At 37, this New Orleans singer, pianist, conductor and civil rights activist is a musical prophet.
He lends himself to the “Autopromo” interview game for us.
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My news?
My album
World Music Radio
, which I conceived as an antidote to the gloom of the times.
My goal is to instill a contagious desire to dance.
Sometimes the awakening of the spirit comes through the body.
I'm looking for a universal language and the logical continuation of this record was to compose a symphony that I called
American Symphony
.
The documentary of the same name on Netflix retraces the stages of this creation.
This is a declaration of love to my wife, the writer Suleika Jaouad.
She is fighting cancer, but writing and painting carry her through.
The healing power of art is extraordinary.
How do my works resonate with my current mood?
I studied music at the Juilliard School in New York: I am a jazzman, but I also explore classical music, soul, rap and Indian scales.
In this album and this symphony, I brought together musicians from the different musical styles present in the United States, a country founded on multi-ethnicity and a cultural background that I want to highlight.
What defines me as an artist?
I am an activist convinced that culture is a powerful vector of peace in the world.
All the musical events that I have organized, intended to bring together heterogeneous audiences, have gone beyond my hopes.
I started at the conservatory and continue in the streets alongside my orchestra, Stay Human, with whom I organize musical processions on the sidewalks of cities around the world.
Still the sacred fire?
Always !
As Bob Dylan says, people need storytelling and rhythm that captures attention.
That’s what rap does, conveying prose and emotion.
Its strength lies in the oral tradition and the images it sends back – political, stylistic, community.
The goal is to enrich it because it is the music in which the younger generation recognizes itself.
I am an activist convinced that culture is a powerful vector of peace in the world
Jon Batiste
What do I like people to say about my work?
That I help to make the invisible visible, in the same way as other artists: Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, the painter Kehinde Wiley… A page is turned in History, and people are in search of identity.
By coming into contact with a work, they identify themselves.
Art heals the feeling of exclusion and anger.
It allows us to integrate other visions.
Do I often lie in interviews?
Never.
The foundation of art is the quest for authenticity.
There is nothing more pathetic than an artist who lies.
A misunderstanding about me?
I won five Grammys and an Oscar… One could conclude from this that I managed to convey messages that are close to my heart.
It's not always the case.
For example, I hate the way some people use the term
world music
as a drawer to keep artists as brilliant as Rosalía.
She's a global pop star, but she's "only" won Grammys in the Latin artist category.
It's very reductive.
We must enrich rap, because it is the music in which the young generation recognizes itself
Jon Batiste
What am I going to do after this interview?
I am currently finishing a Broadway musical about the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
I composed it inspired by his paintings and by discussing with his family, to whom I am very close.
World Music Radio,
ED.
Universal.
American Symphony,
by Matthew Heineman, on Netflix.