Virtuoso pianist but also multi-instrumentalist, civil rights activist, Oscar-winning composer, this musical genius is only 36 years old but has already recorded with the biggest stars of American song, from Stevie Wonder to Prince, passing by country legend Willie Nelson.

He is "an artist who transcends generations, the music of Jon Batiste inspires and brings people together", commented Vanessa Valdivia, spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden.

"We are thrilled to have him perform at the White House for the Biden-Harris administration's first state dinner," she continued.

Navigating between pop and soul, Jon Batiste comes from a family of musicians from New Orleans, a once French city in Louisiana, where Emmanuel Macron will go on Friday for a visit dedicated to the Francophonie.

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

He is also the creative director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and received an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Bafta in 2021 for the soundtrack of "Soul", a Pixar animated film, co-written with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Favorite of the 2022 vintage of the Grammy Awards, jazzman Jon Batiste won five awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022 © Patrick T. FALLON / AFP

This discreet artist also won five awards in April at the 64th edition of the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, including that of best album.

Social justice

Born on November 11, 1986 in Louisiana, Jon Batiste began to practice music as a family from childhood, first drums and percussion.

He quickly favored the piano, releasing his first album, "Times in New Orleans" in 2005 when he was not yet 20 years old.

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.

Jon Batiste on stage at the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022 © VALERIE MACON / AFP

He has become one of the big names in 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 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 police officer in the spring of 2020.

In March 2021, he released his eighth studio album "We Are" which addresses themes of hope and togetherness.

The artist had described his album, a fusion of jazz, soul, hip-hop and R&B, as "the highlight of (his) life at this stage".

© 2022 AFP