Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Bronx Jazz artist and an alum of Fordham High School of the Arts, Samara Joy, took home two more Grammys at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angelus on Sunday night, Feb. 2. Joy won her fourth and fifth Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “A Joyful Holiday” and Best Jazz Performance for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” featuring Sullivan Fortner.
Accepting one of her awards, the Castle Hill native said, “Oh my gosh! Thank you again. Dang, how to do this while also being funny and charming? Thank you all so much, one more time. I want to shout out all the musicians who created this record with me. I want to shout out the McLendon family, my family, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, the patriarch and matriarch of my family, the Savettes of Philadelphia.”
Joy’s parents were founders of the Philadelphia gospel group, The Savettes, according to Wikipedia. She continued, “They trickled all of this musical legacy down to my cousins and my aunts and uncles, my Uncle Ronie, my Aunt Patsy, my Uncle Kenny and Aunt Beverly up in heaven.”
The now five-time Grammy winner concluded, “This family means everything to me. It means everything to be able to highlight what I come from, the stock that I come from, and to be able to highlight who inspires me the most. Once again, all the nominees in this category, I love you. I love your music. Thank you. Thank you for your contributions, for inspiring me, and I will see you soon. God Bless you all. Thank you.”
This year, in the Best Jazz Performance category for new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group, or collaborative jazz recordings, Joy, featuring Sullivan Fortner, beat fellow nominees, The Baylor Project for “Walk With Me, Lord (SOUND | SPIRIT),” Lakecia Benjamin, featuring Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts and John Scofield for “Phoenix Reimagined (Live),” Chick Corea and Béla Fleck for “Juno,” and Dan Pugach Big Band, featuring Nicole Zuraitis and Troy Roberts for “Little Fears.”
As reported, Joy, [née McLendon], is als an alum of SUNY’s Purchase College, and was a relatively unknown jazz singer before she was awarded her first Grammy for Best New Artist in 2023.
Live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah, Music’s Biggest Night® was broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 2, on the CBS Television Network and was streamed live and on demand on Paramount+.
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Of the top four most coveted awards, Record of the Year went to Kendrick Lamar for “Not like Us.” Other nominees included “Now and Then” by The Beatles, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “360” by Charli xcx, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, and “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, featuring Post Malone.
In the Album Of The Year category, Beyoncé won for “COWBOY CARTER.” Her fellow nominees were André 3000 for “New Blue Sun,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” Charli xcx for “BRAT,” Billie Eilish for “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” Chappell Roan’s The Rise And Fall of A Midwest Princess” and Taylor Swift’s “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.” The former Destinys Child singer also won Best Country Album for “COWBOY CARTER.”
Song of the Year also went to Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us,” beating fellow nominees, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey,
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, featuring Post Malone, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter, and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé.
Best New Artist went to Chappell Roan, beating fellow nominees, Benson Boone, Doechii, Khruangbin, Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
Best Pop Solo Performance for a new vocal or instrumental pop recording, single or track only, went to Sabrina Carpenter for “Espresso.” Other nominees were Beyoncé for “BODYGUARD,” Charli xcx for “Apple,” Billie Eilish for “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and Chappell Roan for “Good Luck, Babe!”
Carpenter also won Best Pop Vocal Album for “Short ‘n Sweet” for an album containing greater than 75% playing time of new pop vocal recordings, beating Billie Eilish’s “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” Ariana Grande’s “eternal sunshine,” Chappel Roan’s “The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess,” and Taylor Swift’s “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.”
Best Latin Pop Album for an album containing greater than 75% playing time of new Latin pop recordings, went to Shakira for “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” [Women No Longer Cry], beating Aniita’s “Funk Generation,” Luis Fonsi’s “El Viaje” [The Journey], Kany García’s “GARCÍA,” and Kali Uchis’s “Orquídeas” [Orchids].
Best Rap Album for album containing greater than 75% playing time of new rap recordings, went to Doechii for “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” beating J.Cole’s “Might Delete Later,” “The Auditorium, Vol. 1” by Common & Pete Rock, “The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)” by Eminem, and “We Don’t Trust You” by Future & Metro Boomin.
Best Reggae Album for an album containing greater than 75% playing time of new reggae recordings, went to Various Artists for “Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe),” beating Collie Buddz’s “Take It Easy,” “Party With Me” by Vybz Kartel, “Never Gets Late Here” by Shenseea and “Evolution” by The Wailers.
Performers at the ceremony this year included Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Shakira, and Teddy Swims, and the GRAMMY® telecast carried a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders.
Screenshot courtesy of The Grammys 2023 via YouTube
A series of special performances highlighted the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, including the annual In Memoriam segment, a star-studded salute to the life and legacy of Quincy Jones, and touching tributes celebrating the spirit of the City of Los Angeles. Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, and Stevie Wonder made appearances.
In order to generate maximum support not only for members of the music community but also for all those affected by the crisis in Los Angeles and the city at large, many events that traditionally make up GRAMMY Week were canceled or reformatted. Since launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort To Support Music Professionals, the Recording Academy and MusiCares® had at one point raised and pledged more than $4 million in emergency aid to music people affected by the wildfires.
According to the Grammys, all money raised will remain in the community and will be used to aid those impacted. Anyone who wishes to donate can do so at this link: https://grammy.com/firerelief.
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