The artists Bruno Mars and Anderson. Silk Sonic, also known as Paak, did not submit its platinum-selling album or most recent single for consideration at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In April of this year, Mars and Paak won all four Grammys for which they were nominated for their seductive song “Leave the Door Open.” The awards included a song of the year, a record of the year, the best R&B song, and the best R&B performance (tied with “Pick Up Your Feelings” by Jazmine Sullivan).
However, in a statement received by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, Mars explains, “Silk Sonic would want to graciously, respectfully, and most importantly, sexually withdraw our CD from consideration this year.
“When the world responded to ‘Leave the Door Open,’ Andy and I, along with everyone who worked on this project, won.” The rest was merely icing on the cake,” Mars continues. “We are grateful to the Grammys for allowing us to perform on their stage not once, but twice, and for honoring us at last year’s ceremony. We would be insane to ask for more.”
An Evening With Silk Sonic, Mars and Paak’s debut album as a duet, was released in November 2021, just in time for the 2023 Grammys. It would have qualified for awards like as album of the year, best R&B album, and best non-classical album engineering.
In his own statement, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. states, “Silk Sonic has been such a highlight of our previous few events, and they deservedly enjoyed an incredible night at the 64th Grammys earlier this year. We respect their decision not to submit this year, but look forward to celebrating an incredible musical year with them.”
Mars has won fifteen Grammys, while Paak has won eight. The duo also decided not to submit any songs from their collaborative album, including the hit “Smokin’ Out the Window,” which spent 11 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot R&B songs chart, peaked at No. 5 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart, and won video of the year at the BET Awards in June (tied with “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar). Written by Mars, Paak, and Oscar-winning producer-songwriter D’Mile, “Smokin” would have been eligible for song and record of the year, best R&B performance, best R&B song, and best music video.
Songs and albums released between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, are eligible for 2023 Grammy nominations. Voting for the initial round of nominations commences on Thursday and concludes on October 23. On November 15, nominees will be announced, and the live show will air on February 5, 2023.
Mars has been a Grammy darling, receiving fifteen wins out of thirty-one nominations. In 2011, he received a Grammy for his debut solo single, “Just the Way You Are.” His follow-up album, Unorthodox Jukebox, was nominated for the best pop vocal album in 2012. Two years later, he won two Grammys for the Mark Ronson collaboration Uptown Funk, including a record of the year, and the writer-producer behind successes for CeeLo, Flo Rida, and B.o.B also won an album of the year Grammy for his contributions to Adele’s massive 25 albums. And Mars’ third album, the R&B-infused 1990s trip 24K Magic, won six Grammys in 2018, including album, record, and song of the year.
Before joining Silk Sonic, Paak won four Grammys, including best rap performance for “Bubblin,” best R&B album for Ventura, best R&B performance for “Come Home,” and best melodic rap performance for “Lockdown.”
