‘American Idol’ Winner Just Sam Gets Honest About Life After the Show
ABC Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 18 winner Just Sam took to her Instagram stories this week to answer a few frequently asked questions from fans about her career and why she hasn’t been releasing new music. The singer got honest about what life has been like since leaving the show.
Just Sam Answers Questions About Her Music Career
Sam said a lot of people have been asking if she’s still making music, to which she responded, “I am making as much music as I possibly can. As I can, you know, afford.”
After winning Idol, Sam signed to Hollywood Records/Industrial Media’s 19 Recordings and released a song called “Africando,” but she said last year that she parted ways with the label. Sam explained that it’s not easy to be so young and paying for her own music to be produced.
“I have bills to pay, and American Idol is not gonna pay my bills,” Sam said. “Lionel Richie is not gonna pay my bills. Katy Perry is not gonna pay my bills. Luke Bryan is not gonna pay my bills. I have to pay my bills. I have to pay my rent. I have to make sure that I’m eating every day, which is hard to do.”
Sam said people seem to wonder why she’s not making music, to which she replied, “I am making music. I just can’t afford to release music, because mixing and mastering music costs a lot of money. And I invested in myself and ended up broke.”
SEE ALSO: ‘IDOL’ WINNER JUST SAM RETURNS TO SUBWAY SINGING AS FANS RUSH TO SHOW SUPPORT
Would Sam Consider Starting a GoFundMe?
Sam explained that she had to pay a lot of money after leaving her label “to claim songs that I had already recorded.” She said she wants to put music out, but shared, “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.”
The singer then opened her stories up to questions for fans. One person asked if Sam would consider starting a GoFundMe so fans could help her pay for her music. Sam said she wasn’t sure that was a good idea, because “it’s just giving people more crap to talk about me.”
For now, you can listen to Sam’s singles “Africando” and “Change” on Spotify.
Unfortunately, Sam didn’t get the exposure after the show that most winners get and she didn’t get the full American Idol experience during the season either due to the pandemic. It’s no one’s fault, but the fact of the matter is, her win was different than all the other winners. Even so, American Idol could have brought her onto the 2022 show as a performer in the 3-hour finale to make up for what she missed and give her some of the exposure she didn’t get as a winner. American Idol hasn’t even mentioned her name in the two subsequent… Read more »
When u are young, sometimes we don’t make the best decisions in our careers. Sam needed to stay w the label to continue with her music being put out there for the world and gain recognition before making a bold move of dropping the label. Remember what happened to Phillip Phillips? It tools years for him to be mentioned or included in a AI finale!! Another matter is how you manage your money, if not guided wisely you can blow a fortune in no time!! It’s a fact of life. I love Sam’s music and her voice and sincerely hope… Read more »
Just Sam you have a beautiful voice its a shame that some famous record label has not picked u up its a shame. But Sam keep that beautiful confidence you gain threw all this. U have a beautiful soul and spirit about you. Keep singing.
I feel that Just Sam should set up a GoFundMe account to see how much support she receives to continue her dream/career…while she still has a fan base from around the world via American Idol. Don’t give up so easily. “No Pain, No Gain!!!”