Douglass Houses Native 'Just Sam' Wins American Idol

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — A subway singer from Manhattan Valley has been named the winner of American Idol's 18th season, which continued its live shows with at-home broadcasts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Samantha Diaz, who goes by the stage name "Just Sam," beat out the rest of the Top 5 in the national singing competition on Sunday as fans, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and her grandma Elizabeth, cheered from her home at the Frederick Douglass Houses.

"My dreams have come true — thank you so much America," Diaz said through tears after host Ryan Seacrest announced the news. "I would have never, ever expected this."

Diaz had performed her final weeks on American Idol — which shutdown live filming because of the coronavirus pandemic — from Los Angeles out of fear of getting her grandmother sick if she returned home, like most of the contestants had, to Manhattan.

The 21-year-old ended her journey with a performance of "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson and "Rise Up" by Andre May, which she sang for her now-viral audition for the show.

"You’ve been such an inspiration," judge Lionel Richie said about the finale performance. "There are kids out there right now who are trying to figure their lives out and they can relate to where you are and where you’ve been."

Diaz started following her dream of singing as a subway singer in Manhattan to support her and her grandmother, who adopted Diaz and her sister after their mother was incarcerated.

Residents at the Douglass Houses, including Tenant Association President Carmen Quiniones, and Brewer had been active in rallying votes for the New York City native.

“I am so proud of Samantha ‘Just Sam’ Diaz," Brewer said after her win. "Just Sam is a proud resident of Douglass Houses and she has worked all of her life to get to where she is.

"I have enjoyed organizing New Yorkers to vote for her every week and have been so honored to lend a hand in uplifting her journey so that we as a borough and a city could come together to witness her powerful story and her stellar talent as she rose through the ranks to become the next American Idol."