Silk Sonic Opens the 2022 Grammys With Funk and Flair (VIDEO)
It’s no hyperbole to call Silk Sonic’s Grammy performance explosive: Pyrotechnics lit up the stage of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas tonight, Sunday, April 3, as Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s two-man act kicked off the 64th Annual Grammy Awards with a performance of their song “777.”
It was the perfect song choice, considering the Grammys decamped to Sin City for its 2022 show, a break in tradition for an awards show typically held in Los Angeles.
But Vegas should feel like home for Silk Sonic by now: They kicked off a residency, “An Evening With Silk Sonic,” at the nearby Dolby Live venue in February. Their debut album of the same name debuted atop Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in November.
“Spin the wheel for me,” Mars, decked out in a rhinestone-studded suit, belted out on Sunday as he and Anderson entertained the Grammys crowd. “Blackjack, baccarat / Dealer, where you at? Deal for me.”
In little over a year, Silk Sonic has won legions of fans in and out of the Recording Academy. And they’re “single-handedly bringing back the ’70s, which might explain all the inflation,” as Grammys host Trevor Noah said on Sunday.
By the time they took the stage tonight, Silk Sonic had already won the 2022 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, both trophies recognizing their song “Leave the Door Open.”
And within minutes of their performance, Silk Sonic won the award for Song of the Year. The song then won Record of the Year later in the night.
Even if they hadn’t taken home gold at this year’s ceremony, though, their Grammys opener proved they have style in spades. “Even if you don’t have a girlfriend, they just stole her from you,” Noah quipped after the duo’s performance.