Sami Stevens

In 2023, Sami released her debut solo album ‘Morning’ on Sunnyside Records. Born from a love of classic American music and an ear for storytelling, ‘Morning’ showcases Stevens’ rich vocal delivery as it ebbs between intimate personal stories and stunning symphonic textures, treating the vastness of the human condition with painterly impressions and an empathetic disposition. Glide Magazine wrote “Sami Stevens did more than impress with her first solo outing, she quickly established herself as one of the most promising songwriters to appear in the past few years.”

Sami is also an avid collaborator; fresh off of a two year run with ten-time Grammy winner Norah Jones as Norah toured her 2024 release ‘Visions.’ Other collaborations include Rose Thorne by Kenny Wollesen, I Insist by Kazemde George, The Way I Feel Inside by Marty Isenberg, Brave New World by Tredici Bacci, and a new one woman show by John Zorn, currently in development.

Sami’s performance and recording career has transcended genre; she has performed with Brian Blade, Emily King, John Scofield, Gary Wilson, Dave Douglass, Sex Mob, Taylor Egsti, and Jason Moran, and has opened for Rachael Price, John Zorn, and Talib Kweli. Sami has appeared on film and TV soundtracks including Archer and Sesame Street, and has toured five continents with various projects, appearing at the Barclays Center, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Nippon Budokan, the Apollo Theatre, Tiny Desk, Red Rocks, the Kennedy Center, Paramount Brooklyn, the Late Show with Steven Colbert, Lincoln Center, and Cotton Club Tokyo. She has performed at music festivals including Big Ears, Austin City Limits, and SXSW. Her projects have been lauded by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Downbeat, and the New York Times, and featured on various official playlists, including Spotify’s “Best Vocal Jazz of 2021.”

Sami Stevens studied privately with Dominique Eade and John McNeil at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she graduated with a BM in Vocal Jazz Performance in the fall of 2014. Sami also received a BA in Psychology from Tufts University. She grew up in East Winthrop, Maine, and is currently living in Oakland, CA.