After a number of surprises at Sunday night’s 2022 Grammy Awards, perhaps the biggest came in the evening’s final category, where underdog Jon Batiste took home the coveted album of the year trophy for his record We Are.
Presented his award by Lenny Kravitz, Batiste took to the stage dressed in a fully bedazzled cape with a look of shock on his face. Despite being nominated for the most awards at Sunday’s ceremony, Batiste was facing stiff competition from artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X and more. “Wow, thank you,” he said breathlessly.
The singer, known to many for his work with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, immediately took the opportunity to thank the people who found meaning within his album. “You know, I really, I believe this to my core: There is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor,” he said. “The creative arts are subjective, and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most. A song or an album is made, and it almost has a radar to find the person when they need it the most.”
After thanking God, his collaborators — including his grandfather, nephews and his father, all of whom appear on We Are — Batiste took a moment to thank the other artists nominated in his category. “Every single artist nominated in this category, I actually love and have had out-of-body experiences with your music, I honor you,” he said. “This is for real artists and real musicians — let’s just keep going. Be you, that’s it. I love you even if I don’t know you, good night!”
Batiste was nominated for 11 awards at Sunday’s ceremony, more than any other artist. By the end of the night, the star had won five trophies, including best American roots performance and song, best music video and and an unprecedented tie for best score soundtrack for visual media for his work on Soul, tying with The Queen’s Gambit.