Jon Batiste

Jonathan Michael Batiste has established himself as one of contemporary music's most versatile and accomplished practitioners — a classically trained musician equally comfortable commanding a television studio orchestra, collaborating with genre-spanning superstars, or composing for the silver screen. Born November 11, 1986, Batiste's musical journey has been marked by a commitment to artistic excellence across multiple disciplines. His reputation as a bandleader crystallized during his seven-year tenure as the musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he helmed the house band Stay Human from 2015 to 2022, while simultaneously serving as music director of The Atlantic and creative director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Beyond his television work, Batiste has built an impressive discography and collaborative résumé. He has recorded and performed alongside an enviable roster of artists including Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lana Del Rey, and Lauryn Hill, among many others. His compositional work reached new heights with his co-authorship of the score for Pixar's Soul (2020) alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a collaboration that earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy Award, and BAFTA. His subsequent solo album We Are (2021) claimed Album of the Year honors at the Grammy Awards, cementing his status as a major creative force in contemporary music.
Batiste's accolades extend far beyond these major achievements — he has accumulated eight Grammy Awards from 25 nominations, a testament to his sustained artistic relevance and critical acclaim. His recent work includes a 2023 documentary, American Symphony, which chronicles his composition of his first symphony, and a 2024 turn in Jason Reitman's comedy-drama Saturday Night, where he both acted as musician Billy Preston and composed the film's score. Through his multifaceted career, Batiste has established himself as a vital voice in contemporary music — one who bridges classical training with popular reach and demonstrates that artistic ambition need not be confined to a single discipline.