Forget labels, we're all one, says Grammy nominee Jon Batiste

LONDON: American musician Jon Batiste says he set out to break the confines of genre in his new album, mixing styles and working with the likes of gospel singer Mavis Staples, guitarist Cory Wong and author Zadie Smith.

The award winning jazz musician from Louisiana last week released "We Are", described by Vanity Fair as "a vivid turn from straight jazz to joyful, danceable pop and neo-soul". "The album is something that I have not heard done in popular music, which is defying the construct of genre, which I think has pigeonholed a lot of artists," Batiste told Reuters in a Zoom interview from his New Jersey home.