Jon Batiste Shares ‘Cry’ Single
By Nate Todd Feb 12, 2021 • 3:59 pm PST

Photo by Julia Casey
Jon Batiste shared a new single, “Cry.” The song will land on the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s forthcoming album, We Are, arriving on March 19 via Verve Records.
Batiste heralded We Are in June 2020 with the title track in the midst of his activist work in New York City. In January, Jon released the video for the single “I Need You” and now follows with “Cry.” Inspired by Batiste’s farmer ancestors, “Cry” is what Jon calls “Black Folk,” as per a press release.
“When we think about folk and country music, we should think about our ancestors more,” Batiste said in a statement. “The ones who have been called into service to give us these sounds and these feelings. The country’s first farmers were indigenous and Black folks.”
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Fittingly, “Cry” features two generations of Batistes, Jon and his father Michael Batiste on bass. The track also sees contributions from Steve Jordan (drums), Emily King (vocals), Cory Wong (guitar), Robert Randolph (pedal steel guitar), Steve McEwan (acoustic guitar) and Sam Yehal (organ).
“Cry” arrived with an accompanying music video. Watch it below: