New Orleans native Jon Batiste, along with come-and-go resident Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross took home the Golden Globe Award for best original score Sunday, February 28, 2021. The co-composer, Batiste informed viewers, while thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press,  “We only have one life to live and one soul, and this soul is happy today.” In addition to thanking his co-composers, Batiste also thanked Jamie Foxx for his contributions. Trent Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails frontman who has composed film scores including The Social Network, followed up afterwards saying this was the “first piece of art” he can share with his children.

Tracy Morgan took social media heat for mispronouncing the Disney Pixar film title but Batiste’s pre-taped acceptance followed immediately after.  Batiste’s colleague, Stephen Colbert, congratulated Batiste on Twitter for his well-deserved win. (Jon Batiste is current bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert).

Soul introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions. Directed by Academy Award-winner Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up), co-directed by Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short Lou), Soul also stars the voice talents of Phylicia Rashad, Questlove and Daveed Diggs.

The film is currently available on the Disney + streaming platform. Jon Batiste recently released the single “I Need You,” via Apple Music.