New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Black Pumas, the rising Austin duo of powerhouse vocalist Eric Burton and Grammy-winning producer and guitarist Adrian Quesada, have emerged as "the breakout band of 2019" (NPR) with the release of their self-titled album on ATO Records, a debut that according to KCRW "radiates soul at a wattage that may not be exactly street legal." Today, fresh off their nomination for Best New Artist at the 2020 GRAMMY Awards, they share the new music video for their hit single "Colors." The cinematic clip - a powerfully intimate, Melanin-packed depiction of the joys and hardships of life colliding - was directed by Kristian Mercado, fresh off his Best
Music Video win at this year's SXSW Film Festival for Hurray for the Riff Raff's "Pa'lante."
"I really wanted to capture how powerful the sounds and vocals of
Black Pumas are," says Mercado. "I'm driven by emotion and felt a strong connection to the music. I was on a trip in Florida at Banana Records, when I heard 'Colors' playing. I was instantly moved and asked tons of questions about who they were. It was such a powerful song and experience that I sought out to do the music video for the song. We shot the whole film in the Bronx, wanted to show the Bronx as a place that was alive and vibrant. We wanted to celebrate family, connections, movement, and life. We explored the idea of the Bronx as a living garden, always growing always moving forward, and finding a cinematic landscape in places people often ignore.Eric and I spoke in great length about perspective and growing up, and how sometimes it's a complicated experience, and we want to capture the feeling that is both beautiful and sometimes imperfect. We wanted to show both the joys and hardships of life colliding and expressing things in movement with images colliding together.
Black Pumas are an extraordinary band and the visual needed to share the timeless quality of the song."
"
Colors" has racked up 14 million streams and been Shazamed 100K times, and the band's incredible live video of the song went viral with over 7 million views to date. Last month,
Black Pumas performed "
Colors" on Jimmy Kimmel Live, following their network TV debut on CBS This Morning. Their performance of the track on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic was featured on NPR Music's Favorite Sessions. "
Colors" is currently at #18 on AAA Radio, the band's highest charting single to date.
Black Pumas' live show has been called "electrifying" by The Guardian, and following their Austin City Limits taping, the Austin American-Statesmanraved, "To say
Black Pumas is having a moment is like saying summer this year in Austin, Texas, has been pretty hot. With sold-out shows at large concert halls around the globe, singles clocking seven figures on streaming services and enthusiastic shoutouts from top-tier national publications, the band isn't ascendant. It is skyrocketing."
Black Pumas' performance on the iconic PBS series Austin City Limits is set to air in early January.
After selling out their entire U.S. and E.U. tours this fall,
Black Pumas are currently wrapping a sold-out run in the UK. They will continue to tour North American and
Europe in early 2020, including dates in Amsterdam and Berlin that have already sold out in advance.
Praise for
Black Pumas
"A debut so perfectly realized by the standards they've set themselves that you wonder what could possibly come next." — The Guardian
"Few artists seem to tap the collective unease of the national moment quite like Austin's
Black Pumas...never missing a beat is the tireless, charismatic energy of singer Eric Burton." — Rolling Stone
"So much more expansive than retro soul...sounds like a record that The
Black Keys would do with Marvin Gaye." — NPR Music
"The duo's flair for drama is so stirring, they can seem acutely cinematic." — Pitchfork
"Wu-Tang Clan meets
James Brown…radiates soul at a wattage that may not be exactly street legal." — KCRW
"Staggering…the world does indeed need
Black Pumas and their message right now." — MOJO
"The Austin favorites need to be seen to be appreciated…(Burton's) presence on stage is robust, a whirlwind of movement and gesture." —
Chicago Tribune
"The breakout band of 2019." — NPR Here & Now
"Exemplifies idiosyncratically modern soul…a staunch force as fresh as it is compelling." — Hypebeast
"Stirring retro soul." — FADER
"Soulful, psychedelic, amazing." — NPR Alt.Latino
"They've already established hometown hero status thanks to their electric live shows…soul music that draws fresh inspiration from folk, hip-hop, and psychedelic music." — Pigeons & Planes
"A soul explosion." — UNCUT
"Brooding and cinematic soul…an LP that unfurls like a puma stalking its prey." — Austin Chronicle
"The hottest party in town. This is the show your music nerd friend who knows what's up said you have to check out." — Austin-American Statesman
Black Pumas On Tour
November 20 London, UK Dingwalls SOLD OUT
November 21 Manchester, UK YES SOLD OUT
November 22 Glasgow, UK Audio SOLD OUT
November 23 Dublin, IE The Grand Social SOLD OUT
November 29 Austin, TX Longhorn City Limits
November 30 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
December 14 Nashville, TN Lightning 100's Festivus 2019
January 9 Dallas, TX Canton Hall
January 10 Dallas, TX Kessler Theater SOLD OUT
January 11 Dallas, TX Kessler Theater SOLD OUT
January 16 Madison, WI Majestic Theater
January 17 Milwaukee, WI The Pabst Theater
January 20 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi
January 21 Columbus, OH A&R
Music Bar
January 23 Toronto, ON Mod Club SOLD OUT
January 24 Detroit, MI Saint Andrew's Hall
January 25 Chicago, IL House of Blues Chicago
January 31 Houston, TX White Oak
Music Hall
February 5 Dublin, IE The Academy
February 6 Manchester, UK Academy 3
February 7 London, UK Islington Assembly Hall
February 8 Paris, FR Alhambra
February 9 Utrecht, NL TivoliVredenburg
February 10 Amsterdam, NL Paradiso SOLD OUT
February 11 Groningen, NL De Oosterport SOLD OUT
February 12 Eindhoven, NL De Effenaar
February 14 Antwerp, Belgium Trix
February 15 Heidelber, DE Karlstorbahnhof
February 16 Cologne, DE Gloria
February 18 Hamburg, DE Uebel & Gefährlich
February 19 Berlin, DE Metropol SOLD OUT
February 21 Vienna, AU Grelle Forelle
February 22 Zurich, CH Mascotte
March 14-15 Mexico City, MX Vive Latino
March 27-29 Pelham, TN Bluegrass Underground
May 8 Austin, TX Stubb's
