Adrian Quesada and Eric Burton of the Black Pumas sat down with Hannah Karp, Billboard‘s editorial director. The duo opened up about their 2024 Grammy nomination, writing process, use of live recordings, the success of “Colors” and more!
Eric Burton:This guy, I think he just started DJing, and so it’s been cool to see, like, him picking up a bunch of, like, singles. I don’t even want to know how much money.
Adrian Quesada:Yeah, it’s an expensive rabbit hole.
Hannah Karp:Do you have a separate DJ name?
Adrian Quesada:No, no people have, like, messed with me about coming up, but I think I’m too old for a DJ name.
Eric Burton:Hey, this is Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas, and this is Billboard News.
Hannah Karp:Hi, everyone. I’m Hannah Karp and I’m absolutely thrilled to be here today with this dynamic duo that has just scored their seventh Grammy nomination, Black Pumas.
Welcome to New York! What brings you here from your sunny hometown of Austin, Texas?
Adrian Quesada:We are performing at Radio City Music Hall, the iconic Radio City Music Hall, on Friday. So just thrilled to be here. It’s been a while since we played in New York, and the magnitude of playing in a place like that is kind of special.
Hannah Karp:What can fans expect at that show?
Eric Burton:The new project, a lot of the new project. They can expect a more developed and evolved unit. We’ve had a lot of fun making the music and I think that one of our strongest qualities as a band is the live performative. And I think this time in conclusion, we’ve had a lot of fun coming together to curate the show, you know, like the the second chapter of what it means to be a Black Puma and/or a part of the Pum Pack. So it’s exciting. It’s a new thing.
Watch the full video above!