American Idol winner ‘Just Sam,’ who stole hearts on season 18, has had a unique post-show experience that is both inspiring and a humbling reminder of the music industry’s reality.
In May 2023, the American Idol winner posted a video of herself singing in a New York subway, stating that they had returned to busking, which led to many concerns from her fans.
Some fans wanted to know if everything was going well, while others thought of it as a publicity stunt.
Later, Sam revealed that they were out of money and couldn’t afford to eat or pay rent. As a result, she had no other option than to go back to busking on the subway.
Even after Sam had a well-made documentary that gained such popularity and garnered so much love from people, you’d think there was no going back. But that was not the case for Just Sam.
Even after winning American Idol, Just Sam is now singing on the subways in New York!
Samantha’ Just Sam’ Diaz, born November 23, 1998, in New York, started singing on subways for money while living with her grandmother.
Their soulful voice and heartfelt performances touched everyone’s hearts. Sam was so good that a short documentary, Sam, Underground, was made in 2018 about them, following their story.
2020 was when Just Sam boomed in popularity after they participated in American Idol. Sam connected with the audience through their genuine and authentic performances and ended up becoming the winner.
After winning Idol, Just Sam signed a record deal with Hollywood Records, as every winner of the show does. However, the partnership didn’t go well, and they ended on bad terms.
Sam was young, had no prior knowledge of the music industry, and lost massive amounts of money to claim the songs she had recorded with Hollywood Records.
Samantha said that the COVID-19 pandemic created a lot of uncertainty about their future. They continued to pursue a career in music but went broke, trying to pay for everything by themselves.
After the news broke out, Lil Durk and Timbaland offered help, and they ended up working with CrowdMGT. Just Sam recently performed as a guest singer on American Idol in April 2024.
Sam proved to everyone why the 2020 win was totally deserved. Hopefully, the new opportunities will materialize, and they will continue to make waves with their singing.
Additional Information
- Samantha’s grandmother, Elizabeth, adopted Sam and their sister, Anabelle, after the detainment of their mother. Sam was six years old at the time.
- American Idol winner Just Sam uses singular ‘they’ pronouns. When they were in high school, their friends used to call her ‘goy,’ as if she were not a girl or a boy but both.
- Before appearing on American Idol, Just Sam auditioned for America’s Got Talent and the American version of The Voice but wasn’t selected.
