Samara Cyn

Samara Cyn
Born
Samara Henderson

(1998-09-15) September 15, 1998[1]
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationArizona State University (BS)
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2019–present
LabelVanta

Samara Henderson,[2] known professionally as Samara Cyn (/sɪn/), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2024, she released her debut EP, The Drive Home.[3]

Early life and education

Samara Henderson was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[4] Growing up, she also lived in Augusta, Georgia, El Paso, Texas, Hawaii and Colorado.[5] Her mother was an English teacher[6] and her father was in the army, which caused the family to relocate frequently.[4] She began writing poetry in fifth grade when she was bored,[7] encouraged by her mother, who introduced her to Brave New Voices.[6] She credits her father with sparking her interest in hip hop, in particular by introducing her to Slick Rick's debut album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.[8] Her interest in poetry developed while attending Arizona State University,[6][9] where she performed at Poetic Soul, a weekly open mic.[7] After a night out in her second year of college, while her friends were rapping, she rapped one of her poems to a beat, and her interest in poetry became an interest in creating music.[6] She graduated in May 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Supply Chain Management.[10]

Career

Before The Drive Home

After writing her first song in 2019, Cyn performed her first live show in November of that same year.[6] In November 2021, she opened for Teddy Swims in Arizona.[6] In 2024, she opened for Isaiah Rashad on his Cilvia Demo 10 Year Anniversary Tour.[11]

The Drive Home

After releasing her debut EP The Drive Home in 2024,[3] she was co-signed by Erykah Badu[9] and Lauryn Hill.[4] In November 2024, she opened for Nas on his Illmatic 30-year anniversary tour in London.[12] In March 2025, Cyn performed with Hill at the Jazz in the Gardens Festival in Miami.[13] At the 2025 South by Southwest festival, Cyn won the Grulke Prize for Developing U.S. Act.[14]

Kountry Kousins tour and Backroads

Starting on April 23, 2025 in Vancouver, Cyn supported Smino on his Kountry Kousins tour through North America.[15][16] Her second EP, Backroads, was released on June 20, 2025.[17] It was ranked as the 6th best EP of 2025 by Spin,[18] a top 10 EP of 2025 by Hypebeast,[19] and the 14th best rap album of 2025 by Billboard.[20] It contains five songs, including the single "Brand New Teeth" featuring Smino.[21][22] The same month, she was selected for the 2025 XXL freshman class.[23] On July 23, 2025, Cyn made her late-night television debut on The Daily Show, performing her song "Hardheaded".[24] Cyn was named the BET Amplified Artist of the Month for August 2025.[25] In October 2025, she released the single "Vitamins N Minerals", produced by Ovrkast.[26] Complex rated the song's second verse as the 24th-best rap verse of 2025.[27] She performed at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in November 2025.[28] On December 12, 2025, she released the single "What Will They Say".[29]

Detour

Cyn's third EP, Detour, was released on March 20, 2026.[30] It includes the single "oooshxt!"[31][32]

Discography

Extended plays

Title Album details
The Drive Home
Backroads
  • Released: June 20, 2025[17]
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
  • Label: Vanta
Detour
  • Released: March 20, 2026
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
  • Label: Vanta

Singles

  • "Backseat" (2022)
  • "Pride's Interlude" (2023)
  • "Auto-Pilot" (2023)
  • "Wake Up" (2023)
  • "Moving Day" (2024)
  • "Magnolia Rain" (2024)
  • "Katana" (2024)
  • "Chrome" (2024)
  • "Sinner" (2024)
  • "Pop n Olive" (2025)
  • "Bad Brain" (2025)
  • "Brand New Teeth" (2025) (with Smino)
  • "Vitamins n Minerals" (2025) (prod Ovrkast)[34]
  • "what will they say" (2025) [35]
  • “oooshxt!” (2026)[36]

Guest appearances

  • "Janky Moral Compass" (2025) (Ray Vaughn featuring Samara Cyn and Sydney Leona)
  • "Ghost" (2025) (Armani White featuring Samara Cyn)[37]

References

  1. ^ "Samara Cyn on Instagram: "play sum samara cyn today. 27yrs🎈"". Instagram. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  2. ^ Sosa, David (May 20, 2024). "Artists you Should Know: Samara Cyn". Grimy Goods. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Okusanya, Emanuel (October 30, 2024). "Samara Cyn is Rap's next trailblazer, insider her debut album "The Drive Home"". Ebony. Archived from the original on October 31, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Jordan, Meagan (March 19, 2025). "Samara Cyn is keeping it moving". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Siber, Alex (May 30, 2024). "Best New Artists". Complex. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Chaudhry, Aliya. "Meet the C24 Artists: Samara Cyn". NME. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Gee, Andre. "Samara Cyn took a nomadic journey to her viral breakthrough". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Johnson, Sharmaine (November 11, 2025). "Samara Cyn Came Home to Herself, and Made Music to Bring Us There Too". BET. Archived from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Rose, Jordan. "Four Sight: Samara Cyn is Rejecting All Musical Boundaries". Complex. Archived from the original on April 12, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  10. ^ Terrill, Marshall (October 29, 2021). "Salute to Service concert set to rock Sun Devil Stadium". ASU News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  11. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (June 9, 2024). "Samara Cyn's 'Chrome' Surveys Artistic Truths". Clash. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  12. ^ Duldulao, Marissa (January 29, 2025). "25 Artists to Watch in 2025". Complex. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  13. ^ Okusanya, Emanual (March 10, 2025). "Doechii and Samara Cyn joined Lauryn Hill onstage at Miami's Jazz in the Gardens Festival". Ebony. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  14. ^ "Jasmine.4.t wins SXSW prize for best developing act". The Line of Best Fit. March 15, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  15. ^ Bernstein, Elaina (December 11, 2024). "Smino and Samara Cyn To Hit the Road on 'Kountry Kousins' Tour". Hypebeast. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  16. ^ Ibrahim, Shamira (May 30, 2025). "Samara Cyn Is All Fired Up". The Cut. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Rossignol, Derrick (June 20, 2025). "Samara Cyn Leads Her Smooth New 'Backroads' EP With The Two-Part Opener 'Summer's Turning'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  18. ^ Shipley, Al (December 10, 2025). "The Best EPs of 2025". Spin (magazine). Retrieved December 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ^ Bernstein, Elaina (December 24, 2025). "EPs That Defined Our 2025". Hypebeast. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  20. ^ Lamarre, Carl; Diaz, Angel; Denis, Kyle; Claxton, Christopher; Saponara, Michael (December 18, 2025). "THE 20 BEST RAP ALBUMS OF 2025: STAFF PICKS". Billboard (magazine). Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  21. ^ Coleman, C. Vernon (June 20, 2025). "Vic Mensa, Samara Cyn, YTB Fatt and More – New Hip-Hop Projects". XXL. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  22. ^ Morton, Devin (June 20, 2025). "Samara Cyn Delivers Several Strong Performances On New EP "backroads"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  23. ^ Cline, Georgette (June 24, 2025). "2025 XXL Freshman Revealed". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  24. ^ Williams, Aaron (July 24, 2025). "Samara Cyn Made Her Late-Night Debut On 'The Daily Show' With A Moody Performance Of 'Hardheaded'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  25. ^ "Artist of the Month". BET. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  26. ^ Williams, Aaron (October 22, 2025). "Samara Cyn's Been Taking Her 'Vitamins N Minerals' On A Swaggering New Single". Uproxx. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  27. ^ Inman, DeMicia (December 23, 2025). "The 25 Best Rap Verses of 2025". Complex. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  28. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie; Spoleti, Katie (November 24, 2025). "CAMP FLOG GNAW 2025: PHOTOS FROM THE FESTIVAL". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 24, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  29. ^ Jones, Okla (December 12, 2025). "Best New Music This Week: Nas & DJ Premier Connect On 'Light-Years,' Samara Cyn Drops "What Will They Say,' 21 Savage, And More". Essence. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  30. ^ "New Music Friday: Alex Isley, Mike WiLL Made-It, Coco Jones, 6LACK, Tank & The Bangas Bring the Heat for The First Day of Spring". BET. March 20, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  31. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (March 16, 2026). "Samara Cyn Evolves On New Single 'oooshxt!'". Clash. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  32. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (March 13, 2026). "SAMARA CYN CHOOSES FREEDOM ON 'OOOSHXT!,' THE FIRST TASTE OF HER NEW PROJECT, 'DETOUR". Uproxx. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  33. ^ Saponara, Michael (May 30, 2025). "Samara Cyn Took the 'Backroads' to Success & She's Ready to Dominate: 'It's Grind Time". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  34. ^ Murray, Robin (October 22, 2025). "Samara Cyn Returns With New Single 'vitamins n minerals'". Clash Music. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  35. ^ Murray, Robin (December 12, 2025). "Samara Cyn's 'what will they say' Urges Us To Speak Out". Clash (magazine). Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  36. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (March 13, 2026). "SAMARA CYN CHOOSES FREEDOM ON 'OOOSHXT!,' THE FIRST TASTE OF HER NEW PROJECT, 'DETOUR". Uproxx. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  37. ^ Williams, Aaron (August 15, 2025). "Armani White And Samara Cyn Leave A Lasting Impression With The Fabolous-Sampling 'Ghost'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
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