Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste is an American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist born on November 11, 1986, in Kenner, Louisiana, part of the extended musical Batiste family that has shaped New Orleans music for generations. He grew up alongside fellow New Orleans musician Trombone Shorty and began performing professionally at a young age, touring with jazz figures such as Wynton Marsalis, Louis Hayes, and Roy Hargrove before establishing his own career.

Batiste became widely known as the bandleader of Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a role that brought his genre-blurring musicianship to a nightly television audience. His artistry draws deeply on his New Orleans jazz roots while freely incorporating R&B, pop, gospel, and hip-hop influences, reflecting a restless, eclectic approach to composition and performance. This range is evident across songs like «FREEDOM», «I NEED YOU», and «Butterfly», which move fluidly between celebratory, groove-driven material and more introspective, soulful work.

Beyond his television role, Batiste has built a career as a composer and collaborator across film, television, and popular music, with tracks such as «WE ARE», «Uneasy», and «Drink Water» further showcasing his range. His work consistently bridges jazz tradition with contemporary popular music, positioning him as one of the more genre-fluid figures in modern American music.