Samuel Martins Alves (June 3, 1989) is a Brazilian singer, best known as the winner of the second season of the reality talent show The Voice Brasil. Born in the city of Fortaleza, he was abandoned in a shoebox by his biological parents when he was just two days old. At the age of 4, he relocated with his adoptive family to the United States, where he was raised and educated. Encouraged by his mother, he began singing in church during his adolescence and joined his school’s choir while studying to become a doctor. Eventually, he decided to pursue a career as a professional singer. In 2013, after an unsuccessful tryout for the fourth season of The Voice US, Sam Alves traveled back to Brazil and made the cut for the second season of the franchise’s local version, The Voice Brasil, later that year. During the second phase of the show, he performed Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” garnering praises from the song’s author and quickly becoming one of the favorites to win the competition. Mentored by Cláudia Leitte, Sam Alves reached the grand finale and was crowned the winner after a passionate rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Following the show’s ending, he released his eponymous studio debut in 2014, followed by ID in 2015.