Samara Brown is a certified triple threat, hailing from the culturally vibrant Bronx in New York City. Her first steps in entertainment began at the tender age of five as she honed her craft singing and dancing for her local church congregation. As her confidence and talents grew, so did her desire to expand her theoretical musical knowledge and on stage performance skills.
She applied to and was accepted as a Theatrical Major at Genesee Community College where she performed starring roles in both musicals and dramatic plays including Peter Pan and Singing In The Rain. She also performed at the TANYS Festival taking part in a production of For Colored Girls, as the inimitable ‘Lady In Blue’.
Graduating with flying colors, Samara put her Associate’s degree in Theater to great use, building professional experience as she began auditioning for multiple Broadway and television shows. This led to roles on popular shows such as Jessica Jones and The Americans. Her star was ascending and her passion for live and recorded performance had now become a viable full-time professional career, however; her story had only just begun.
In-between her on-screen work Samara kept her musical skills honed performing at a plethora of iconic live music venues across New York City including The Village Underground, Café Wha and The Groove. Her reputation in the New York musical community blossomed and glowing reviews from audiences and peers alike led to her first international performance, the lead vocalist of a jazz trio touring across Russia. The success of these shows, in huge part due to her pitch-perfect and passionate on stage performance, led to more international shows across Spain fronting band The Groove Machine at venues such as the infamous Teatro Pereyra. After receiving critical acclaim from both the local media and the attending audiences, these Spanish shows would become an annual fixture for the next few years.
Now enjoying success as an international front woman, Samara’s creative aspirations grew and she began to yearn for greater musical challenges. It was at this time she booked a job singing background for NBC’s The Voice Season 2 alumni Jermaine Paul, performing in Indonesia and a separate.
Having gained extensive global live experience, Brown returned home to further her theatrical and musical studies once again. She enrolled at City College of New York where she completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Theater. It was here that Samara began to focus on writing original music. In 2019 she performed her first solo show at Brooklyn Farms and was soon invited to perform her single You Don’t Know How To Love live on BronxNet TV. After seeing the recording of the show, producers booked her to perform in Hong Kong at The Peninsula for a special New Year’s Eve show.
The following year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, putting the planned recording of Samara’s solo music on hold. Refusing to slow her musical momentum, she decided to audition for Season 21 of The Voice. Impressed with the raw talent, business acumen and ambitions of this young, energetic, stylish singer, Samara was asked to join the cast of The Voice in 2021. Viewers at home watched as she stormed her blind audition, seeing an unprecedented interest from all of the judges. International superstars John Legend and Ariana Grande both fought to secure her as one of their team’s vocalists with Ariana saying, “you had me out of my seat…on the ground. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a fan I am of yours…you’re phenomenal”. while literally and metaphorically bowing to the immense talent of this blossoming star.
In the end, Samara joined John Legend’s team, enjoying success in multiple rounds of the show and earning herself recognition from her peers, the respect and admiration of the coaches and an army of valued new fans across the world.
“I love her. She [is] so cool…a powerhouse.”
–John Legend
Read City College of New York’s review of her performance here.
Samara currently resides in New York City where she is working on recording her debut record and exploring the vast opportunities that lay before her after her successes on The Voice.