# Silk Sonic

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

In 2017, Anderson .Paak was the opening act for Bruno Mars on the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour. 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. The duo was formed in 2017 by Mars and .Paak "as a joke the two friends hatched on the road".
On February 26, 2021, Mars announced that he and .Paak had formed a band, saying, "[Silk Sonic] locked in and made an album." In a press release, they said Bootsy Collins named the band after he heard the album. "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. 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".
"Leave the Door Open" was performed again at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, with a similar aesthetic. The duo won Best Group at the BET Awards 2021. At the same ceremony, it performed "Leave the Door Open" again, alongside teasers of its forthcoming releases.
On July 28, Mars announced that Silk Sonic would host a "Summertime Jam" two days later. This event turned out to mark the release of another single, "Skate", which was released on July 30 alongside an accompanying video.
In October, the band announced that the album's release had been pushed ahead to November 12.
On November 5, Silk Sonic released its third single, "Smokin out the Window", a week before the album's launch. On November 12, An Evening with Silk Sonic was released. On November 21, "Smokin' Out the Window" was performed as the opening act of the American Music Awards of 2021, where the duo also won Favorite Song – R&B.
On January 19, 2022, it was announced that the duo would host a residency concert series at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. On February 3, they were announced to also make an appearance in Fortnite. 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. 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. "After Last Night" was released as the next single on July 5, 2022.
In September 2024, .Paak denied that the duo was defunct, saying that "Silk Sonic always has a place to put out more music".

## Musical style

Silk Sonic's musical style has been described as R&B, soul, funk, pop, hip hop, and smooth soul. Its sound has also been described as disco-inspired. 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." 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."

## Band members

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)
* Maurice "Mobetta" Brown – trumpet (2021-2022)

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications |
| Title | Details | US | US R&B | AUS | CAN | DEN | IRE | NLD | NZ | SWI | UK | Sales | Certifications |
| An Evening with Silk Sonic | Released: November 12, 2021 Label: Atlantic, Aftermath Formats: CD, LP, DL, streaming | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 9 | US: 42,000 | RIAA: Platinum BPI: Gold IFPI DEN: Gold MC: Platinum NVPI: Gold RMNZ: Platinum |

### Singles

List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions, certifications, and album name shown :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | US | US R&B/ HH | AUS | CAN | IRE | NLD | NZ | SWI | UK | WW | Certifications | Album |
| "Leave the Door Open" | 2021 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 20 | 2 | RIAA: 2× Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Platinum MC: 3× Platinum NVPI: Gold RMNZ: 2× Platinum | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "Skate" | 2021 | 14 | 4 | 32 | 19 | 48 | 61 | 12 | 74 | 45 | 18 | MC: Gold | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "Smokin out the Window" | 2021 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 31 | 4 | 92 | 12 | 12 | RIAA: 2× Platinum BPI: Silver MC: Platinum RMNZ: Gold | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "Love's Train" | 2022 | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "After Last Night" (with Thundercat and Bootsy Collins) | 2022 | 68 | 17 | — | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "—" 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 | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US Bub. | US R&B/ HH | NZ Hot | WW | Album |
| "Silk Sonic Intro" | 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 | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US | US R&B/ HH | CAN | IRE | NLD | NZ Hot | UK | WW | Album |
| "Fly as Me" | 2021 | 81 | 23 | 93 | 51 | 75 | 9 | 49 | 92 | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "Put on a Smile" | 2021 | 78 | 22 | — | — | — | 10 | — | 103 | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "777" | 2021 | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | 132 | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "Blast Off" | 2021 | 73 | 20 | 95 | — | — | — | — | 74 | An Evening with Silk Sonic |
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||||||

## Awards and nominations

| Organization | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| American Music Awards | 2021 | Favorite Duo or Group – Pop | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| American Music Awards | 2021 | Favorite Music Video | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| American Music Awards | 2021 | Favorite Song – R&B | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| American Music Awards | 2022 | Favorite R&B Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| American Music Awards | 2022 | Favorite R&B Song | "Smokin out the Window" | Nominated |
| BET Awards | 2021 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Won |
| BET Awards | 2021 | Video of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| BET Awards | 2021 | Viewer's Choice Award | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| BET Awards | 2022 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Won |
| BET Awards | 2022 | Video of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Won |
| BET Awards | 2022 | Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Won |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top Duo/Group | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top R&B Artist | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top R&B Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top R&B Song | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Brit Awards | 2022 | International Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Record of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Best R&B Performance | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Best R&B Song | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Best Duo/Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Won |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | R&B Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Won |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | R&B Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | R&B Artist of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Best Lyrics | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Best Music Video | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | Best Duo/Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | R&B Artist of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | R&B Song of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | Favorite Residency | An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM | Nominated |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2021 | Best Group | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2021 | Best Collaboration | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Best R&B | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Best Editing | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2022 | Group of the Year | Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Album | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Soul/R&B Song | "Leave the Door Open" | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) | "Love's Train" | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2021 | Song of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2021 | The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2021 | Video of the Year | "Leave the Door Open" | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2022 | Album of the Year | An Evening with Silk Sonic | Nominated |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2022 | Video of the Year | "Smokin out the Window" | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2022 | Best Dance Performance | "Smokin out the Window" | Nominated |