NYC singer-songwriter Sami Stevens harnesses Jazz, Soul, and Folk influences to create truly intimate original music. In writing songs, singing and accompanying herself on keys, she crafts a musical world based in silence, delivering dynamic, personal performances. Her current NYC based band features Matt Aronoff on bass, Jacob Drab on guitar, and Peter Moffett on drums, often featuring Kazemde George on tenor saxophone.
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; she is currently joining nine-time Grammy winner Norah Jones on auxiliary keys and background vocals as Norah tours her 2024 release ‘Visions.’ Other ongoing 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 and Jesse Harris, currently in development.
Sami’s performance and recording career has transcended genre; she has performed with Brian Blade, Curren$y, Jason Moran, and Gary Wilson, and opened for Greg Brown, Rachael Price, Emily King and Talib Kweli. Sami has appeared on film and TV soundtracks including Archer, Sesame Street, and the French Italian (Cat Cohen).
Sami has toured five continents with various projects, appearing at the Barclays Center, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Apollo Theatre, Red Rocks, the Kennedy Center, Paramount Brooklyn, the Late Show with Steven Colbert, Lincoln Center, Cotton Club Tokyo, and National Sawdust. 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 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 Brooklyn, NY.
DISCOGRAPHY
Lead Voice:
Morning - Sami Stevens
Rose Thorne - Kenny Wollesen
Hit and Run - Richard Julian
Make Your Mind EP - Sami Stevens and KG,B with J. Swiss
Brave New World - Tredici Bacci
And I’m Right - Sami Stevens and the Man I Love
I Insist - Kazemde George
Oscillospira - JG Thirwell and Simon Steensland
Dream Louder - Rotem Sivan
Menagerie - Grant Richards
The Way I Feel Inside - Marty Isenberg’s Wes Anderson Project
January Suborbital Denomination - Amanda Chaudhary Meow Meow Band
Start - Great Long Meadow Fire
Sparks - Ludovica Burtone
Direction - Alex Madeline
A Song for Us - Sami Stevens and Hiba Elgizouli
La Fine Del Futuro - Tredici Bacci
Amore Per Tutti - Tredici Bacci
The Thirteen Kisses EP - Tredici Bacci
Vai! Vai! Vai! - Tredici Bacci
Fancy Mess - Tredici Bacci
Love Transformation - Mina Cho
Tracing a Line - Robin Buyer
Four Thing - Zach Phillips
the Melting EP - Sami Stevens
Deephau5 - Drop.Kick.Pop
Background Vocals:
Live at Austin City Limits 2024 - Norah Jones
Another Lonely Night in Brooklyn - Gary Wilson
This is Love - Elise Testone
Soundtrack:
Archer - Original Soundtrack - JG Thirwell
Changemaker - Sesame Street Soundtrack
The Hicks Happy Hour Original Soundtrack - Simon Hanes
Aimer Perdre Original Soundtrack - Simon Hanes
The French Italian - Simon Hanes
It’s Personal With Amy Hogart Soundtrack - Simon Hanes
Fils de Plouc (Mother Schmuckers) Original Soundtrack - Simon Hanes
Enduring Democracy; the Monterey Petition - Original Soundtrack
Eight Eyes Original Soundtrack - Morricone Youth
Battleship Potemkin - Original Rescore - Morricone Youth
The Last Porno Show - Morricone Youth
Danger: Diabolik - Original Rescore - Morricone Youth
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans - Original Rescore - Morricone Youth
The Lodger - Original Rescore - Morricone Youth