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Just Sam, the 24-year-old singer whose off-stage name is Samantha Diaz, came to the spotlight after winning the popular singing reality show American Idol in its 18th season back in 2020. Before entering the singing competition, Samantha used to be a subway singer in New York City. After winning the competition, Sam expected things to turn around for them; however, things did not work out the way they were supposed to.
Since then, the songwriter and singer from Harlem has returned to singing in the NYC subway. A video of the singer performing in the subway has recently gone viral after Sam disclosed in an Instagram story that they “ended up broke” after paying off their record label. Sam went on to sign a record deal with the big American record label, Hollywood Records, after their win at American Idol season 18 in May 2020.
However, they parted ways with the record label without ever releasing any music with the company. In one of their Instagram stories, Just Sam opened up about their situation. They said:
"I thought it was gonna be easy, just go to the studio, record, put out music... And that’s not how the world works. That’s not how the industry works. It takes time, it takes money that I don’t have. It takes patience... I have people who are helping me. I’m putting out music when I can and when it’s ready... It’s just hard because I’m coming out of pocket and I have bills to pay. And American Idol is not going to pay my bills."
"I think they had to pull it from streams so that I wouldn’t get a cut": American Idol Season 18 winner Just Sam opened up about parting ways with Hollywood Records
Just Sam, who has currently gone back to singing in NYC subways, just like in the old days, took to Instagram to share what happened between them and their record deal with Hollywood Records after American Idol Season 18's win in 2020. In an Instagram story, Sam shared that the record deal that didn't go anywhere:
"I was not the one that pulled [my 'Rise Up performance'] down from iTunes, Hollywood Records did that...I don’t know the logistics behind it. I don’t know the legal side of things. But I believe that when we parted ways, in order for them to keep 100% of the money that was made from ‘Rise Up,’ I think they had to pull it from streams so that I wouldn’t get a cut, which is smart. Smart move Hollywood."
Just Sam has further revealed that they have been still making music, but it is hard to release any of it as the singer has been broke while trying to pay for rent and food and make ends meet. They further said in an Instagram story:
"I am making music... I just cannot afford to release music, because mixing and mastering music costs a lot of money. And I invested in myself and ended up broke. That’s the truth. Not broke, broke – like I’m living. I have my own place."
They continued:
"I’m not even going to tell you guys the amount of money that I had to pay after leaving the label to claim songs that I had already recorded. I’m recording all the time or making music all the time, writing every day, doing what I have to do to survive."
Just Sam also disclosed that they have tried hard to pay off their music just the way the record label Hollywood Records wanted them to right after they parted ways. But it did not work for the former American Idol winner. They said:
"How can I put music before rent, I’d literally be back in the place that I was in before the show if I did that... And I tried, I really genuinely did try to pay off my music, the way that the label suggested after we parted ways. I tried their way and it did not work. I’m doing it God’s way. I’m trusting the process."
Since winning the competition, Just Sam released their first single, Africando, on March 13, 2021, which they co-wrote with Cat Clark. They released the single with the help of DistroKid, the independent digital music service. On September 28, 2021, they released a second single titled Change, which they also co-wrote with Cat Clark.
