Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars took the music industry by storm when they formed their duo Silk Sonic and released their upcoming album’s lead single “Leave The Door Open.” The song soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks, went viral on TikTok, and earned them the chance to perform at a number of awards shows, including the 2021 Grammys. Silk Sonic now bring their lush track to a silky-smooth rendition at the 2021 BET Awards to celebrate their Best Group nomination.
Leaning into their ’70s aesthetic, .Paak and Mars took the stage sporting matching pastel tuxedos. Joined by a few dancers, the duo left the stage and delivered the rest of their song amid the crowd. After their set ended, .Paak and Mars trolled the audience by asking if they wanted to hear a brand new song. But instead of unveiling a brand-new track, the performance cut to a commercial break.
These mfs are SICK #SilkSonic #MilkSonic @BrunoMars @AndersonPaak #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/R2lNKtxMU5
— 𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗹𝘀
(@jaureguismars) June 28, 2021
@BrunoMars @silksonic @BET #BETAwards This song NEVER gets old. This is REAL R&B music
#BlackTwitter pic.twitter.com/CY6aA0UoVq
— Drizzy (@Drizzy_973) June 28, 2021
Ahead of their set, .Paak and Mars sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss their new duo. The two had been on tour together in 2017 and were intermittently messing around in the studio. As Mars explains it, though, things really kicked off when he called up a drunk .Paak and told him to meet him in the studio. “When we got to the studio, I actually called him on his birthday and I said, ‘I think I figured out that little hook we had. Come to the studio.’ He’s like, ‘It’s my birthday.’ So he came drunk. After every take, he was on fire.”
Watch a clip of Silk Sonic performing “Leave The Door Open” at the 2021 BET Awards above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.