Liberian American, Samantha Diaz “Just Sam” takes Hollywood by storm. Born in New York City to a Liberian mother and a Peutro Rican father, Sam and her sister were adopted by her maternal grandmother because their parents could not raise them. Her grandmother passion for music influenced Sam at an early age to pursue music. Sam still remembers the melodies of native Liberian songs her grandmother would hum while taking care of them. At the age of twenty, Sam is pursing her dream as a musician.
Sam is currently one of the top 10 finalist on American Idol, an American singing competition television series. Each season over 10,000 people audition but very few become finalist. During her American Idol audition, Sam sang “You Say” by Lauren Daigle but stopped because of her nerves. She went on to sing “Rise Up” by Andra Day, and the judges voted yes, sending her to the next round.
In an Instagram post, Sam expressed how grateful she is to her grandmother. She wrote; “My GRANDMOTHER is THE ONLY WOMAN ON THIS EARTH that really, truly knows me. I thank her so much for that and never giving up on me ! There isn’t enough money in the world to repay her for ALL THAT she’s done for me !
“I’m going to be big someday and that’s all thanks to her ! She Just wants to see me make it and I SWEAR I’m almost there . right now, all the moves that I’m making is for my grandmother 🙏🏾💯‼️ she’s going to see me on tv someday ! She’s never ever going to have to work again .”
