JON Batiste fans have spot a clue that the musician has a new project coming soon as the singer continues to be missing from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Late Show bandleader and musical director has been absent from the nightly show to take care of his wife Suleika Jaouad, 33, amid her battle with leukemia.
Jon Batiste with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert[/caption]
Songwriter Dianne Warren released a preview of her new single, Sweet, that features the Grammy-winning musician[/caption]
Acclaimed musician and songwriter Dianne Warren, 65, posted a lyrical video for the new single Sweet on her Instagram.
Writer of nine Billboard Hot 100 number one songs, such as Celine Dion’s Because You Loved Me and Aerosmith’s Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, the Grammy award-winning artist captioned the post, “Have you streamed the new version of #Sweet yet?”
Dianne shout out the song’s contributors, which included Jon, 35, in the second part of the caption, writing “Let me and @jonbatiste and @ptxofficial know what ya think!!”
Fans rushed to the comment section to voice their appreciation for the new track.
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One fan wrote: “The song sounds great.”
A second fan commented: “I LOVE it!… Thank you for making an uplifting song for ALL ages!!”
Another commenter stated: “Fun, uplifting and cool sound.
While a fourth person added: “Brilliant lyrics as always, so uplifting too.”
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Jon has been missing from The Late Show since May of this year.
The 35-year-old musician has been spending most of his time caring for his wife, Suleika.
The pair revealed to CBS Sunday Morning that they secretly married in February of 2022, just after Suleika was diagnosed with leukemia for a second time.
Suleika told correspondent Jim Axelrod: “We have known that we wanted to get married, I think, from the first week that we started dating.
“That’s when Jon first brought up the topic of marriage to me. So, we’ve had eight years. This is not, you know, a hasty decision!”
The 33-year-old writer revealed they got married the day before she was admitted to the hospital to undergo her bone marrow transplant.
After Jon confirmed to Axelrod they got married in February, he admitted their marriage was an act of “we have a future.”
He explained: “It’s an act of defiance. The darkness will try to overtake you but just turn on the light.
“Focus on the light. Hold onto the light.”
Suleika noted that Jon made it clear he was not proposing due to her diagnosis.
She recounted Jon saying: “‘It’s taken me a year to design your ring.
“So, just know this timing has nothing to do with it. But what I do want you to know is that this diagnosis doesn’t change anything. It just makes it all the clearer to me that I want to commit to this and for us to be together.’”
“But once we realized we had this tiny window before the bone marrow transplant, we decided to go for it,” Suleika said on CBS Sunday Morning.
BATTLING ON
Suleika, a native of New York City, was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2011.
To fight the disease, Suleika underwent years of chemotherapy, enrolled in clinical trials, and received a bone marrow transplant, before she was declared cancer-free three years later.
However, in November 2021, the 33-year-old received the news that her cancer had returned – this time more aggressively.
Earlier this month, Jon opened up about his wife’s leukemia battle and told PEOPLE she was “doing better.”
He told the outlet: “Every single day we are praying and continuing the — I mean, she is incredible.
“You wouldn’t think that she is going through what she’s going through when you see her.
“She has this ability to take the toughest challenges and make it life-affirming. So, with her, it’s a special case. How she’s doing, it’s a Suleika thing.”
The pair married in their new home, a place he described as “kind of a temple,” with only their close family members around them.
LATE SHOW RETURN
It’s currently undetermined when Jon will return to the CBS nightly talk show as no one from the show has spoken about his absence.
Some outlets speculate that he could be taking the whole of summer 2022 off.
The five-time Grammy winner joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015 and has been a fan favorite ever since.
The 35-year-old was born on November 11, 1986, and grew up in Louisiana.
The Batiste family has established themselves in New Orleans as a musical dynasty with Jon playing many instruments since childhood.
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By the age of 17, Jon released his debut album, Times in New Orleans.
He went on to study at the Julliard School, ultimately graduating with a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies.
Jon Batiste and wife Suleika Jaouad[/caption]
Jon has reportedly taken the summer off from the Late Show to care for Suleika as she battles cancer[/caption]
There has been no word yet as to when Jon will return to the nightly talk show[/caption]
