‘Just Sam,’ a subway singer from NYC, wins ‘American Idol’

Harlem’s Just Sam was just super on Sunday night, bringing home the “American Idol” title. The 21-year-old former subway singer, whose real name is Samantha Diaz, won the first remote finale in “Idol” history — the long-running contest left the stage this season due to the coronavirus crisis. It was a triumphant moment that even …

Harlem’s Just Sam was just super on Sunday night, bringing home the “American Idol” title.

The 21-year-old former subway singer, whose real name is Samantha Diaz, won the first remote finale in “Idol” history — the long-running contest left the stage this season due to the coronavirus crisis.

It was a triumphant moment that even Sam says she couldn’t believe: “I definitely did not expect it from the beginning,” Just Sam told Billboard. “Not at all, at all.”

Here are five things you need to know about the new American Idol.

Her journey

Just Sam had a difficult childhood, with her parents not being able to take of her and her sister. Both girls were adopted by their grandmother. On the Mother’s Day episode of “Idol,” she poignantly recalled visiting her mom in prison as a child.

Her biggest fan

She lived in Harlem’s Frederick Douglass Houses in an apartment with her grandmother— who could be seen cheering from home on Sam’s iPad after her victory — before moving to the Los Angeles apartment she’s been living alone in while competing on “Idol.”

Her first gig

Sam began singing in subways to help her grandmother pay the bills when she was in middle school — and she’s been doing it ever since. Well, that is until her “Idol” journey took her all the way to the title. Suffice to say, she won’t ever have to sing in the subway again.

Her full circle moment

She stumbled out of the gate during her “Idol” auditions singing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. It was so bad she burst into tears and had to start over. But she then rebounded with Andra Day’s “Rise Up” — the same song she killed during the finale last night. And to top it off, Just Sam got to sing “You Say” with Daigle herself. Talk about a full-circle moment.

Her memorable name

How did she become Just Sam? “Growing up, I was kind of a tomboy,” says Sam, who sports dozens of tattoos. “I would switch up my style a lot. In high school, they didn’t know which category to put me in. I wasn’t a girl, not a boy, but both. And I’m like … Just Sam! You can’t tell them anything else. It sounds perfect. I think I’m going to use that as my stage name forever.”

And she has identified as a member of the LGBTQ community, displaying a rainbow emoji on her Instagram profile.