Moments before Jon Batiste accepted the Grammy for album of the year, he was still thinking about the performance he had 20 minutes prior.
“We worked on this performance from Wednesday until that Sunday. As you saw in that performance, I just gave it everything. So, I was kind of in this sedated state, where I was like ‘Okay, we have one more award left. I’m just going to have a good time now,’ and then they said…I basically was like, oh, I’m still on. They said we are and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get back to the vibe,'” Batiste told “CBS Mornings” in his first interview since the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
He won five Grammys, including album of the year, the most prestigious award category. He said the win felt surreal and was a lot to process.
In his acceptance speech, he called music a spiritual practice.
“I didn’t know what else to say other than to say what I said was on my heart in that moment, and I think there’s a lot of people out there who a day later are writing into me and telling me those words… on that night were a combination of so many people’s experiences. So many artists out there who were putting it out there and being rejected time and time again, being themselves, just to see, you can be yourself and you can win,” he said.
The bandleader of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” announced on “CBS Sunday Morning” that he and author Suleika Jaouad were secretly married in February.
Jaouad recently had a bone marrow transplant so the couple has not had time to celebrate their wedding—something Batiste looks forward to doing with her once she is healthier.
“I’m waiting for the opportunity to have a vacation and honeymoon because we’re in a bit of a different, it’s an unusual scenario for newlyweds,” he said.
Up next for Batiste is the premiere of his “American Symphony” performance at Carnegie Hall on May 7. Batiste gave a preview of what to expect.
“If a symphony orchestra was invented in the 21st century, what music would they play? Who would be in the orchestra and how would that look, how would that feel?” he said. “I am excited to premier this. There’s nothing I ever heard like this.”
