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Sam felt that for one brief moment in Hawaii, after she performed a Selena song, she might be able to win, but, she admits, \"I never had that thought again ... I did not expect to win, no.\"

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A post shared by |Actress 🎼|Musician 🎤| (@justsam.co) on May 11, 2020 at 5:47am PDT

But win she did, amid extremely strange circumstances: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the contestants had to perform remotely from their homes, doing their own camera setups, lighting, hair and makeup. And as the only contestant who was living alone, Sam had to do all of it herself.

\"I don't think that this helped any of us,\" she admitted. \"Because there's just something about being on a stage that sends a rush through our body and it fuels our performance. And because we didn't have the stage, we ... didn't get the fuel we needed ... I mean, of course, we've done our best, but I feel like the stage would have brought out so much more in all of us.\"

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Remember where you came from & sing to where you wanna go. . . . - @katyperry 🤍 #americanidol #justsam

A post shared by |Actress 🎼|Musician 🎤| (@justsam.co) on May 18, 2020 at 9:27pm PDT

Having released her debut single, a cover of Andra Day's \"Rise Up,\" Sam's now ready for the next step: her debut album.

\"I would like to, because of what's going on in this world, make music like Andra Day ... and Lauren Daigle and even 'We Are the World,'\" she shares. \"Y'know, music that can send a message ... and spread love and joy and peace and unity during this time.\"

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