# Tank and the Bangas

Tank and the Bangas is an American musical group based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and in November 2019, they were nominated in the Best New Artist category for the 2020 Grammy Awards. They have released three studio albums, Thinktank (2013), Green Balloon (2019), and Red Balloon (2022). In 2025, they won their first Grammy for the 2024 album, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.

## History

Members of Tank and the Bangas met at a New Orleans open mic show called Liberation Lounge at now-closed Blackstar Cafe and Books in the Algiers section of New Orleans and formed the group in 2011.

## Style

Writing in The Washingtonian, Heather Rudow described the group's work as "lively fusion of funk, soul, hip hop, rock, and spoken word." Speaking to the Times-Picayune, the musicians in the group mentioned a variety of genres they identify with, including rock, folk, gospel and Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph's invention "Soulful Disney". In addition to Disney, the group has also mentioned anime as influence on the group's "childlike" and "magical" sensibility, in Ball's words. In the Financial Times, Joshua David Stein said, "Tank and the Bangas don’t conform to the jazz stereotypes trotted out in the lobbies of convention hotels or milked on Frenchman Street. It’s New Orleans but it’s New Orleans now."

## Reception

In The Village Voice, Rajul Punjabi described the group's debut album ThinkTank as "sincere and eclectic. Ball’s vocals are strong and versatile—evidence of her childhood in church—and she coasts through sweet melodies and wide-ranging vocal undulations reminiscent of Nicki Minaj’s character voices. She throws gentle shade when reminded of this — 'I’ve been doing that before she came out,' she says."

### NPR

Naming Tank and the Bangas the 2017 winner of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest for their song "Quick", NPR co-host of All Songs Considered Bob Boilen said, "What won me over about the band's performance of 'Quick' were the interactions among lead singer Tarriona 'Tank' Ball and her bandmates, and the way they seemed to surprise one another. It all felt so organic and on-the-spot." Juror Trey Anastasio of Phish said, "I immediately loved this...Tank is a force of nature, just full of joy—and her band is killing in the background." The story of the evolution of Tank's voice was covered in an episode of NPR's World Cafe show for essential and emerging artists.

## Members
### Current members

* Tarriona "Tank" Ball – lead vocals (2011–present)
* Joshua Johnson – drums, musical director (2011–2024)
* Norman Spence II – keyboards, guitar (2011–present)
* Albert Allenback – alto saxophone, flute (2014–2023)

### Touring members

Performers that while not core members of the band, play with the band at live performances and on some album tracks.
* Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph – background vocals (2013–2022)
* Tia Henderson- Background Vocals(2019-2022)
* Danny Abel – guitar (2018-2022)
* Jonathan Johnson – bass (2017–present)
* Etienne Stoufflet – tenor saxophone (2013-present)
* Kayla Jasmine – vocals (2016–2019)

### Past members

* Merell Burkett, Jr. – keyboard (2013–2020)
* Joe Johnson – keyboard (2013–2016)
* Keenan McRae – guitar (2013)
* Nita Bailey – percussion (2013)
* Christopher Menge – guitar (2013)
* Nicole Spence – background vocals (2013)

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US Sales | US Heat |
| Think Tank | Released: December 19, 2013 Label: Self-released Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | – | – |
| Green Balloon | Released: May 3, 2019 Label: Verve Forecast Records, UMG Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 73 | 3 |
| Red Balloon | Released: May 13, 2022 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 74 | 21 |
| The Heart, The Mind, The Soul | Released: August 30, 2024 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | ? | ? |

### Live albums

| Title | Details |
| The Big Bang Theory: Live at Gasa Gasa | Released: December 5, 2014 Label: Self-released Format: CD, digital download, streaming |

### Extended plays

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US Heat |
| Jam in the Van - Tank and the Bangas | Released: August 1, 2017 Label: Jam in the Van Format: Digital download, streaming | – |
| Live Vibes | Released: April 21, 2016 Label: Verve Label Group, UMG Format: LP, digital download, streaming | 21 |
| Live Vibes 2 | Released: February 15, 2019 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Format: LP, digital download, streaming | – |
| Friend Goals | Released: November 20, 2020 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Format: Vinyl, digital download, streaming | – |
| Tank and the Bangas (Live) | Released: September 9, 2022 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Format: streaming | – |
| Pretty Poems | Released: March 10, 2023 Label: UMG Format: Digital download, streaming | – |
| Floating | Released: November 24, 2023 Label: Verve Forecast, UMG Format: Vinyl | – |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Rhythm of Life" | 2013 | Think Tank |
| "Drummers" | 2015 | Non-album single |
| "Quick" | 2017 | Non-album single |
| "Smoke.Netflix.Chill" | 2018 | Green Balloon |
| "Spaceships" | 2018 | Green Balloon |
| "I'll Be Seeing You" | 2018 | Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| "Ants" | 2019 | Green Balloon |
| "Nice Things" | 2019 | Green Balloon |
| "For André" | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "What the World Needs Now" (featuring David Shaw, PJ Morton, Alexis Marceaux, Maggie Koerner, Sasha Masakowski, Berkley the Artist, Rahim Glaspy & Tracci Lee) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Self Care" (featuring Jaime Woods and Orleans Big) | 2020 | Friend Goals |
| "To Be Real" (featuring Hasizzle, Keedy Black, and Big Choo) | 2020 | Friend Goals |
| "Big" (with Big Freedia) | 2021 | Red Balloon |
| "Back in a Minute" | 2021 | Madden NFL 22 |
| "No ID" | 2022 | Red Balloon |
| "Black Folk" (featuring Alex Isley and Masego or remix featuring Alex Isley, Masego, Rhapsody, Kota the Friend, Orleans Big, Dee-1) | 2022 | Pretty Poems and Floating |
| "Stolen Fruit" | 2022 | Red Balloon |
| "Why Try" | 2022 | Red Balloon |
| "Oak Tree" | 2022 | Red Balloon |
| "There Goes the Neighborhood" | 2022 | Pretty Poems and Floating |
| "Outside" | 2022 | Floating |
| "She's a Rainbow" (from Ghostwriter) | 2022 | Non-album single |
| "Communion in my Cup" (featuring Earthgang and The Ton3s) | 2022 | Red Balloon and Floating |
| "DM Pretty" (Live OffBeat Session) | 2023 | Pretty Poems and Floating |

#### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Album |
| "In My Bones" (Jacob Collier featuring Kimbra and Tank and the Bangas) | 2020 | Djesse Vol. 3 |
| "Let My People Go" (Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers featuring Tank and the Bangas) | 2021 | Goshen |
| "Betty Bussit" (Big Freedia featuring Soaky Siren and Tank and the Bangas) | 2021 | Big Diva Energy |

### Music videos

| Title | Year | Director |
| "Boxes" (ReLoaded) | 2013 | RandoMe |
| "Drummers" | 2015 | RawKus TV |
| "Quick" | 2017 | FosterBear Films |
| "Spaceships" | 2018 | Nick Spanos |
| "Spaceships" (Live Performance) | 2018 | Kyle Goldberg |
| "Ants" | 2019 | Jean Baptist's-Ramondi |
| "Nice Things" (Live Performance) | 2019 | Kyle Goldberg |
| "Nice Things" | 2019 | Danny Williams |
| "Hot Air Balloons" (featuring Alex Isley) | 2019 | TATB and Tavia Osbey |
| "Forgetfulness" | 2019 | Alina Kulieva |
| "I'll Be Seeing You" | 2019 | Un­known |
| "Dope Girl Magic" | 2020 | Jake Wilson |
| "Lazy Daze" (featuring Robert Glasper) | 2020 | David Bates Jr. and Tavia Osbey |
| "What the World Needs Now" (with various artists) | 2020 | Un­known |
| "Self-Care" (featuring Jaime Woods, Orleans Big, and Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph) | 2020 | Un­known |
| "To Be Real" (featuring Hasizzle, Keedy Black, and Big Choo) | 2020 | Tarriona Ball |
| "Fluff" (lyric video) (featuring DUCKWRTH, Christian Scott, aTune Adjuah) | 2020 | Baptiste Leroux |
| "Big" (featuring Big Freedia) | 2021 | Marion Hill |
| "No ID" | 2022 | Phillip Youmans |
| "Black Folk" (lyric video) (featuring Alex Isley and Masego) | 2022 | Michelle Renslo |
| "Stolen Fruit" | 2022 | Un­known |
| "Black Folk" (featuring Alex Isley and Masego) | 2022 | Un­known |
| "Why Try" | 2022 | Un­known |
| "Communion in My Cup" (featuring The Ton3s) | 2022 | Un­known |