On Your Radar: Jon Batiste

Top Tracks: “It’s All Right – From ‘Soul’/Soundtrack Version,” “FREEDOM,” I NEED YOU”
Similar Artists: Jacob Collier, Lake Street Dive, Samara Joy
Recent News: Will release his new studio album Big Money on August 22.

One of the most impactful musical geniuses of our time, jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste continues to inspire and ignite with his artistic excellence. Soon to release his ninth studio album Big Money through Verve/Interscope Records on August 22, Batiste is gearing up for one of his most inspiring and hopeful albums to date.

Having already released two singles ahead of the record — “BIG MONEY” and “LONELY AVENUE (feat. Randy Newman)” — Batiste’s new album will bring together a variety of musical influences in a single, joyous, 9-track celebration. Following the album’s release, Batiste will bring his latest body of work across the U.S. on The Big Money Tour from August through October.

While Batiste gained wide popularity as the bandleader and musical director for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” from 2015 to 2022, his artistic successes have expanded much further than his iconic “Late Show” run. A member of the legendary Batiste Family of musicians in New Orleans, Batiste began his career as a serious musician at just eight years old. After releasing his debut album, Times in New Orleans, at 17, he then went on to earn a Master of Music at Juilliard, opting for a focus in jazz studies.

In 2005, Batiste formed the band Stay Human with his fellow Juilliard classmates, and over the years released numerous EP’s and full-length albums both with Stay Human and as solo work. After performing with Stay Human on “The Colbert Report” in 2014, Colbert decided he would have the group be his house band on his “Late Show”.

During his “Late Show” years, Batiste continued to dedicate himself to both the show and projects outside of it. In 2020, he co-composed the soundtrack to Disney’s Soul alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, winning an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy Award, and BAFTA Film Award for the project. In 2023, Batiste starred in the film American Symphony, which documented the process of him recording his very first symphony. Over the years, the musician has collaborated with the likes of Lana Del Rey, Chad Smith, Ed Sheeran, ASAP Rocky, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz and more.

Outside of his musical work, Batiste has also made great efforts as a civil rights advocate. He has organized and participated in several demonstrations over the years that fought against racism, and he put together many peaceful protests in New York City following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

If there is perhaps one word to describe the imitable effects of Batiste’s music, it is “connection.” Through social struggles, personal strife, and political unrest, Batiste’s infectious and soulful compositions urge listeners to come together and rejoice in the midst of unsettling times. In a 2020 interview with San Fransisco Classical Voice, Batiste perhaps said it best:

“Now, it’s more important than ever for us to be reintroduced to what our ancestors used music for, because it’s been forgotten…The world at large sees music as entertainment. It’s never been that, at its root. It is that in one element of it, but the entire spectrum of music is far, far deeper and wide-ranging.”

Pre-order Big Money here.

Buy tickets to see Jon Batiste on tour here.