Sami Stevens grew up in East Winthrop, Maine, and studied privately with Dominique Eade and John McNeil at the New England Conservatory of Music, graduating with a BM in Vocal Jazz Performance in the fall of 2014; she also holds a BA in Psychology from Tufts University. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

A singer-songwriter who blends jazz, soul, folk, and indie-rock influences into intimate original music, Stevens typically accompanies herself on piano or Wurlitzer. Her performance and recording career has crossed genre boundaries, working with drummer Brian Blade, vocalist Emily King, guitarist John Scofield, whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile, Gary Wilson, Curren$y, and pianist Jason Moran, and opening for Rachael Price, John Zorn, whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile, and Talib Kweli. She has toured five continents, appearing at the Barclays Center, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Nippon Budokan, the Apollo Theatre, Red Rocks, the Kennedy Center, Paramount Brooklyn, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Lincoln Center, Cotton Club Tokyo, and National Sawdust.

In 2023, Stevens released her debut solo album, Morning, on Sunnyside Records, showcasing her rich vocal delivery across intimate personal stories and symphonic textures. Her work has been praised by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Down Beat, and the New York Times, and has been featured on official Spotify playlists including "Best Vocal Jazz of 2021."

Stevens's genre-crossing blend of jazz, soul, and folk influences, delivered through her own compositions and piano/Wurlitzer accompaniment, made her a distinctive singer-songwriter voice within the broader vocal jazz tradition, and her collaborations with figures ranging from John Scofield to Jason Moran gave her a genuine standing within the working jazz community.