Jon Batiste's Speech for Grammys 2022 Album of the Year Deserves a Standing Ovation

Jon Batiste beat out Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and more for 2022 Grammys Album of the Year! Get the details on his moving speech.

By Brett Malec Apr 04, 2022 3:40 AMTags
Watch: Jon Batiste Breaks Into Song Mid-Interview at Grammys 2022

Jon Batiste is a Grammy winner many times over.

The singer took home the Album of the Year trophy for We Are during the 2022 Grammys ceremony in Las Vegas on April 3, beating out some stiff competition.

Batiste was nominated against Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's Love for Sale, Justin Bieber's JusticeDoja Cat's Planet Her, Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever, H.E.R.'s Back of My Mind, Lil Nas X's Montero, Olivia Rodrigo's Sour, Taylor Swift's Evermore and Kanye West's Donda.

During his acceptance speech, the performer received applause and a standing ovation for his moving words.

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

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Batiste continued, "I'd like to thank God. I just put my head down and I work on the craft every day. I love music, I've been playing since I was a little boy. It's more than entertainment for me, it's a spiritual practice. There's so many people that went into making this album, my grandfather is on the album, my nephew, my dad is here."

Francis Specker/CBS

He concluded, "Every single artist that was nominated in this category I actually love and have had out-of-body experiences with your music. I honor you and this is for real artists, real musicians. Let's just keep going. Be you!"

Batiste also won Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for "Cry," Best Music Video for "Freedom" and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Soul.

For a full recap of the 2024 Grammy Awards, visit E! Online's Grammys page for every photo, winner and OMG moment.