Jon Batiste wants his music to make you fight climate change

Celebrated US musician Jon Batiste wants to use his music to fire up listeners to act against climate change, naming his new album after what he sees as the root of the problem — Big Money.

- GREGORY WALTON

The track Petrichor in particular is a call to arms for a younger generation who may have turned their backs on mainstream news and analysis about global warming.

“It was a warning set to a dance beat,” the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award-winning artist said.

“You know, it’s not just saying ‘this is a problem,’ but it’s also saying we can solve it, and it’s important when you're changing the world, you have a good time while you're doing it.”

As well as the influence of his climate activist mother Katherine, it was the experience of Hurricane Katrina which devastated Batiste’s native New Orleans 20 years ago that inspired him to advocate for the environment through his music.