ABOUT
Samantha Lindo’s journey, as an artist and as a human, have both solidified her trademark style: one of storytelling, from-the-heart honesty, and a poetic lyricism that inspires and gently provokes.
Her music sits on a spectrum, spanning the worlds of spiritual jazz, gospel, folk and spoken world – combining songwriting, poetry and powerful vocal performance.
Lindo’s life too, has spanned different worlds. With dual British and Jamaican heritage, she has lived the life of a community leader, an activist and singer.
You can see how these worlds collide across her journey, right from Lindo’s first spotlighted live performance in 2017 at TEDx’s event ‘Daring to Disrupt’, as well as in her collaboration with national mental health campaign Time to Change for the launch of her single Underside at Rough Trade Bristol.
You’ll also notice it in the contemporary dance video Lindo directed for her single Those Kids, filmed outside the UK's first zero carbon social housing development for young people at risk of homelessness, where Lindo lives as a mentor.
Lindo’s live shows too can feel like a conversation between her and the crowd, as if she’s inviting her audience to know her personally, and through that lens to look squarely at some of the most important questions of our time.
This was all embodied in debut album, Ancestry, which explored intergenerational healing, dual heritage identity, and climate justice through the lens of her family's history in Jamaica.
Supported by the Arts Council and MOBO awards, the album took Lindo’s artistry to new levels of impact. Clash Magazine described the album as "exceptional," and it received national attention from Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music and Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2, as well as significant independent and international radio play.
Lindo’s sold-out Bristol Beacon show marked the launch of the album, and featured a Bristol all-star band and the 60-member Murmuration choir. The show was hailed as 'phenomenal' by Bristol 24/7.
That’s not the end of the Ancestry story either. In 2024, Lindo collaborated with Marla Kether, producer, DJ and bassist for Little Simz and Loyle Carner, to remix her track Bloodline in a way that encapsulated the essence of “London jazz”. To celebrate the release, Lindo and Kether shared a lineup at London’s renowned jazz venue Ninety One Living Room, home of Brick Lane Jazz Festival.
Lindo’s work hasn’t only taken the form of artistry but also music leadership. Later in 2024 this included working with Bath Philharmonic. Lindo drew on her own experiences as a young carer to co-create a song named Love is Enough. The song was featured extensively in national television and radio, and after a live performance and visit at 10 Downing Street, it was celebrated by Ed Davey and Kier Starmer at the last PMQs of the year in parliament, inspiring a poignant and robust discussion around the rights and visibility of young carers in the UK.