Samara Joy will become the LA Phil's Creative Chair for Jazz in the 2027/28 season, overseeing its annual jazz series and participating in educational initiatives.

A native of the Bronx, Samara Joy became entranced by classic R&B as a child and cut her teeth as a singer in her church’s gospel choir. And while her family history is deeply musical, she didn’t delve into the jazz tradition until college at the State University of New York at Purchase. During her studies there she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, which introduced her to the larger jazz scene as a rising star to watch. She was heard, by audiences and critics alike, as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards and a rightful heiress of the sound, technique, and charisma that defined her jazz heroines—including Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae.

Joy released her self-titled debut on the Whirlwind label in 2021, followed a year later by Linger Awhile, her breakout Verve debut, of which DownBeat said, “With this beautiful recording, a silky-voiced star is born.” The album earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in addition to a headline-making win for Best New Artist. A deluxe edition shortly followed along with her EP, A Joyful Holiday, which took home Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance in 2025. Her 2024 studio album, Portrait, which Joy co-produced with the veteran trumpeter/bandleader and multi-Grammy winner Brian Lynch, showcases the intimate, soulful chemistry she’s developed with her touring band, earning her an NAACP Image Award in 2025 for Outstanding Jazz Album and the Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album in 2026. Portrait spotlights her burgeoning gifts as a lyricist, in ingenious arrangements by her septet that meld her thoughtful words with music by Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and her late mentor Barry Harris.

Joy released her first live recording, Live At The Blue Note L.A., in October 2026. Recorded during her sold-out April 2026 run at the Blue Note Los Angeles, the five-track EP captures the brilliance of Joy and her touring septet in an intimate setting. Across the project, her immaculate vocal control and expressive phrasing remain front and center, supported by the close interplay of her band and their arrangements.