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Ishani Sarkar

Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste was decked out in diamonds for his appearance at the Super Bowl LIX on February 10, where he performed the American national anthem.
Batiste’s piano, painted by his wife Suleika Jaouad, was a part of the Sing for Hope Pianos New Orleans 2025 initiative, reports Billboard. Batiste sits on the board of non-profit organisation Sing for Hope, which placed 10 public pianos across New Orleans’ Ninth Ward in celebration of the 2025 Super Bowl, which was hosted in the city for the 11th time.

Days before his triumphant performance at the Super Bowl, Batiste and his wife Suleika Jaouad won a Grammy award for the song “It Never Went Away” from their Netflix doc American Symphony, which was also awarded the gong for best music film. Earlier this year, the film was also nominated for an Oscar.
So, who is Suleika Jaouad, who, per People, inspired Batiste’s song “Show Me the Way”?
She’s living with cancer

Suleika Jaouad first battled cancer at the age of 22 when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, per People. It returned in 2021 and again in late 2024. The 36-year-old now dedicates much of her time to advocating for cancer research. She was once on former US president Barack Obama’s Presidential Cancer Panel and won the Inspire Award for her work with the National Marrow Donor Program.
She’s a journalist and author

Before university, Suleika Jaouad attended a programme at The Juilliard School for double bass players, then graduated from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern studies and earned a master’s in writing and literature from Bennington College, per her website.
Her editorial series Life, Interrupted was published in The New York Times, and drew attention for its honest take on life with illness. She further documented her health journey in her book Between Two Kingdoms and launched a newsletter, the Isolation Journals, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Life, Interrupted later became an Emmy-winning video series. She has also written for publications including Vogue and The Guardian, and she has a new book, The Book of Alchemy, due out in April 2025.
She’s an artist too

Jaouad turned to art as a medium of self-expression when she began experiencing hallucinations caused by her cancer treatments. She has had residencies at institutes around America, and even held a show with her artist mother, Anne Francey, called The Alchemy of Blood.
Her relationship with Jon Batiste

Jaouad first met the “Freedom” singer when they were teens at band camp, according to People. By 16, she said she knew she would marry him, according to an interview on The Thread. The pair were friends at Juilliard and he stood by her during her cancer diagnosis, even bringing his band into the hospital for a spontaneous performance once. They married in 2022 after dating for eight years.


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Fame and celebrity

Who is Jon Batiste’s multitalented wife, Suleika Jaouad? The bestselling author and her Grammy-winning husband, who she first met at band camp, made an Oscar-nominated film about her cancer journey

Jon Batiste and his wife Suleika Jaouad were all smiles at the Super Bowl. Photo: suleikajaouad/Instagram


Jon Batiste performing the US National Anthem at the 2025 Super Bowl. Photo: @jonbatiste/Instagram

Suleika Jaouad was first diagnosed with cancer at 22. Photo: @suleikajaouad/Instagram

Suleika Jaouad is an author, journalist and artist. Photo: @suleikajaouad/Instagram

Suleika Jaouad started painting as a way to deal with her hallucinations while undergoing cancer treatment. Photo: @suleikajaouad/Instagram 

Jon Batiste (left) and Suleika Jaouad won two Grammys this year. Photo: @suleikajaouad/Instagram 

Meet Derrick Milano, the Grammy-winning hitmaker behind Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion – and he just got engaged to model and TV star Blac Chyna

Meet Derrick Milano, the Grammy-winning hitmaker behind Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion – and he just got engaged to model and TV star Blac Chyna. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Derrick Milano in a post shared with his followers in June. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Derrick Milano won his first Grammy in May 2021 for a Megan Thee Stallion song featuring Beyoncé. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Derrick Milano and Blac Chyna went public with their relationship more than a year ago. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Blac Chyna and Derrick Milano got engaged in October. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Derrick Milano’s latest single features his fiancée Blac Chyna on the cover. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Derrick Milano had a major dispute with his management team right at the start of his career. Photo: @derrickmilano/Instagram

Who is Babyface’s much younger partner, Rika Tischendorf – and was she at the Grammys this year? The German-model-turned-Babyface Entertainment manager helped her beau with his Girls Night Out album

Babyface and Rika Tischendorf at the 2025 Grammys. Photo: Getty Images

Rika Tischendorf at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards in January, in California. Photo: FilmMagic

Babyface’s girlfriend Rika Tischendorf is a general manager at Babyface Entertainment. Photo: Rika Tischendorf/LinkedIn

Rika Tischendorf at The Leading Man Party hosted by Los Angeles Magazine in 2024. Photo: Getty Images

Babyface with his kids at Disney in 2022. Photo: @babyface/Instagram

Who is Kevin Hart’s much taller son, Hendrix – who joined him at the Super Bowl? The 17-year-old already has 43,000 TikTok followers, and was seen towering over the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star

Kevin Hart and his son Hendrix, who he brought along to the Super Bowl this past weekend. Photo: @kevinhart/Instagram 

A recent Hart family photo shows 17-year-old Hendrix Hart – and Kevin Hart’s wife Eniko – towering over the comedy star. Photo: @enikohart/Instagram

Hendrix and Heaven Hart are the children of Kevin Hart and his first wife Torrei. Photo: @enikohart/Instagram 

Kevin Hart has referred to his son as his best friend. Photo: Kevin Hart/Facebook 

Hendrix Hart gets to do red carpets with his dad Kevin Hart and stepmum Eniko Hart. Photo: @enikohart/Instagram 

Kevin Hart has often mentioned Hendrix and his sister Heaven in his stand-up routines. Photo: @enikohart/Instagram 

Who is NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning’s brother Cooper? He had to quit American football due to injury but celebrated the sport at a Super Bowl 2025 party – he’s also dad to Arch Manning

The Manning brothers (from left): Cooper Manning, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. Photo: @coopermanning/Instagram

The Philadelphia Eagles triumphed over the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl 2025. Photo: AFP

Cooper Manning is the elder brother of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. Photo: @coopermanning/Instagram 

Cooper Manning (right) with his wife, Ellen, and son, Arch. Photo: @coopermanning/Instagram

Cooper Manning (right) and his wife, Ellen (left), are parents of three. Photo: @coopermanning/Instagram

Meet Seal’s partner Laura Strayer, who used to be his assistant: the ‘Kiss From a Rose’ singer – who just appeared in Taika Waititi’s Mountain Dew Super Bowl ad – has been dating her since 2021

Seal and his girlfriend Laura Strayer have been dating for over three years. Photo: FilmMagic

British soul singer Seal and German model Heidi Klum were married for around seven years. Photo: AFP 

Seal and Laura Strayer at the 2023 US Open in New York. Photo: GC Images

British singer Seal has revealed that he’s releasing new music in 2025. Photo: @seal/Instagram 

Seal, 61, went snowboarding in December. Photo: @seal/Instagram

Leni Klum, Lou Samuel, Seal, Laura Strayer, Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel pose for a group shot at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on January 5, 2024. Photo: WireImage

Heidi Klum and Seal said they had “the deepest respect for one another” during their 2012 separation. Photo: AP 

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Jaouad, who is also a journalist and painter, served on Barack Obama’s Presidential Cancer Panel and won an Emmy for the videos based on her acclaimed New York Times column, Life, Interrupted


Jaouad, who is also a journalist and painter, served on Barack Obama’s Presidential Cancer Panel and won an Emmy for the videos based on her acclaimed New York Times column, Life, Interrupted.
