Jon Batiste on his Super Bowl performance and the need to be authentically himself

Boston Globe

31-03-2025

'I've been telling folks who knew me back then 'Who would've thought?' When I [lived in New Orleans], I worked in the Superdome for a week selling hot dogs and nachos and now [to] be a part of this historic moment, to be back home' was tremendously meaningful, Batiste says, pointing to the importance of what that moment represented at this moment in America.
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'The Super Bowl is one of the things that we all connect around and tune into. Trombone Shorty and I grew up playing together in the Maple Leaf Bar and I was sitting on the 50 yard line and he's there with Lauren Daigle–who's a great friend of mine as well–and they did 'America The Beautiful,'' says Batiste. 'It just meant so much for so many reasons.'
Batiste's instincts guided him well long before the Super Bowl. In addition to his work on Colbert's show, he has released eight studio albums, won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his original score for the 2020 Disney-Pixar film 'Soul,' and currently serves as the Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Batiste says that every endeavor requires a certain amount of attention and care. 'My process is always about being present in the moment. Whatever is in front of me is the thing that I'm giving my whole self to, and I'm authentic about it,' he explains. 'I've studied the craft of all of the things that I'm involved with and I continue to study the craft, but it's also about figuring out how to bring my one of a kind self. There's only one perspective and that is Jon Batiste's perspective.'
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His point of view was especially poignant in 'American Symphony,' which
'It's just a part of life that I've learned…everybody has their own version of it. By being vulnerable and opening your life up, it then allows for other people to see their life in what you're going through,' he says. 'It brings us all closer to each other in my own personal community, and then the world at large... Just because you see me on stage and I may be celebrated in a certain way, it doesn't mean that my life is any different to you on the basic level.'
The day after his Super Bowl appearance, Batiste released the two-track project 'My United State,' featuring 'Star-Spangled Blues' and 'Notes From My Future Self.' At his Boston show, Batiste plans on bringing those songs to life. He's also excited about performing tracks from 'Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),' which reimagines the German pianist's work. Being a connoisseur in a variety of genres, including jazz, roots, pop, and R&B, means challenging perceptions of what it means to be a Black male musician.
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Not only has Batiste embraced his idiosyncrasies, but his successful career proves the infinite power of showcasing the multidimensionality of Black folks. 'I feel like we have so many visions of who we are that don't serve us. The truth of it is…with this system, there's so much that is built to not really give you insight into the true nature of who we are. If you're not from [the Black community], you have to put effort into it to really get to a space where you can see [how stereotypes are perpetuated]. Otherwise, you're going to believe the lie.'
Batiste's quirky nature was captured in his 2021 video for the song 'Freedom,' which featured the singer sporting a pink pastel suit and vibrantly dancing in his visual love letter to New Orleans. He says that the spirited persona fans saw in 'Freedom' embodies him perfectly. 'Just by being true to myself, I clash with those perceptions [against Black people]. If the value for me is to represent what I believe is the best of us, then I'm already breaking through any of those limiting, toxic beliefs by just existing,' he says.
Batiste understands that he'll continue to be placed under a microscope because of his identity, but it simply gives him more fuel for his art. 'I know that I meet pushback just by being the authentic version of myself and representing the highest of who we are. I'm not really trying to go out there and make people see something. I'm existing as the thing that I know that we are and I'm representing that–y'all need to keep up.'
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JON BATISTE
8 p.m., $182+, Saturday, April 5, Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston,