Jon Batiste

Multi-instrumentalist and singer Jon Batiste’s sprawling musical world is a celebration of collective rhythm, community, and multiculturalism. The Louisiana native was born in Metairie in 1986, a descendent of a New Orleans musical dynasty that had him playing percussion at age eight before switching to piano three years later. After releasing his 2005 instrumental debut, Times In New Orleans, he headed to New York City to study jazz at Julliard. He formed the rollicking ensemble Stay Human, which in 2015 became the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. However, Batiste kept dancing down his own path, and in 2021, he won an Academy Award for co-scoring the animated feature Soul. His solo breakthrough came that year with WE ARE, weaving hip-hop, gospel, and jazz into a vibrant ode to Black roots traditions that won four Grammys, including Album of the Year. Batiste's 2023 LP, World Music Radio, reached further across borders, ancestries, and languages, featuring Colombian reggaetón singer Camilo and Southern-rap godfather Lil Wayne.