Silk Sonic is a nostalgic soul outlet for born entertainers
Bruno Mars and
Anderson .Paak. The pair made their collaborative debut in 2021 with "Leave the Door Open."
Veteran artists
Mars and
Paak hadn't previously worked with one another when they started the project. They announced their arrival as a duo in March 2021 with "Leave the Door Open," a ballad modeled after the likes of
the Main Ingredient,
the Delfonics, and
the Stylistics, among other classic R&B vocal groups that preceded them by over half a century. Through social media,
Mars campaigned the Recording Academy to get
Silk Sonic a performance slot at the ceremony for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. The organization obliged, and with "Leave the Door Open" barely a week old,
Silk Sonic made their live debut nationwide. Coincidentally,
Paak also picked up his fourth Grammy Award that night; his solo single "Lockdown" won Best Melodic Rap Performance.
D'Mile, who co-produced "Leave the Door Open" with 11-time Grammy winner
Mars and also co-wrote the song with
Mars,
Paak, and five-time Grammy winner
Brody Brown, won Song of the Year for having co-written
H.E.R.'s "I Can't Breathe." ~ Andy Kellman