Silk Sonic, an R&B group consisting of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, achieved what “a clean sweep,” as Paak put it, at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
The group’s first single, “Leave the Door Open,” won four awards: Best R&B song, best R&B performance, song of the year, and record of the year.
Paak and Mars kept their speech brief during their final turn on stage while collecting the gilded gramophone for record of the year. “We are really trying to remain humble .. .to all the other nominees, drinks is on Silk Sonic tonight!” Paak said.
Mars, standing in the background, was even more reticent. He laughed and clapped as Paak spoke. Then, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, and cupped it with his hand, and it on the stage of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“We love y’all,” Mars told the other nominees, cigarette in hand.
The gesture generated chatter on social media, and was described by viewers as “unreasonably smooth” and “one of the greatest Grammy moments of all time.”
While viewers acknowledged the negative health effects of cigarettes, they appreciated Mars’ panache.
Some picked up on the connection between his ’70s-era garb and the gesture.
Did @BrunoMars just light up a cigarette on stage while accepting an award😂 I am living for his 70’s persona 🤣 #TheGrammys pic.twitter.com/XkdBoJ3hG2
— Liz On The Radio 🎙 (@LizOnTheRadio) April 4, 2022
This will go down as one of the most memorable moments of the evening, with highlights also being a performance by Lady Gaga, a subtle and moving tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins from Billie Eilish, and a slate of acceptance speeches.
Lmao! Bruno Mars lit up a cigarette live on the #GRAMMYs stage after winning Record of the Year. I can’t even deal. pic.twitter.com/YZkF8Oonr0
— Miranda J. (@randa_writes) April 4, 2022
