I had to go back to busking

Back to her roots. american idol winner Samantha Diaz – who bears the stage name Sam only – announced that she is performing again on the New York City subways.

The musician, 24, shared a clip as she sings herself Ariana Grande‘s “Almost Is Never Enough” in a train station in early May. In a now-deleted caption, Just Sam confessed that after winning the singing competition in 2020, she had to return to busking to make a living.

“In 2021 I was totally embarrassed to have to get back on 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,” she wrote via The sun. “I was disappointed in myself that I dropped so low after the win idolbut then I had to take it easy and remember where I started my journey idol at 20 years. I don’t even know anything about Hollywood or the music industry.”

She continued, “Since then I’ve learned so much and been able to use my experiences and share them with others [artists] hoping they don’t experience the same things I did when it came to making it in this life.”

Just Sam wowed the judges and viewers in the 18th season of american idol and beat the competitor Arthur Gunn take home the prize. Her season was filmed practically amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ​The artist noted that she and many other people were “unsure of what was going to happen next” due to the unprecedented times.

“Everyone wants to know what happened and why this or that happened and I’ll answer those questions one day, but in the meantime I’ll say this,” she wrote in the above post. “I never expected to win, but I did it. I was so grateful and I know people feel like I let them down.”

Despite her success on the show, Just Sam confessed the win didn’t impact her day-to-day life – but she remains strong with the support of her family.

“My grandmother is who I have and who I always had, and she knows absolutely nothing about the music industry. She just knows how to listen and call out a good singer when she hears one,” the artist said. “We didn’t know what to do with the win, mostly because we had no help at all. There are people who have had more success than me and that’s good for them. I’m happy for her, but I’m not her. I don’t like my situation, but it won’t stay that way forever.”