Virtuoso pianist but also multi-instrumentalist, conductor, civil rights activist, Oscar-winning composer, this musical genius seems to tick all the boxes to lead the 64th edition of the Grammy Awards.

Jon Batiste, scion of a family of musicians from New Orleans, is only 35 years old but has already recorded with the biggest stars of American song, from Stevie Wonder to Prince via country legend Willie Nelson.

To many Americans, he is perhaps best known as the bandleader and musical director of the hugely popular television show "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

This genius musician is also the creative director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and last year received an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Bafta for the soundtrack of "Soul", animated film by Pixar, co-written with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

This discreet favorite, already an unsuccessful candidate for three Grammy Awards in the past, will have to win against superstars known throughout the world and on social networks such as Justin Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo, who will face him in the major categories. album of the year and recording of the year.

Jon Batiste on the Oscars red carpet where he received the trophy for best soundtrack for the animated film "Soul" in April 2021 Chris Pizzello POOL/AFP/Archives

Jon Batiste is also in the running in the most diversified categories: R&B, jazz, "American roots" (blues, folk, etc.) and even classical, with a nomination also for a music video.

"WOW!! Thank God!! I love EVERYONE! I'm so grateful to my co-workers and my ancestors," he tweeted last fall after the nominations were announced.

Social justice

Born on November 11, 1986 in Louisiana, Jon Batiste began playing music as a family as a child, first drums and percussion.

He quickly favored the piano, releasing at the age of 17 his first album, "Times in New Orleans".

Jon Batiste (l) represents the colors of Louisiana during a Thanksgiving parade in New York, November 25, 2021 Eugene Gologursky Getty/AFP/Archives

Classmate of trombonist Troy Andrews (who has performed with Lenny Kravitz and Nekfeu among others), Jon Batiste graduated from a famous New Orleans art school in 2004, before joining the prestigious Juilliard Academy in New York.

He has become one of the big names on the current jazz scene, taking part in numerous projects and performing all over the world.

In 2015, with his Stay Human orchestra, he became an unmissable event on Stephen Colbert's late-night show, exposing his music and talent to millions of viewers every evening.

More recently, Jon Batiste has also distinguished himself as an ardent activist for social justice and against racial discrimination, in particular during the demonstrations caused by the murder of George Floyd, a black man suffocated by a white policeman in the spring of 2020.

In March 2021, he released his eighth studio album "We Are", mostly written and recorded before this mobilization against police brutality and before the Covid-19 pandemic, but which nevertheless addresses the themes of hope and solidarity.

Nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards Nicolas RAMALLO AFP

"You know, music is something that speaks to emotion on a subconscious level. It's something we've all felt in 2020, and music brings that to the surface in a unique way." , he said last year to Atwood magazine.

"It's a universal language," said Jon Batiste.

The artist called his record, a fusion of jazz, soul, hip-hop and R&B, "the highlight of (his) life at this point".

© 2022 AFP