Jon Batiste, born on November 11, 1986, is a television personality, singer, composer, musician, and bandleader from the United States.
At 17, Batiste put out his first record, Times in New Orleans.
Jon graduated in 2004 after attending St. Augustine High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in New Orleans alongside Trombone Shorty.
Batiste subsequently continued his education at the Juilliard School, earning a Master of Music in jazz studies in 2011 and a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies in 2008.
Jon’s second CD, Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art, was published when he was a student at Juilliard.
By 2006, Batiste had appeared at prominent venues worldwide, including South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris, and the US.
Batiste has collaborated on songs and performances with musicians from many musical genres. On Sunday, April 3, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Jon Batiste swept the 2022 Grammy Awards, taking home 5 of his 11 nominations.
For his album “We Are,” the musician received Album of the Year.
He also won awards for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Cry,” Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for “Soul,” and Best Music Video for “Freedom.”
Jon and Stay Human
Initially a drummer, he switched to piano at 11, and Jon studied in New Orleans until enrolling at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York in 2004. While there, he co-founded Stay Human with Eddie Barbash and Joe Saylor on drums and percussion (alto saxophone).
The band gradually gained popularity, especially for spontaneous public performances, often known as “love riots.” For the 2011 EP “My NY,” they even taped several subway performances, a project that even managed to win over Gotham’s renowned hard-nosed law enforcement officers.
In 2005, Batiste started often touring in New York City alongside fellow Juilliard graduates Joe Saylor and Phil Kuehn on drums and bass, respectively.
Later, he added Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba and Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone. Batiste gave the group Stay Human its name because she thinks that, amid the “plug in, tune out” culture of contemporary civilization, human connection during a live musical performance may elevate humanity.
Batiste refers to these spontaneous street concerts as “love riots” led by the band. Wynton Marsalis and other well-known musicians were frequently spotted performing with Batiste.
1.Jon is Married!
Jon Batiste is married ? Hold your breath for a second yes , you heard it right Jon is married to Suleika Jaouad .
Batiste and Suleika Jaouad revealed at the Grammys that they married in secret in February 2022.
It was always their intention to be married, but Jaouad said in her biography “Between Two Kingdoms” that it was only after she received a second leukemia diagnosis that they decided to tie their knot.
Suleika Jaouad was born to Tunisian father and a Swiss mother in New York City. She is an author, activist, and inspirational speaker from the United States. She writes for Vogue, Glamour, NPR’s All Things Considered, Women’s Health, and the “Life, Interrupted” column in The New York Times.
2.Adam Driver and Jon were in same School
While Adam Driver was a student in the acting department at Julliard School, Batiste trained as a pianist in the music division.
Driver said that he knew Batiste and other members of his band Stay Human from their time at the esteemed institution during a guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Adam Douglas Driver is an American actor and former Marine who was born on November 19, 1983.
He has received several honors, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, and he has been nominated for a Tony Award, two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
3.Video Games Aided Jon in His Craft’s mastery
Batiste’s early exposure to classic video games like Street Fighter and Final Fantasy VII helped him understand music.
He acknowledged that the manner the music in these games was created was what helped him hone his abilities in an interview with The Washington Post.
“[Games] gradually taught me about theme and development, how to make engrossing melodies that you want to hear again and again,” claims Batiste.
The theme can’t be obnoxious, though, at the same time. It can’t be. After you’ve heard [an annoying] theme 100 times, you’re ready to put the game on mute.
4.Batiste is an Oscar Winner
Batiste collaborated with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to create the soundtrack for the movie Soul.
Along with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Batiste received an Oscar for the soundtrack they created for the 2020 Pixar film Soul.
He collaborated on the music for the Pixar animated film Soul in 2020, for which he won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and a BAFTA Film Award (all shared with Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor).
The group won the Best Original Score Academy Award, and the movie later won Best Animated Film at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.
5.Jon Batiste has a lengthy working relationship with Stephen Colbert.
There is no doubt that Batiste is a successful musician, but for some, he may be best known for being the band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
When Colbert produced The Colbert Report in 2014, the artist and Stay Human made their television debut on one of his programs. When the talk show host transitioned to producing The Late Show in 2015, it was revealed that they would serve as the house band.
Batiste and Stay Human have performed on the show alongside celebrities like John Legend, in addition to creating music to assist in introducing guests.