Does Joey Batey Actually Sing in The Witcher?

In the first season of Netflix’s highly popular show the Witcher we have been introduced to the character of Jaskier. He is a well-known character from both the book series and the games so it’s no wonder that he showed up in the tv series as well which draws heavily from the mentioned sources. Jaskier – or Dandelion as he is known in other sources, is a bard following our beloved Witcher Geralt on his adventures and the two are known to have a friendly relationship. Jaskier is played by Joey Batey in the show and considering the fact that he plays the role of a bard, many fans are wondering, does Joey Batey actually sings in the Witcher? 

Joey Batey sings in the Witcher. He performed the famous “Toss a Coin to your Witcher” song in the second episode which became probably the most famous song associated with the series. Joey Batey is a singer and a performer in real life as well as in the show, his voice, and skills with instruments are the primary reasons why he got the part of Jaskier in the first place. 

Now that you know that Joey Batey performs his own songs on the show it’s time to analyze this in a bit more detail. If you want to know more about Joey’s career off-screen stay with us and keep reading!

Joey Batey, a bard that “performs his own stunts” 

Fans of the book series and the game series set in the Witcher universe were not surprised at all to see Jaskier, a beloved bard adapted to the screen as well. Jaskier shows up in the second episode of season one titled “Four Marks”. At first, Geralt is annoyed by the bard, the two have completely clashing personalities. Where Geralt is brooding and generally wants to be left alone, Jaskier is cheerful and enjoys basking in the attention. Jaskier is also always looking for ways to make ends meet and protection. This is due to his tendency to piss people off. 

Jaskier figures out that by keeping company with Geralt he will not only be protected but will also witness first-hand the events that will further down the line inspire some of the greatest works of art, and fuel his inspiration. We didn’t wait long to see Jaskier at work, he performed the song “Toss a coin to your Witcher” which became extremely famous. It’s a catchy medieval tune performed by the master himself, and since Joey Batey plays Jaskier in the shows, many are wondering did Joey Batey actually sing it in the series? 

Does Joey Batey do his own singing? 

Joey Batey indeed does his own singing in the Witcher series. Aside from his acting career, he is a talented and skilled musician with a musical career unrelated to the series. 

The song “Toss a coin to your Witcher” was written and composed by Jenny Klein, Sonya Belousova, and Giona Ostinelli, but was performed fully by Joey Batey. He even described it as “annoyingly catchy” and added “Everyone’s been listening to it for a week or so now, and humming it. I’ve had that in my head for eight months.”

The song was a perfect introduction for the bard’s character and it served as an incentive for Geralt to allow Jaskier to accompany him on his travel. People who are generally distrustful toward Witchers, and even loath them at times, are much more respective when they see him accompanied by the cheerful personality of Jaskier and a couple of good songs. 

Toss a coin to your Witcher is not the only song Joey performed in the show. All of the named songs that appeared on screen were performed by the talented actor such as The Fishmonger’s Daughter, Her Sweet Kiss, Burn Butcher Burn, Whoreson Prison Blues, and The Golden One. 

Joey’s unique voice and skills with instruments were in large part a reason why he was cast in such a role in the first place, as he has an extensive musical career outside of the show as well. 

Does Joey Batey actually play the lute? 

Joey Batey does play the lute, he’s been learning the instrument since 2014 and even recorded his journey. 

Aside from the lute, Joey has an indie folk band called The Amazing Devil in which he serves as a primary composer and writer. The band so far released three albums, Love Run (2016), The Horror and the Wild (2020), and Ruin (2021). Since Joey grew up in a musically inclined family it’s no wonder that his education and career were mostly oriented toward perfecting his musical talents. Out of many roles he took part in, the role of Jaskier is however the most famous one and earned him the most praise. 

As you can see, Joey Batey or Jaskier as fans of the show better know him, did sing in the show and will continue to do so as long as he is on-screen. He took part in performing the greatest hit in the show “Toss a coin to your Witcher” as well as many other songs that appeared in the show. 

Besides being a skilled actor and singer, Joey is a talented writer, composer, and musician off-screen as well, as he has a popular indie folk band called The Amazing Devil. His musical career with the bend so far spawned three albums and we can only look forward to his future performances in the show as well.