Jon Batiste announces ninth studio album
Verve/Interscope
Big Money will be available later this summer
Jon Batiste announces his new album, Big Money, out August 22nd via Verve/Interscope. Alongside the announcement, Batiste shares the album’s title track and official music video.
Batiste continues to defy categorization with the album—a bold, groove-driven statement about humanity, capitalism, and Americana. Stripping things down to their most essential elements, the album delivers a richly textured sound layered with spirit, irony, joy, and depth. Written and recorded mostly live in single takes over just two weeks, Big Money captures the raw immediacy of creative expression. The emphasis on collective energy and spontaneity draws on the roots of American music as a communal force and offers an antidote to modern disconnection.
At the heart of the album is its title track—a percussive, hook-laden anthem sparked by a moment of inspiration following Batiste’s 2024 performance at The Ryman Auditorium. He wrote the song on guitar before he even knew he was making a new album. On the surface, it’s an infectious call for ambition. Beneath the rhythm, it’s a layered meditation on capitalism, survival, and what we choose to value.
“This is the circus of love. Under our tent, there is revival and joy,” Batiste says. “You don't lose your soul—you gain it. When Mama says, ‘Don’t be a dummy, everybody chasing that Big Money,’ Mama is pushing you, while warning you. It cuts both ways.”
The track, anchored by Batiste’s guitar and retro-soul revivalist Nick Waterhouse, is brought to life by the soaring vocals of The Womack Sisters—a rising trio and granddaughters of soul legend Sam Cooke—who echo the refrain: “Might as well live for something you can feel…something that’s real.”
Batiste co-produced the album with longtime creative confidant Dion “No ID” Wilson. Other collaborators include Andra Day, Randy Newman, and a tight-knit group of musicians, songwriters, and engineers. Rather than aiming for polish, the sessions prioritized feel and presence—capturing performances in real time and preserving their imperfections as part of the record’s spiritual DNA.
Anchored by lyricism, heart, and the power of collaboration, BIG MONEY reframes and recasts Americana for a new generation—drawing on Batiste’s New Orleans roots, his gospel and protest music lineage, and his love of raw, immediate expression. The sonic palette spans blues, soul, reggae, and minimalist balladry, daring to classify them all as part of a new, evolving genre: New Americana.
Earlier this year, Batiste made headlines for his powerful performance of the National Anthem at the 2025 Super Bowl, which brought his singular artistry to one of America’s most-watched stages. He also took home two Grammy Awards—Best Music Film for the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary American Symphony, and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “It Never Went Away,” the Oscar-nominated track he co-wrote with Dan Wilson for the film.
Big Money follows Beethoven Blues, released November 15th via Verve/Interscope. The album marked Batiste’s biggest sales week, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart and No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart. It also entered the Billboard 200 at No. 64—his highest debut on the chart and his fifth career entry. Beethoven Blues held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums chart for nine consecutive weeks and topped the Billboard Classical Albums chart for five weeks. Showcasing his interpretations of Beethoven’s most iconic works through an expansive and innovative lens, the album expands the boundaries of classical music by infusing it with spontaneity, soul, and inclusivity.
Batiste will support Big Money with a national headlining run, The Big Money Tour: Jon Batiste Plays America, kicking off August 27th in Kansas City, MO. The tour will stop at more than 30 venues nationwide, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Grand Ole Opry, and a co-headline date with Diana Ross at The Muny in St. Louis, MO.
Lean On My Love featuring Andra Day
Big Money
Lonely Avenue featuring Randy Newman
Petrichor
Do It All Again
Pinnacle
At All
Maybe
Angels featuring No ID & Billy Bob Bo Bob
