Jon Batiste sings for Macron at Biden’s first state dinner

Musician Jon Batiste will perform at President Joe Biden’s first state dinner at the White House on Thursday, highlighting the longstanding relationship between the United States and France and honoring President Emmanuel Macron.

Vanessa Valdivia, a spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden, whose office oversees dinner preparations, said: “An artist who crosses generations, Jon Batiste’s music is inspirational and cohesive. everyone together.

“We’re thrilled to have him perform at the White House at the Biden-Harris administration’s first state dinner,” Valdivia said.

Batiste, 36, most recently bandleader and music director of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, has left the broadcast after seven years.

He won five Grammys earlier this year, including Album of the Year for We Are.

Batiste composed, consulted, and arranged the songs for the Pixar animated film Soul.

He won a Golden Globe for music alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails. The trio also won an Academy Award for best original score.