| We Are | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 2021 (2021-03-19) | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:01 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Jon Batiste chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from We Are | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Albumism |   [1] |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| The Spill Magazine | [4] |
We Are (stylized inall caps) is the sixth studio album byJon Batiste. It was released onVerve Records on March 19, 2021.[5] In April 2022,We Are wonAlbum of the Year at the64th Annual Grammy Awards; it earned Batiste nine nominations in total, with five wins.[6]
Following the 64th Annual Grammy Awards,We Are reached its peak at number 25 on the USBillboard 200 with 18,000album equivalent units.[7]
Batiste began working on the album in late 2019, making it in his dressing room over six days in September and finishing it by mid-2020. While largely written and recorded prior to the events of 2020, the album's lyrical and thematic content reflects such events as the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic and his involvement in 2020, leadingBlack Lives Matterprotests inNew York after themurder of George Floyd andkilling of Breonna Taylor.[5][8]
On June 12, 2020, he released the single "We Are", featuring the band from hisNew Orleansalma mater, theSt. Augustine High School Marching 100.[9]
As part ofRecord Store Day 2020, Batiste released a limited edition EP titledWe Are: Roots & Traditions.[10]
The album also featuresMavis Staples,Zadie Smith,PJ Morton, andTrombone Shorty.[11][5]
Speaking toAtwood Magazine, Batiste describedWe Are as "a representation of genreless music that's just about the story" and "a culmination of my life to this point".[5]
Batiste released a deluxe edition of the album on October 15, 2021.[12]
Grammy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Album of the Year | We Are | Won | [13] |
| Best R&B Album | Nominated | |||
| Record of the Year | "Freedom" | Nominated | ||
| Best Music Video | Won | |||
| Best Traditional R&B Performance | "I Need You" | Nominated | ||
| Best American Roots Performance | "Cry" | Won | ||
| Best American Roots Song | Won | |||
| Best Contemporary Classical Composition | Batiste: Movement 11' | Nominated |
All tracks are written by Jon Batiste, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Are" (featuring St. Augustine High School Marching 100, David Gauthier, Gospel Soul Children, Craig Adams, Braedon Gautier, Brennan Gautier, Autumn Rowe) |
| 4:24 |
| 2. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:21 | |
| 3. | "Cry" |
| 3:57 |
| 4. | "I Need You" |
| 2:37 |
| 5. | "Whatchutalkinbout" | 2:21 | |
| 6. | "Boy Hood" (featuringPJ Morton,Trombone Shorty) |
| 4:26 |
| 7. | "Movement 11'" | 2:01 | |
| 8. | "Adulthood" (featuring Hot 8 Brass Band) | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Mavis" | Mavis Staples | 0:20 |
| 10. | "Freedom" |
| 2:58 |
| 11. | "Show Me the Way" (featuringZadie Smith) | 3:40 | |
| 12. | "Sing" |
| 3:07 |
| 13. | "Until" | 1:03 | |
| Total length: | 37:56 | ||
All tracks are written by Jon Batiste, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Need You" |
| 2:35 |
| 2. | "Freedom" |
| 2:57 |
| 3. | "Cry" |
| 3:55 |
| 4. | "Boy Hood" (featuringPJ Morton,Trombone Shorty) |
| 4:25 |
| 5. | "Sing" (featuringTori Kelly) |
| 3:11 |
| 6. | "We Are" (featuring St. Augustine High School Marching 100, David Gauthier, Gospel Soul Children, Craig Adams, Braedon Gautier, Brennan Gautier, Autumn Rowe) |
| 4:24 |
| 7. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:22 | |
| 8. | "Adulthood" (featuringBJ the Chicago Kid) | 3:43 | |
| 9. | "Whatchutalkinbout" | 2:19 | |
| 10. | "Mavis" | Staples | |
| 11. | "Freedom" (Big Freedia Remix) |
| 2:52 |
| 12. | "Tell the Truth" (Uptown Remix - featuring Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the Mardi Gras Indian Show, Michael Batiste) | 3:15 | |
| 13. | "Movement 11'" | 2:01 | |
| 14. | "Work It Out" | 3:04 | |
| 15. | "Adulthood" (featuring Hot 8 Brass Band) | 3:42 | |
| 16. | "Show Me the Way" (featuringZadie Smith) | 3:40 | |
| 17. | "Sing" |
| 3:09 |
| 18. | "We Are" (Montmartre Remix - featuring Abi Bernadoth) | 3:19 | |
| 19. | "Until" | 1:04 | |
| Total length: | 57:27 | ||
| Chart (2021–2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Jazz and Blues Albums (ARIA)[21] | 1 |
| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[22] | 5 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 191 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 175 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] | 81 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[27] | 61 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] | 66 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[29] | 92 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 39 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[31] | 25 |
| USBillboard 200[32] | 25 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] | 14 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USTop Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[34] | 9 |
| Chart (2021) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Jazz and Blues Albums (ARIA)[35] | 28 |