Coming off a Album of the Year Grammy win for his 2021 album We Are, Jon Batiste will return on August 18th with a highly-collaborative project titled World Music Radio. The album’s third single “Drink Water” was released on July 12th, and features Jon Bellion and Fireboy DML.
Batiste’s new single rides on a summer-ready, tropical dance arrangement built around rubbery drums, warbly synth keys, and pads of strings. Bellion covers the majority of the choruses and pre-choruses, encouraging listeners to relax, drink water, and ground themselves amid the stress and noise of the world. Since his 2018 sophomore project Glory Sound Prep, Bellion has released very little solo work, opting to move behind-the-scenes again and co-write and co-produce for artists such as Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, while most recently heading production on the Jonas Brothers’ The Album (2023).
Fireboy DML and Batiste each take verses on the song, emphasizing the chill yet empowering message of the track. DML has been a rising star of the Afrobeat genre since 2019, whose 2022 album Playboy landed him features from fellow up-and-comers Rema, Asake, and Shenseea.
Curating a feature-filled project following large solo success is something done before by artists such as Ed Sheeran (2019’s No.6 Collaborations Project) and Drake (2017’s More Life). While these albums have been referred to as “playlists” or blatantly labeled as “collaborative” works, with Batiste taking a similar approach titling his project as “radio.” His first single “Be Who You Are” featured JID, NewJeans, and Camilo, and other album tracks flaunt credits from Lil Wayne, Kenny G, Native Soul, and Lana Del Rey to name a few.
World Music Radio will be available to stream on August 18th, and can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. Check out “Drink Water” on all streaming services now, and follow Batiste on social media to be notified of future singles.