In 2007, at the age of 20, Batiste made his debut at the
Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam, producing and performing his own show. He conducted music clinics, classes, and workshops throughout the Netherlands in inner-city schools and underprivileged neighborhoods. He was invited to
Carnegie Hall to produce and perform in his own show, with six young musicians from the Netherlands. The performance concluded with a finale he composed for choir, jazz combo and orchestral instruments. In the following years, Batiste released a number of music projects, including
Social Music (2013), which spent over a month at the top of the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts;
The Late Show EP (2016) with
Stay Human; and a holiday album,
Christmas with Jon Batiste (2016). In 2017, he released the singles "Ohio" with
Leon Bridges and
Gary Clark Jr., as well as "
Battle Hymn of the Republic" for
The Atlantic. Batiste's cover of "St. James Infirmary Blues" was nominated for a Grammy in 2019, in the category of
Best American Roots Performance. Batiste's debut solo album,
Hollywood Africans, was released by
Verve Records in September 2018. "Don't Stop" served as the lead single. Leading up to the album release, he completed a Summer Festival tour across the U.S. with
the Dap-Kings. Batiste's career performances include a tribute to
Chuck Berry and
Fats Domino during the
60th annual Grammy Awards (performing alongside
Gary Clark Jr.); the Kennedy Center Honors' tribute to
Carmen De Lavallade; the Concert for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama; the National Anthem at the
2017 NBA All Star Game; and Opening Night of the 2017 US Open. He has curated the
Global Citizen Advocacy Concert with
Tom Morello and the
Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, N.Y. Batiste was cast in the
HBO television series
Treme, appearing as himself in seasons 2, 3, and 4. He was also cast as T.K. Hazelton in director Spike Lee's film,
Red Hook Summer, Batiste named the band
Stay Human, which draws its moniker from the belief that human interaction during a live musical performance can uplift humanity in the midst of the "plug in, tune out" nature of modern society. The band leads impromptu street performances, which Batiste calls "love riots". Notable artists were often seen accompanying Batiste, including
Wynton Marsalis. In 2011, Stay Human released the album
MY N.Y., which was recorded in its entirety on
New York City Subway trains, an idea that came to Batiste after questioning how to connect with people. On April 22, 2017, the band played for the
March for Science rally at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. In 2014, Batiste and Stay Human appeared on
The Colbert Report to perform the group's single, "Express Yourself", written and produced with
Austin Bis.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert On June 4, 2015, it was announced that Jon Batiste and Stay Human would serve as the house band on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The show premiered on CBS on September 8, 2015.
Juneteenth 2020 celebration In June 2020, Batiste took part in the
Juneteenth celebration in Brooklyn, New York with a day of protests, marches, rallies, and vigils to "celebrate, show solidarity, and fight for equal rights and treatment of Black people." Performing on the steps of the
Brooklyn Public Library, Batiste was joined by
Matt Whitaker in a performance presented in partnership with
Sing For Hope. When questioned as to the differences he sees in the present movement for change and its connection to music, Batiste responded by saying: "...music has always been something that has had all of the different purposes of our life and our community and our healing and our unspoken painand the transmission of messages and the raising awareness of a condition of a people. [...] What's different, now, is that it's much more widespread in the support of changing the systemic oppression that's been going on for 400 years." He believes, "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."
Soul and We Are Batiste composed music for the 2020 film
Soul, collaborating with
Trent Reznor and
Atticus Ross. The trio went on to win the
Academy Award for Best Original Score and a
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, among many other wins and nominations. On March 19, 2021, Batiste released
We Are, his fifth solo studio album. Speaking to
Atwood Magazine, he described it as "a culmination of my life, to this point" and "the most representative of where I am, as a creative, and as an artist". In October 2021, he made a surprise performance at night singing "
Like a Prayer" in the streets of
Harlem, along with
Madonna, promoting the release of her
concert film Madame X. At the
64th Grammy Awards, Batiste earned 11 nominations: eight for
We Are, and three for
Soul. Of the 11 nominations, Batiste won five awards, including
Album of the Year,
World Music Radio In June 2023, Batiste announced a new album
World Music Radio. A concept album, it was released on August 18, 2023. Some of the album's featured artists include
Lana Del Rey,
Lil Wayne,
NewJeans, and
JID. The album was also supported by a single, "Calling Your Name".
American Symphony On September 22, 2022, Batiste conducted the premiere of his composition
American Symphony at
Carnegie Hall, New York. A review in
Variety concluded: "It wasn't just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste's story, and he made a handsome orchestral debut of that story at Carnegie Hall, in a truly shining hour." In 2023, Batiste was featured in the documentary film
American Symphony, directed by
Matthew Heineman, executive produced by
Barack and Michelle Obama, which records the process of Batiste composing his first symphony, while his wife,
Suleika Jaouad, suffers the return of her leukemia. A review in
The Post-Standard characterized it as a "Modern maestro ... display[ing] his magic". In November 2024, Batiste performed at the
National Book Awards in New York City as a musical guest. In February 2025, Batiste performed the national anthem at
Super Bowl LIX accompanied by deaf actress
Stephanie Nogueras in
American Sign Language.
Big Money In August 2025, Batiste's seventh album,
Big Money, was released. Batiste performed songs in various genres, such as blues, R&B, and classic rock and featured collaborations with
Andra Day,
No I.D., and
Randy Newman. == Influences and music style ==