Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are the definition of riding high at the moment. As they locked in and linked up for super-duo Silk Sonic, the two R&B superstars are on their course to be an unstoppable force in music. Their stellar debut album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, is a celebration of the roots of the genre and has landed them a few Grammy wins this year, and they're not showing any sign of slowing down any time soon.
Mars and .Paak are more than just professional workmates. They have been good friends since meeting for the first time in 2017 during Bruno Mars' 24k Magic World Tour; hence the chemistry between the pair is unmatchable. Here's a simplified timeline of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's friendship and what's next for the two heavyweight crooners.
8 2017: Bruno Mars Enlisted Anderson .Paak To Open Up His 24k Magic Tour
Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak first linked up back in 2017 when .Paak opened for Mars' 24k Magic World Tour dates in Europe from March 28th until June 15th. At the time, the two were at the peak of their respective career: Mars was about to score one of the highest-grossing world tours of the year while .Paak was fresh off his sophomore album, Malibu, under co-signs from heavy names like Dr. Dre. In the same year, they also worked together on .Paak's then-forthcoming album Ventura and Chic's It's About Time.
"There’s no plan, just working out the parts and trying to excite each other… that’s why this wouldn’t happen if it didn’t make sense and it didn’t feel natural and organic. This was a series of events that led us to ‘Man, why don’t we just do it?,'" Mars recalled in an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe last year.
7 When Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Started Making Music Together
During the tour, they would come up with scrappy ideas for songs, and they eventually snowballed into one studio session after another. Bruno Mars announced it officially in February 2021 and gave the first look of the super-duo, captioning, "locked in and made an album." The name of the duo itself came from none other than R&B legend himself Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic after hearing the album.
While the album itself is quite a feel-good celebration of R&B, there was at least one "heavy" track that didn't make the final cut because of its heavy content. Mars told Rolling Stones, "Me and him were harmonizing and singing the s**t out of it, but I remember having a conversation, saying, ‘Man, I don’t know if we want to take this turn on this album.’ We’re producing a feeling, and an emotion, so let’s sleep on this."
6 Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak's Joint Beverage Business
Ahead of the duo's launch, Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak also released a promotional campaign for their beverage brand, SelvaRey Rum. Co-owned by the Hawaiian singer himself, SelvaRey Owner's Reserve sold out in less than two hours upon its initial release on ReserveBar. The brand has also made its way onto the music video of the duo's debut single, "Leave the Door Open." On top of that, they also became the first musical collaboration by fashion brand Lacoste under Mars' "fashionista" moniker Ricky Regal.
5 Silk Sonic's 'Leave The Door Open,' Was Released In March 2021
In March 2021, Mars and Paak's debut single as a duo, "Leave the Door Open," was released, and it immediately became a chart-topping hit. The slow R&B jam is a silky-smooth erotic invitation of love that incorporates elements of soul and jazz-influenced style. As the lead single of their debut project An Evening with Silk Sonic, "Leave the Door Open" spent 18 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two other singles, "Skate" and "Smokin' Out the Window," were released in July and November of the same year.
4 When Was Silk Sonic's First Album Released?
Despite having previously been delayed to January 2022, An Evening with Silk Sonic finally arrived in November 2021. A real chemistry test between Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, nobody outshines anyone in An Evening with Silk Sonic. It is pure R&B talent from the start to finish and a beautiful homage to its root, curated by the one and only Bootsy Collin. After debuting the second on the Billboard 200 chart, the album had 104,000 equivalent album unit sales within the first week.
3 Silk Sonic's First Perfmorances Together
To further propel the album to where it's now, Mars and .Paak put their on-stage chemistry to test by performing on the stage of several awarding nights. They debuted as a duo at the Grammy Awards last year and performed the lead single, then made their return this year to perform "777" in an epic showdown.
"We were in a situation right now for guys that grew up playing live. That’s another thing. That’s heartbreaking for it to be in the studio and trying to write songs, but the live element is gone," Mars told Zane Lowe last year about how the ongoing health problem has somewhat messed with the album's rollout.
2 Silk Sonic's 'Clean Sweep' At The Grammy Awards
Speaking of the prestigious awarding night, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have brought home at least four Grammies this year for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for the lead single. They also won the Best Group at the BET Awards last year, as well as the International Group of the Year at the Brits Awards.
1 Will Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Go On Tour As Silk Sonic?
Earlier this year, the Silk Sonic duo announced that they would be running a series of Las Vegas residency concerts at the infamous Park MGM. The series of ten shows kicked off on February 25, and it's been extended all the way to the summer.