GRAMMY Best New Artist Winner Samara Joy Unveils ‘A Joyful Holiday’ EP
2X GRAMMY winner Samara Joy has released A Joyful Holiday EP via Verve.
The 6-song collection of seasonal favorites is an extension of her latest album Linger Awhile and features a similar cast of jazz musicians – Pasquale Grasso on guitar, David Wong on bass and Kenny Washington on drums – plus Sullivan Fortner on piano. Produced by Matt Pierson, the tracklist includes previously-released singles “O Holy Night” (performed with multiple generations of her family) and “Warm in December,” in addition to a new recording of Stevie Wonder’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” and both a studio and live version of “The Christmas Song.” A Joyful Holiday is also available as an exclusive D2C emerald green color variant LP.
On December 1 in Houston, TX, Joy will kick off her ‘A Joyful Holiday Tour’ before stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and more, plus two highly-anticipated hometown shows at the Apollo Theater in NYC. Joy will perform songs from her holiday EP, backed by Shedrick Mitchell on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass, and Charles Haynes on drums. In addition to possible surprise guests, members of Joy’s family will join her for the special performances, including her father Antonio McLendon, her uncle Laurone McLendon, her cousin Tommy Niblack, and her cousin T Lovey Rowe.
“Singing alongside my family has always been a special time kept between us but this December, I’m excited to share that special feeling with you all! This holiday season, it brings me great joy to present my first role models, the McLendon Family, on a month-long tour throughout the US. Join us for a show you’ll never forget!” – Samara Joy
The holiday EP and tour continue a whirlwind year that saw Joy take home the auspicious Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album awards at this year’s GRAMMYs. Since her breakout wins, her latest studio album Linger Awhile has reached #1 on Amazon Best Sellers, Billboard Jazz, Pandora Trendsetters, iTunes and Amazon’s digital-music and CD sales, and more. Joy has garnered over 1 million followers on social media, and her tour dates all over the world have rapidly sold out. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her legions of fans in addition to millions of likes on TikTok — cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star.
Listen to Samara Joy’s A Joyful Holiday HERE.
Watch a new live performance of “The Christmas Song,” performed with her father Antonio McLendon, HERE.
For more information and all upcoming tour dates, please visit https://www.samarajoy.com/.
