Multi-GRAMMY® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste invites the world to experience the marriage of hard-hitting pop songs to a rich tapestry of international sounds on his highly anticipated album, World Music Radio, released today via Verve Records/Interscope Records. The album is accompanied by the music video for standout track, ‘Uneasy,’, described as “Fresh and daring” by The Guardian, featuring Lil Wayne, who shows off his masterful guitar skills and raps a verse on the song. Listen to the album HERE and watch the “Uneasy” video HERE.
Jon Batiste delves into the profound question: Isn’t all music, in essence, world music? Drawing inspiration from Batiste’s 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.
Of World Music Radio, Jon 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.”
On World Music Radio, Jon Batiste reaches new artistic heights by collaborating with a diverse range of global talents on the album. Collaborators include GRAMMY-nominated producer Jon Bellion as well as renowned artists such as Lil Wayne, Lana Del Rey, Kenny G, Fireboy DML, J.I.D, Camilo, NewJeans, and more.
The release of this pivotal project comes with the dynamic visuals for the track “Uneasy,” Batiste’s collaboration with Lil Wayne. The music video for this melody exquisitely compliments this collaboration between the two musicians — with Lil Wayne’s snappy verses and incendiary guitar solo providing the perfect juxtaposition for Batiste’s smooth-as-butter vocals and bright piano scoring. The “Uneasy” video is out now HERE.
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 Album of the Year. His career-spanning fourteen nominations across seven categories is not only a first in GRAMMY history, it also proves his ability to defy genres; an assertion of which he undeniably upholds within this newest musical endeavor. The New York Times exclaims the project is “a fantastical concept album that challenges music’s provincial genre borders, with a message of open-armed inclusivity for a fractured political era.””
In 2020, Batiste was honored with an Academy Award 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. This summer, Batiste also released his single “Be Who You Are” for the Coke Studio™ program.
Tracklist:
- Hello, Billy Bob
- Raindance (ft. Native Soul)
- Be Who You Are (ft. J.I.D, NewJeans, Camilo)
- Worship
- My Heart (ft. Rita Payés)
- Drink Water (ft. Jon Bellion, Fireboy DML)
- Calling Your Name
- Clair De Lune (ft. Kenny G)
- Butterfly
- 17th Ward Prelude
- Uneasy (ft. Lil Wayne)
- CALL NOW (504-305-8269) (ft. Michael Batiste)
- Chassol
- BOOM FOR REAL
- MOVEMENT 18’ (Heroes)
- Master Power
- Running Away (ft. Leigh-Anne)
- Goodbye, Billy Bob
- White Space
- Wherever You Are
- (Bonus track) Life Lesson (ft. Lana Del Rey)