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Silk Sonic is an American musical superduo composed of musicians Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. The duo released their debut single, "Leave the Door Open", in March 2021. They later released "Skate" in July 2021, followed by third single, "Smokin out the Window", and their debut album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, in November 2021. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, while the first three singles reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Leave the Door Open" spending 18 weeks in the top ten and two non-consecutive weeks at the top spot. The song later won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Silk Sonic | |
|---|---|
 Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Website | silksonic |
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2017–present: Beginnings, breakthrough, and An Evening with Silk Sonic
In 2017, Anderson .Paak was the opening act for Bruno Mars on the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour.[1] In April, Mars and .Paak worked together at Abbey Road Studios in London with Nile Rodgers and Guy Lawrence for Chic's album It's About Time, and worked on music while on tour that appeared on Paak's album Ventura.[2][3] The duo was formed in 2017 by Mars and .Paak "as a joke the two friends hatched on the road".[4]
On February 26, 2021, Mars announced that he and .Paak had formed a band, saying, "[Silk Sonic] locked in and made an album."[5] In a press release, they said Bootsy Collins named the band after he heard the album.[6] "Leave the Door Open", the band's debut album's lead single, was released on March 5, along with the intro song, hosted by Collins.[7] The band made its television debut at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards performing the single, alongside a tribute to Little Richard consisting of "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly".[8]
"Leave the Door Open" was performed again at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, with a similar aesthetic.[9] The duo won Best Group at the BET Awards 2021.[10] At the same ceremony, it performed "Leave the Door Open" again, alongside teasers of its forthcoming releases.[11]
On July 28, Mars announced that Silk Sonic would host a "Summertime Jam" two days later.[12] This event turned out to mark the release of another single, "Skate", which was released on July 30 alongside an accompanying video.[13]
In October, the band announced that the album's release had been pushed ahead to November 12.[14]
On November 5, Silk Sonic released its third single, "Smokin out the Window", a week before the album's launch.[15][16] On November 12, An Evening with Silk Sonic was released.[15] On November 21, "Smokin' Out the Window" was performed as the opening act of the American Music Awards of 2021,[17][18] where the duo also won Favorite Song – R&B.[19]
On January 19, 2022, it was announced that the duo would host a residency concert series at the Park MGM in Las Vegas.[20] On February 3, they were announced to also make an appearance in Fortnite.[21][22] On February 14, the duo released a cover of Con Funk Shun's "Love's Train", which was later released as single in Italy, making it the group's fourth single.[23] On April 21, 2022, Billboard reported that "Love's Train" was the album's fourth single, with no official date of release in the United States.[24][25] "After Last Night" was released as the next single on July 5, 2022.[26]
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Silk Sonic's musical style has been described as R&B,[17][27][28][29] soul,[30][31][32] funk,[30][33] pop,[34][33] hip hop,[30] and smooth soul.[35] Its sound has also been described as disco-inspired.[36] Of An Evening with Silk Sonic's sound, The Ringer wrote, "though styled as a 1960s to '70s retro endeavor, Silk Sonic isn't a work of nostalgia but rather a fusion: funk, rap, and R&B as they've sounded in heavy rotation as recently as the 2000s."[34] Sputnikmusic called the album "rich and authentic, existing at the irresistible intersection between 70s funk nostalgia and the luxuries of a modern day studio. As a result, An Evening With Silk Sonic lives up to its billing as a true experience: it’s sexy, ever-so-smooth, and radiates confidence and charisma."[37]
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Principal members
- Bruno Mars – vocals, production, guitar, piano, congas (2021–present)
- Anderson .Paak – vocals, drums, production (2021–present)
Touring members
- Philip Lawrence – backing vocals (2021–2022)
- Jamareo Artis – bass guitar (2021–2022)
- Eric Hernandez – drums (2021–2022)
- Kameron Whalum – trombone, backing vocals (2021–2022)
- Dwayne Dugger – saxophone (2021–2022)
- James King – trumpet, backing vocals (2021–2022)
- John Fossit – keyboards (2021–2022)
- Mateus Asato – lead guitar (2021–2022)[38]
- Maurice "Mobetta" Brown – trumpet (2021-2022)[39]
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Studio albums
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [57] |
US R&B/ HH [58] |
AUS [42] |
CAN [59] |
IRE [45] |
NLD [46] |
NZ [47] |
SWI [48] |
UK [49] |
WW [60] | |||||
| "Leave the Door Open" | 2021 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 20 | 2 | An Evening with Silk Sonic | ||
| "Skate" | 14 | 4 | 32 | 19 | 48 | 61 | 12 | 74 | 45 | 18 |
| |||
| "Smokin out the Window" | 5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 31 | 4 | 92 | 12 | 12 | ||||
| "Love's Train" | 2022 | —[A] | 47 | — | — | — | — | —[B] | — | — | — | |||
| "After Last Night"[67] (with Thundercat and Bootsy Collins) |
68 | 17 | — | 92 | — | — | —[C] | — | — | 78 | ||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [57] |
US R&B/ HH [58] |
CAN [59] |
IRE [45] |
NLD [46] |
NZ Hot [68] |
UK [49] |
WW [60] | |||||||
| "Fly as Me" | 2021 | 81 | 23 | 93 | 51 | 75 | 9 | 49 | 92 | An Evening with Silk Sonic | ||||
| "Put on a Smile" | 78 | 22 | — | — | — | 10 | — | 103 | ||||||
| "777" | —[D] | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | 132 | ||||||
| "Blast Off" | 73 | 20 | 95 | — | — | — | — | 74 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
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| Organization | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Music Awards | 2021 | Favorite Duo or Group – Pop | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [19] |
| Favorite Music Video | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Song – R&B | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Favorite R&B Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated | [71] | |
| Favorite R&B Song | "Smokin out the Window" | Nominated | |||
| BET Awards | 2021 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Won | [72] |
| Video of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | |||
| Viewer's Choice Award | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Won | [73] | |
| Video of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Won[a] | |||
| Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Won | |||
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top Duo/Group | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [74] |
| Top R&B Artist | Nominated | ||||
| Top R&B Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated | |||
| Top R&B Song | "Leave the Door Open" | Won | |||
| Brit Awards | 2022 | International Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Won | [75] |
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Record of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won | [76] |
| Song of the Year | Won | ||||
| Best R&B Performance | Won[b] | ||||
| Best R&B Song | Won | ||||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | [77] |
| Best Duo/Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Won | |||
| R&B Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Won | |||
| R&B Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won | |||
| R&B Artist of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyrics | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Best Duo/Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [78] | |
| R&B Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| R&B Song of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Residency | An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM | Nominated | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2021 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [79] |
| Best Collaboration | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [80] |
| Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated | |||
| Best R&B | Won | ||||
| Best Editing | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated | [81] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated | [82] |
| Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) | "Leave the Door Open" | Won | |||
| Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Soul/R&B Song | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) | "Love's Train" | Won | [83] | |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2021 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won | [84] |
| The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award | Won | ||||
| Video of the Year | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated | [85] | |
| Video of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Won | |||
| Best Dance Performance | Nominated |
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- "Love's Train" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 11 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
- "Love's Train" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 18 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[66]
- "After Last Night" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number eight on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[68]
- "777" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
- Tied with Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar for "Family Ties".
- Tied with Jazmine Sullivan for "Pick Up Your Feelings".
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