Samara Joy
A Joyful Holiday
Featuring The McLendon Family

“Joy has an immaculately smooth, perfectly pitched delivery that leans heavily toward tradition, but at the same time emits a youthful quality and unique phrasing behind new arrangements.” Making a Scene

At only 24, her voice is wise beyond her years — a reincarnation of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, with a special something all her own. The New York Times praises Joy for “helping jazz take a youthful turn,” while NPR calls her a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.” 

The three-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist will make her Penn State debut with a performance of her third annual A Joyful Holiday featuring the McLendon Family. Joy is also nominated for two 2024 Grammy Awards — for Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Vocal Album, for A Joyful Holiday.

The concert will feature a festive mix of sacred and secular with selections from her 2024 EP A Joyful Holiday (Verve Records), along with several gospel-inspired seasonal favorites.

She will perform alongside her “first role models,” including her father Antonio McLendon, with a backing group featuring Shedrick Mitchell on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass, and Charles Haynes on drums.