Grammy Award winner Samara Joy talks about her roots in the church, evangelism and the Godmobile
Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy is proud of her roots, both where she grew up and her Christian family, which has a legacy of evangelism and singing Gospel music.
The 23-year-old native of Bronx, New York, and alumna of Purchase College (State University of New York at Purchase) broke a record at this year's Grammys by becoming the second jazz performer to win the award for best new artist. She also won a Grammy for best jazz vocal recording for her album, Linger Awhile.
In a recent interview with Terry Gross of NPR's "Fresh Air," where she sang lyrics from the hymn "Blessed Assurance," Joy spoke of her family's long history in ministry, evangelism and gospel music and how her career was launched in the church where she became a worship leader at 16.
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At the Grammys earlier this year, Joy hinted at her family's legacy when she briefly mentioned growing up singing and named her grandparents, mother and father during her acceptance speech.
Gross noted that in Philadelphia, her grandparents — who were both pastors — started a gospel choir called the Savettes and traveled around the city in what they called their Godmobile. Her father, aunts and uncles would drive the Godmobile (a van) to different locations in the city where they'd park near sidewalks, get out, sing and share the Gospel. "[M]y dad does tell stories about people walking by and actually engaging and singing along and eventually getting saved and stuff."
Joy said both of her grandparents were blessed with the gift of song, and decades ago, when her grandfather, now 92, was offered a recording contract to sing opera, her grandmother threw it away. "I think she threw it in the garbage because I think at that time, it was church or nothing — sacred, no secular."
For many years, Joy said her grandfather was "hesitant" about her singing secular music or studying music at school, believing that music "belongs in the church." But after seeing her success and how she's able to share her faith with new audiences, he's coming around.
"I think he's realizing there's more than one way to spread the Gospel," she celebrated.
Joy's father is also a singer and bass player and was a worship leader at their church. As a member of the choir at her neighborhood church, Joy said at 16, she was selected to join seven others who were part of the choir's praise and worship team. Though she didn't feel ready for it, her father encouraged her to step into the new role she was chosen for and assured her she wasn't expected to be perfect but to have "your ears open and your spirit open to whatever the moment calls for," she told Gross.
Although she was visibly nervous on stage when she took on the new role, Joy credits the advice of her father for putting her performances in perspective by making it less about herself and more about helping others experience worship.
Joy is also known for shouting out that she hails from the Bronx at awards shows. Although the borough has a negative connotation for some, Joy said she enjoyed her childhood growing up there in the house that her grandmother bought for the family.
“Well, for me, it was half-and-half chaotic and peaceful if that makes sense. My grandmother bought a house in the Bronx that we all lived in and still own to this day. That was kind of like half in the suburbs and kind of half in the, I guess the more dangerous side of town,” Joy said.
“I had an amazing childhood and amazing time in public school. ... So I don't look at that as like, even though I'm from the Bronx, [I] made it out. ... There's potential and there's talent and there's people with dreams everywhere, … no matter where you're from,” she added.
“If you have somebody [who offers] support, a family [member] or a teacher who believes in you and wants to support you, or people around you that want to help and lift you up, you know, it doesn't matter where you come from. … They say that their (the Bronx) reputation is bad, and they say, you know, don't go there and that kind of thing. … I'm proud of where I'm from.”
Joy's jazz album Linger Awhile was released on Sept. 16, 2022. In her speech after winning two Grammy Awards, Joy mentioned how she was amazed to have won an award for just being herself.
If she had the chance to go back and do her speech over again, Joy said she would have wanted to explain more about the main message she wanted to share with the crowd during the speech.
“I was very overwhelmed [during the speech] and I wish I could go back and do it again. But I guess what I meant, really in my head [what] I was trying to say was, ... a lot of times in the music industry or from the outside looking in, you see people change or they're kind of forced to change in order to fit in, are forced to blend in or assimilate alongside all of these creatives in order to get their shot,” Joy told Gross. “And so, I felt like it was incredible for me to even be in that room and be a part of something so special ... without having to necessarily change anything about who I am in order to fit in. It's like I fit in already by just being myself.”
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: nicole.alcindor@christianpost.com.
