Isn’t all music, in essence, world music?
Multiple GRAMMY® and Oscar® Award-winning musician Jon Batiste recently announced his highly anticipated album, World Music Radio. The album is set to be released on 18 August via Verve Records/Interscope Records, accompanied by the music video for standout track, “Uneasy”, featuring Lil Wayne, who shows off his masterful guitar skills.
Of World Music Radio, Batiste says, “A range of collaborators in locations all across the globe made this a reality. There was a lot of joy in making this, and it definitely translates to the listening experience – and now to you.”
With an invitation to experience the marriage of hard hitting pop songs to a rich tapestry of international sounds, Batiste reaches new artistic heights by collaborating with a diverse range of global talents on the album. Artists include Jon Bellion, Lil Wayne, Lana Del Rey, Kenny G, Fireboy DML, JID, Camilo, NewJeans, and more. Together, they transcend the confines of traditional genres by blurring sonic boundaries and effortlessly transforming a Tuesday morning into a Saturday night. Lil Wayne’s snappy verses and incendiary guitar solo provides the perfect juxtaposition for Batiste’s smooth-as-butter vocals and bright piano scoring.
Alluding to the album, Batiste delves into the profound question: “Isn’t all music, in essence, world music?” Drawing inspiration from his mission to create community with the power of music, this album serves as a sonic passport for listeners’ ears, inviting them on a transformative musical journey meant for everyone.
Devoted to spreading the joy of music in his own community, Batiste also recently surprised students at Brooklyn Music School and the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra, telling them, “If you make something from your heart, somebody out there will feel it.”
The announcement of World Music Radio follows the success of Batiste’s historic and critically acclaimed album WE ARE, which swept the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards, winning five awards including prestigious Best Album. His career-spanning fourteen nominations across seven categories is not only a first in GRAMMY history, it also proves his ability to defy genres.
Of World Music Radio, the musician says, “I created this album with a feeling of liberation in my life and a renewed sense of exploration of my personhood, my craft and of the world around me unlike anything I had ever felt before.”
In 2020, he was honoured with an Academy Award® (Oscars®) for Best Original Score for his work on the Disney/Pixar film Soul, which he shared with fellow composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score won him a GRAMMY Award and also garnered him a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a NAACP Image Award, and a Critic’s Choice Award. Notably, Batiste became the second black composer in history, following the legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock, to win an Academy Award for composition. Earlier this month, he released his single “Be Who You Are” for the Coke Studio™ program.
For more information on Jon Batiste and World Music Radio, visit jonbatiste.com.
