. “Being a part of this lineage is humbling, and I will continue to use all of the inspiration gleaned from them to pursue my own unique journey as a singer and an artist.”

Linger Awhile aims to continue the young performer’s dominance. Across the album, Joy will lend the timeless and soulful qualities of her idiosyncratic voice to reinvent classic jazz recordings including George Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me,” Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight,” and Fat Navarro’s “Nostalgia (The Day I Knew).”

But Joy doesn’t only have her sights set on reimagining the classics in the traditional sense of the genre. When the Bronx-native stepped into New York City’s Sear Sound to record the record – with appearances from guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianist Ben Paterson, bassist David Wong, and drummer Kenny Washington – she also brought along with her original lyrics to pave her own lane. Throughout the album, Joy will navigate between the new and the familiar, pairing her original songwriting with melodies of classic instrumental solos.

“There’s such an incredible and rich history of Black female singers. I see so much of myself in them and see the way they paved the way so I can do what I’m doing,” Joy told Andscape in a recent interview. “And then the way that they sing and the songs they sing, I can relate to and hopefully carry it and pass it down so that nobody forgets those Black female singers who have such an impact and influence on music as a whole.”