American Idol winner Just Sam reveals they went back to singing on the subway for money

American Idol winner Just Sam has responded to fans who are “sad and confused” about having started singing again on the New York City subway for money — three years after taking first place in the singing competition show.

24-year-old Just Sam, who uses she/she pronouns, was thrust into the spotlight after blowing the judges – and millions of viewers – away with their incredible voice in the eighteenth season of the ABC series.

Despite their success on the show, the aspiring musician – whose real name is Samantha Diaz – recently revealed they had to resort to “busking for money”, but urged their supporters to be “patient” with them and insisted it was ‘not the end of their story.’

“I know it saddens a lot of people and a lot of people get confused when I go back to street performers for money, but please don’t worry,” they captioned a recent Instagram video showing them on a train platform.

This is only part of the story, not the end of it. I seriously trust God and I know more is coming soon.”

The singer added that “a lot of people” have “showed them love” and “supported them on her journey” since they first revealed they were back on the streets in May.

“Meanwhile, I ask you all to be patient with me, because God is not done with me yet,” they concluded.

Earlier this month, Sam spoke to TMZ about their struggle to make it as an artist following their victory in May 2020.

They explained, “I thought, ‘That’s it, me and my grandmother will never go through the same struggles again.’ But really, it wasn’t.’

The 24-year-old added that because they were crowned ‘at the start of COVID’ it was ‘difficult’ for them to find work.

“Everything was shut down. People didn’t want to work in studios right away. People were trying to figure out how to get back to what would be normal for us,” they continued.

“It took me a few months to even get into a studio, which sucks. I lived out of a hotel.’

They also explained that they entered the competition with very little experience and knowledge about the industry, which made it even more difficult for them.

“I’m sure I need to read more now,” they said. “Contracts are a serious thing.

“I was like, ‘OK, yeah,’ and just signed stuff, and it doesn’t go that way. You can’t just move. It leaves you in awkward situations. That’s one thing I’ve learned.’

They initially signed with the Hollywood Records label after their win, but broke up soon after.

On Instagram, they claimed that after leaving, they were forced to pay a large sum of money to the label to get the rights to the songs they recorded – which they said were ‘broken’.

They have since released five songs through the independent digital music service DistroKid.

They recently started one GoFundMe page, where they’ve raised $830 so far. They also revealed online that acclaimed producer Timbaland and popular rapper Lil Durk have reached out to show their support.

In their GoFundMe biography, Just Sam admitted that they are often confronted by people asking questions like, “What happened to you?” – which is not easy for them.

“While I am so grateful for my journey, I have faced social media harassment, questions about my health and even false accusations of addiction,” they wrote.

“The music industry just wasn’t ready to launch a new artist during a global emergency.

‘Everything was unknown and scary, and my career started to fall through the cracks.

“I just want to make music that showcases my skills, heritage, strangeness and sensitivity rather than media that focuses on poverty or family heartbreak. I just want to sing and my goal is to share new music with my fans.’

In another social media post, Just Sam said they’re excited for what’s to come — and are nothing but proud of their journey.

“In 2021 I was extremely embarrassed to go back to the trains. I didn’t want people to know I really needed the money and I didn’t want people to know it wasn’t optional,” they explained.

“I was disappointed in myself for letting myself fall so low after winning Idol, but then I had to take it easy [myself] and remember I started my journey with Idol when I was 20 years old, not even knowing anything about Hollywood or the music industry.

“Since then I’ve learned so much and been able to share my experiences with other artists in the hopes that they don’t go through the same things I did when it comes to making in this lifetime.

“I never expected to win but I did, I was so grateful and I know people feel like I let them down.

“I used to feel like I was disappointing myself and everyone. But I know there’s more coming my way.

“I know that everything happens for a reason and I know that this too will pass, no matter how things look now.”