Samara Joy Tries Not to Think ‘Too Much’ About Her 5-Time Grammys Winning Streak: ‘I Would Break Down’ (Exclusive)

Samara Joy is a portrait of success.

The Bronx native established a name for herself in the music industry from the jump, winning Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in 2023. The next year, she nabbed Best Jazz Performance, followed by Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2025.

Now, at just 25 years old, Joy is once again up for Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Vocal Album — her sixth and seventh nods — after winning every Grammy she’s ever been nominated for.

“If I thought about it too much, I might implode or something because it really blows my mind every single time,” she tells PEOPLE ahead of the 68th annual ceremony in L.A. on Feb. 1. “People ask me sometimes ‘Does it get old?’ But how is that even possible? I’m grateful every single time.”

Joy released her third studio album, Portrait, in October 2024. She says the record is her “creative baby,” adding that the project helped her hone in on her vision after the success of Linger Awhile and her holiday album, A Joyful Holiday.

“Portrait was my way of saying, ‘I’m going to be an artist and I’m going to choose to follow my instincts and follow the stuff that I organically gravitate towards.’ Orchestra and big band and large ensemble and incredible artists like Abbey Lincoln and Booker Little and Duke Ellington and Count Basie. I wanted all of that to be in this band. And so after the Grammys, we went on the road for two years,” she says.

“And it’s a kind of chemistry that can’t be just made up when you meet somebody in the studio. It takes time to develop that and create a band. So with Portrait, I really wanted to showcase that. I wanted to say, ‘Look, I spent two years just focusing on music after all of this newfound attention.’ I didn’t let it sway my purpose and what I really want to do, what I really love, which is music,” Joy adds.

Joy, who hails from a musical family, says thather late grandparents, Elder Goldwire McLendon and Ruth McLendon, have greatly influenced her artistry. She also credits her father, who had his own studio, and her extended relatives — aunts, uncles, cousins — for inspiring and fueling her musicality.

“[My grandfather] grew up in church, he grew up raising a family, raising my dad and his siblings and never, I don’t think, got the proper due for being like one of the greatest voices in the world,” she says. “I knew I loved to sing. I knew I loved music, and jazz just gave me, I guess, an outlet or a lane for with which to express all that love.”

As she prepares for this year’s ceremony, Joy says she’s already got Pinterest inspo boards going for her look, and in a perfect world, she’d love to take her mom as her date. She’s most looking forward to seeing the other artists perform; otherwise, she plans to leave her fate up to the Grammy gods (also known as the Recording Academy).

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“If [the wins] happen this time, I’ll be grateful. If it doesn’t, I’ll be just as grateful to have the opportunity to be nominated,” she says. “That’s the attitude I choose to stay in. I’m like, if I tried to keep a streak going, I don’t know — it’d be like Duolingo or something like that! I would just break down.”

With all of her success and accolades in mind, Joy still insists she wants her work to speak for itself. The big wins, then, get to be what she calls the “cherry on top.”

“Award or not, I want what I do to be of substance. I want it to have meaning. I want it to be done with intention and done with integrity so that you don’t just associate my name with an award, it’s associated with something that’s authentic and real and that connects with people,” she says. “I’m very proud of the work that we did with Portrait, and I’m glad that it’s being received in such a big way.”

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 1.