American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars, who is part of the R&B duo, 'Silk Sonic', comprising himself and Anderson .Paak, has announced that they have withdrawn their album 'An Evening With Silk Sonic' from Grammy Awards 2023 consideration.
According to Variety, Mars told Rolling Stone, "We truly put our all on this record, but Silk Sonic would like to gracefully, humbly and most importantly, sexually, bow out of submitting our album this year. We hope we can celebrate with everyone on a great year of music and partake in the party. Thank you for letting Silk Sonic thrive."
'Leave the Door Open', which is the album's lead single, was released in April of 2021 and won all four Grammys for which it was nominated at the 2022 awards, including album and single of the year.
The album was released last November and is not only eligible for 2023 awards but was expected by nearly all prognosticators to be a top contender for album of the year.
However, Mars says, "we'd be crazy to ask for anything more. Andy and I, and everyone that worked on this project, won the moment the world responded to 'Leave The Door Open.' Everything else was just icing on the cake. We thank the Grammys for allowing us to perform on their platform -- not once but twice -- and awarding us at last year's ceremony."
It's possible that Mars, an overwhelming Grammy favourite, is responding to criticism levelled at the Grammys in 2018, when his '24K Magic' album and related singles won all six categories in which they were nominated, including album, song, and record of the year, defeating entries from the world's two biggest hip-hop artists, Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.
Nominations for the Grammys do not automatically happen as recordings must be submitted by a representative, usually the artist's record label, and if an artist does not want their music submitted, it amounts to a withdrawal.
As per Variety, the Grammy nominations are set to be announced on November 15. The 65th annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 5, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
( With inputs from ANI )
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