Silk Sonic is the R&B duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, formed in 2021 to revive 1970s Philadelphia soul with vintage analog warmth. Their lone album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, delivered Leave the Door Open — a Billboard Hot 100 #1 that took four Grammys, including Record and Song of the Year. Browse Silk Sonic vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Silk Sonic formed as a collaboration between Bruno Mars (born October 8, 1985, Honolulu, Hawaii) and Anderson.Paak (born February 8, 1986, Oxnard, California) in 2021. The duo had first performed together on the 2017 24K Magic tour. They developed the project during the pandemic-era 2020-2021 period. Their distinctive blend of 1970s R&B and soul revival - with use of vintage analog recording approaches, classic Philadelphia soul-influenced production, and Stylistics/Spinners/Delfonics-style vocal harmonies - established their distinctive sound. Their sole studio LP An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) - featuring Bootsy Collins as 'narrator' across the album - became a international commercial breakthrough. Their single Leave the Door Open became a international hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning four Grammy Awards in 2022 (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song). The duo has been inactive as Silk Sonic since 2022 with both members pursuing solo work.
Silk Sonic's sound is foundational to 1970s R&B and soul revival in contemporary popular music - combining R&B, soul, funk, Philadelphia soul, contemporary R&B, and disco with Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak's distinctive multi-vocalist arrangements (use of Stylistics/Spinners/Delfonics-style harmonies), vintage-influenced production approaches (use of D'Mile / Bruno Mars production), and arrangements drawing on classic 1970s Philadelphia soul, Motown, and disco traditions.
Aftermath/Atlantic pressings of An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Silk Sonic typically start with An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) - the only release.
