Former "American Idol" winner Just Sam, who rose to fame after competing in the hit competition back in 2020, is back to busking in NYC's subways.
The 24-year-old singer, whose real name is Samantha Diaz and who uses they/them pronouns, admitted to being "super embarrassed" after doing a full 360 despite the major win.
Taking to Instagram, Diaz shared video clips singing Ariana Grande's "Almost Is Never Enough" in a subway station.
"Back in 2021, I was super embarrassed to be going back to the trains," Diaz wrote in a since-deleted caption, according to The Sun. "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. Not even knowing anything about Hollywood or the music industry," Diaz said.
"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," they added.
After emerging victorious on the show, Diaz was awarded $250,000 prize money as well as a recording contract from Hollywood Records. However, last year the singer abruptly left the label despite not having released a single album, according to the New York Post.
At the time, Diaz assured their fans they were still making music but could not afford to release it because "mixing and mastering music costs a lot of money. And I invested in myself and ended up broke. That's the truth."
In their caption, Diaz assured fans they would one day address what happened.
"But in the meantime I'll say this," Diaz continued in their caption, according to the Sun. "I never expected to win, but I did, I was so grateful and I know that people are feeling like I let them down."
Diaz admitted they previously also felt as if they had let "everyone down too" but added they believed "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," Diaz stated.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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