Jon Batiste’s talents as a bandleader are on show once again with World Music Radio, the U.S. musician’s collaboration-jammed new album.
The multi-hyphenate, Grammy Award-winning artist dropped World Music Radio at the stroke of midnight, an LP that clocks-in at more than one hour and features assists from Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, Kenny G and others.
“World Music Radio is a concept album that takes place in the interstellar regions of the universe,” Batiste explained earlier in June, with the announcement of the new studio effort. “The listener is led through the album by an interstellar traveling griot named Billy Bob Bo Bob, who takes you sonically all around the world at the speed of light.”
In addition to Del Rey, Lil Wayne, and Kenny G, the album boasts guest spots with Jon Bellion, Fireboy DML, J.I.D., NewJeans, and is executive produced by Batiste, Bellion and Ryan Lynn.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this project. I’m so grateful to all my collaborators,” he says in a new piece-to-camera, posted at launch.
World Music Radio arrives two years after Batiste made history as the first Black artist to win the Grammy for album of the year in 14 years, when he triumphed in the category for his genre-spanning We Are.
He was nominated for 11 awards at the 2022 Grammys, more than any other artist, winning a total of five on the night, adding to a collection that already boasts an Academy Award for best original score thanks to his work on 2020’s Soul alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails.
Batiste is familiar to millions of night-owls as the former bandleader on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which he exited last year after seven seasons to focus on his work.
The jazz master has landed two titles on the Billboard 200: 2014’s Social Music (No. 134, as Jon Batiste & Stay Human) and 2021’s We Are (No. 25).
Stream World Music Radio below.
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