This American Idol winner is going back to their roots.
Samantha Diaz, a.k.a. Just Sam, the champion of the show’s 2020 season (which took place during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic), posted a video of themself back to busking in the New York City subway on social media.
In the video from Instagram, Just Sam is seen wearing white sweats and red sneakers as they sing Beyoncé‘s “Listen” while holding a donation box.
“Thank you so much for listening, everyone!” they say after ending the song.
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The powerhouse vocalist won the show’s fourth season on ABC with Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan as judges.
For their Washington, D.C. audition, they sang Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” and won the singing competition show with Kelly Clarkson‘s “What Doesn’t Kill You (Makes You Stronger)” and Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”
In a since-deleted Instagram caption (via The Sun), Sam wrote, “Back in 2021, I was super embarrassed to be going back to the trains. I didn’t want people to know that I legit needed the money. I didn’t want people to know that it wasn’t optional. I was disappointed in myself for allowing myself to fall so low after winning Idol, but then I had to take it easy on me and remember that I started my journey with Idol at 20 years old.”
They continued, “Since then, I have learned so much and I’ve been able to take my experiences and share them with other artists in hopes that they don’t experience the same things that I did when It comes to making it in This life.”
“I was very much unsure of what was going to come. For a few months after winning, I was unsure of what was next, but I was ready and waiting for whatever it was. Everyone wants to know what happened and why this or why that & I will answer those questions someday, but In the meantime, I’ll say this. I never expected to win, but I did, I was so grateful, and I know that people are feeling like I let them down,” they shared.
They added, “I used to feel like I let myself and everyone down too. I know that there’s more coming for me. I know that everything happens for a reason, and I know that this too shall pass, no matter what things may look like right now.”
Notably, Just Sam’s season was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, making things much more difficult than any other Idol season.
“I’m not like any other contestant that has ever had a chance to be apart of the American Idol production. My year was unlike any other,” they said. “We didn’t know what to do with the win especially being that we had absolutely no help. There are people who have had more success than me, and good for them I’m happy for them, but I am not them. I don’t like my situation, but it won’t be this forever.”