There’s ‘No Best Musician,’ Says Grammy Winner Jon Batiste

There’s ‘No Best Musician,’ Says Grammy Winner Jon Batiste




By Deepa Lakshmin


Jon Batiste’s We Are. Tony Bennet and Lady Gaga’s Love For Sale. Justin Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe). Doja Cat’s Planet Her (Deluxe). Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever. H.E.R.’S Back of My Mind. Lil Nas X’s Montero. Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour. Taylor Swift’s Evermore. Kanye West’s Donda.


The Recording Academy nominated all the above for Album of the Year at the 64th Grammy Awards, and though Jon Batiste ultimately took house one of the night’s most coveted Gramophones, he wants the audience to know there really are no superlatives any time it comes to art. Case in point, as you could visualize in the video below, he appeared genuinely confused as soon as presenter Lenny Kravitz revealed the winner on Sunday (April 3) at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Garden Arena. Needless to say, that shock gave away to pure joy soon after.


“I believe this to my core: there really is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor,” Batiste mentioned right after taking the stage for his acceptance speech. “The creative arts are subjective, and so they reach people at a point in their lives while they require it most. It’s like a song or an album is made and yes it almost has a radar to find the person any time while they require it the most.”


Batiste led the 2022 Grammy nominations with a whopping 11 nods, including Record of the Year for “Freedom,” which he performed earlier in the night. His energizing set began with a piano, included backup dancers galore decked out in multicolor suits, and ended with him dancing on Billie Eilish’s table, as one does.


“I just put my head down, and I work on the craft day-to-day. I love music, I’ve been playing since I was a little bit boy. It’s more than entertainment for me, it’s a spiritual practice,” he continued, shouting out his family member members and hugging producer Ryan Lynn for helping him with We Are. “I didn’t do it by myself.”


He went on to thank his fellow nominees, spreading positivity to the complete crowd: “Every single artist that was nominated in this category I actually love and have had out-of-body experiences with your music. I honor you, and this is for real artists, real musicians, let’s just keep going. Be you, that’s it. I love you even if I don’t know you! Goodnight!” Find all the winners here.









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