Samantha Clemons

A genre-fluid singer-songwriter and musician based in St. Louis, Samantha Clemons is hard to pin down; but better that than being boxed in. Born in the sweltering summer heat of Houston, Texas in 1988, Samantha’s soul-soaked sound finds its roots in the echoes of gospel choirs, jazz and blues rhythms that surrounded her during her childhood. Her mother–a St. Lucian musician, singer and artist herself–was the first to see the spark of her potential and bought Samantha her first guitar at age nine, shaping the songstress she’s become.

The daughter of two retired veterans, Samantha spent her childhood packing up and shipping out every few years, sheltered–in more ways than one–on military installations around the world. In those early years, music was one of few constants. No matter where her family ended up or for how long, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, and Aretha Franklin would fill the walls, regardless of the continent upon which they stood. 

Lately, life has been no less tumultuous – but equally triumphant. Fresh off a 3-year run of award-winning growth for the contracting firm she founded in 2016, balance has been elusive. And finding harmony in a life whose parts often feel discordant has been a challenge. But as she’s learned to do throughout her life, Samantha turned to music for solace and respite – seeking sanctuary once again in her music – where reality is distilled to rhythm and structure becomes sound.

This nomadic and novel life has served her well, though.  In her lyrics, Samantha offers up razor-sharp observations effortlessly and her ability to make common ground out of thin air is a gift hard-earned and liberally shared with her listeners, to say nothing of the voice with which they’re delivered. At once both deep and delicate, her vivid vibrato drips with emotion and vulnerability. 

As NPR’s Pilar Fitzgerald noted of her 2021 Tiny Desk submission, “Clemons’ voice is striking: secured in deep depths in one moment, then bursting like wildfire in the next. And just as complex as her range are her lyrics — the story she tells… is so beautifully imagined.”

In addition to NPR, Samantha’s music has also been highlighted by Rolling Stone, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dallas Observer, and Kansas City Star.