Jon Batiste was the featured musical guest on Wednesday’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden. For his appearance, the pianist and bandleader for that other late-night show performed “Freedom”, one of the new originals off his recently released solo album WE ARE.
Prior to the performance, Batiste first joined host James Corden for a brief interview where he discussed his new album and his recent mobile performance around New York City back in February, in addition to engaging in a “falsetto-off” with The Late Late Show bandleader Reggie Watts.
Batiste’s pre-filmed performance of “Freedom” which aired later on in the episode saw him stylishly dressed in a shiny pink suit. Batiste’s minimal performance space inside an empty New York City theater only included a microphone amplifier and a stack of television sets showing his backing singers, and he was not shy about expressing all the song’s energy through some pretty impressive dance moves while the music played along.
Related: Jon Batiste Performs New Solo Single “I NEED YOU” On ‘The Late Show’ [Watch]
Watch the performance and interview segment from Wednesday’s episode below.
Jon Batiste Falsetto-Off Versus Reggie Watts – The Late Late Show with James Corden
[Video: The Late Late Show with James Corden]
Jon Batiste – “Freedom” – The Late Late Show with James Corden
[Video: The Late Late Show with James Corden]
Jon Batiste was recently awarded a Golden Globe for his contributions to the score for the 2020 Pixar film Soul alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Batiste, Reznor, and Ross are also nominated in the “Best Original Score” category at the upcoming Academy Awards.