Silk Sonic
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak
Background information
OriginU.S.
Genres
Years active2020–present
Labels
Members
Websitesilksonic.com

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.

History

2017–present: Beginnings, breakthrough, and An Evening with Silk Sonic

Silk Sonic logo

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]

Musical style

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]

Band members

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales[A] Certifications
US
[38] 		US R&B
[38] 		AUS
[39] 		CAN
[40] 		DEN
[41] 		IRE
[42] 		NLD
[43] 		NZ
[44] 		SWI
[45] 		UK
[46]
An Evening with Silk Sonic 2 1 4 3 5 5 4 3 5 9

Singles

List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions, certifications, and album name shown
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[54] 		US
R&B
[55] 		AUS
[39] 		CAN
[56] 		IRE
[42] 		NLD
[43] 		NZ
[44] 		SWI
[45] 		UK
[46] 		WW
[57]
"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 —[B] 47 — — — — —[C] — — —
"After Last Night"[64]
(with Thundercat and Bootsy Collins) 		68 17 — 92 — — —[D] — — 78
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Bub.
[62] 		US
R&B
[55] 		NZ
Hot
[66] 		WW
[57]
"Silk Sonic Intro"[67] 2021 14 48 34 176 An Evening with Silk Sonic

Other charted songs

List of other charted songs, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[54] 		US
R&B
[55] 		CAN
[56] 		IRE
[42] 		NLD
[43] 		NZ
Hot
[65] 		UK
[46] 		WW
[57]
"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" —[E] 35 — — — — — 132
"Blast Off" 73 20 95 — — — — 74
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

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 [68]
Favorite R&B Song "Smokin out the Window" Nominated
BET Awards 2021 Best Group Silk Sonic Won [69]
Video of the Year "Leave the Door Open" Nominated
Viewer's Choice Award Nominated
2022 Best Group Silk Sonic Won [70]
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 [71]
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 [72]
Grammy Awards 2022 Record of the Year "Leave the Door Open" Won [73]
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 [74]
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 [75]
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 [76]
Best Collaboration "Leave the Door Open" Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards 2021 Group of the Year Silk Sonic Nominated [77]
Song of the Year "Leave the Door Open" Nominated
Best R&B Won
Best Editing Won
2022 Group of the Year Silk Sonic Nominated [78]
NAACP Image Awards 2022 Outstanding Album An Evening with Silk Sonic Nominated [79]
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 [80]
Soul Train Music Awards 2021 Song of the Year "Leave the Door Open" Won [81]
The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award Won
Video of the Year Won
2022 Album of the Year An Evening with Silk Sonic Nominated [82]
Video of the Year "Smokin out the Window" Won
Best Dance Performance Nominated

Notes

  1. ^ Sales figures for albums and EPs take equivalent units into account.
  2. ^ "Love's Train" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 11 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[62]
  3. ^ "Love's Train" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 18 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[63]
  4. ^ "After Last Night" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number eight on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[65]
  5. ^ "777" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[62]
  1. ^ Tied with Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar for "Family Ties".
  2. ^ Tied with Jazmine Sullivan for "Pick Up Your Feelings".

References

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External links

Silk Sonic
Awards for Silk Sonic
Bruno Mars
Anderson .Paak
Authority control databases
Categories