Jon Batiste treated fans to a new ballad, “It Never Went Away,” which he wrote about his relationship with author and artist, Suleika Jaoaud. The couple is the center of the forthcoming Netflix documentary, American Symphony, and Batiste’s song will be on the soundtrack.
Directed by Matthew Heineman, it finds the couple having a tough year. Batiste is attempting to compose his first symphony, which ties into the film’s title. Meanwhile, Jaoaud is battling lung cancer.
The themes of struggle play into “It Never Went Away,” as he acknowledges that they will still love each other — even if the times might be tough right now. He co-wrote the track with Semisonic’s Dan Wilson.
“‘It Never Went Away’ details a love that outlasts any condition of the physical world,” Batiste added in a statement. “It probes the question of our mortality, while at the same time speaking to the enduring quality of our deepest callings and desires. That part of us that stands in protest to the ills of the physical world is, in fact, evidence of our perpetual nature.”
American Symphony will be available to stream on Netflix starting on November 29. Batiste previously released his Grammy-nominated World Music Radio album back in August.
Listen to Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” above.