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Jon Batiste’s best New Orleans moments at the Grammys: Custom Saints suit and thank-you song | Music

April 5, 2022

New Orleans musician Jon Batiste won big at the Grammys and he brought his hometown along for the ride.

Batiste took home five awards during the 64th annual Grammy Awards, including the most prestigious prize of the night: album of the year, for his acclaimed “We Are.”

He charmed viewers with his stellar acceptance speech and his energetic performance. But for New Orleans, he brought a little something extra.

From his custom Dolce & Gabbana suit in black and gold to his thank-you song to fans in New Orleans, here are our favorite Jon Batiste moments from the Grammys.

black and gold suit

Batiste wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana suit that he said was done in New Orleans Saints’ colors of black and gold.

The sequined suit featured yellow and silver diamonds outlined in black, creating a black and gold motif.

“I wanted to bring home with me on the carpet,” he said on the red carpet with Laverne Cox, who was reporting for E!.

64th Annual Grammy Awards - Arrivals — Jon Batiste arrives at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jordan Strauss

He said his family was at the show, including his 89-year-old grandfather.

“What can I say? I’m just blessed,” he said.

Thank you song

Cox talked about Batiste’s roots in Louisiana and asked what he would like to say to his friends and fans watching at home in New Orleans. He responded with a little diddy.

“Thank ya thank ya for your love,” he blood.

Watch the video below (Can’t see it? Watch here.)

‘Be you’

Batiste’s acceptance speech for album of the year was one for the books, where he encouraged people to “be you.”

“I believe this to my core,” Batiste said. “There is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor…. The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most.

“It’s like a song or an album is made and it almost has a radar to find the person when they need it the most.”

Watch the full speech (Can’t see it? Watch here.)

“I was having such a good time,” Batiste said backstage after the show, describing the moment when Lenny Kravitz announced his best album victory. “I was hanging with my family, when my name came and the ‘We Are’ title was said by Lenny — such a full circle moment because we played together when I was 16. It was surreal.”

More shoutouts to New Orleans

JOHN BATISTE — Jon Batiste and members of the St. Augustine Marching 100, in an image from the video for his 2021 song “Freedom.” The video was shot in New Orleans over two days in April 2021.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Batiste’s video for “Freedom” showcased the music and culture of New Orleans, including the St. Augustine High School band marching through the city’s streets. He gave a public “thank you” to the people who were part of the video, including trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and the masking Indians.

“I want to thank everybody who was in the city of New Orleans on that day because our energy collectively created something so special,” he said.

Watch the video (Can’t see it? Watch here):

Shoutout from the governor

Batiste is a graduate of St. Aug and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and comes from a long line of musicians.

“Jon Batiste has been a tremendous ambassador for Louisiana, as an entertainer and as someone who truly cares about the people of our great state,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday.

side hustles

64th Annual Grammy Awards - Show — Jon Batiste performs “Freedom” at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Chris Pizzello

Batiste became the first musical director for The Atlantic magazine in 2017 and is co-creative director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He has been featured in ad campaigns for Chase, Apple, Lincoln and numerous fashion brands including Ralph Lauren, Barney’s, Nordstrom and H&M.

His song “Freedom” has been showcased across the NCAA Tournament and served as the face of New Orleans ahead of Saturday night’s Final Four in the Caesars Superdome. He also had a role in Spike Lee’s 2012 film “Red Hook Summer” and appeared as himself on the HBO television series “Treme.”

Batiste is literally the poster boy for the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Staff writer Keith Spera contributed to this story, along with The Associated Press.