Tank and The Bangas

Born in New Orleans around the poet and singer Tarriona 'Tank' Ball, Tank and The Bangas took shape in 2011 in the wake of local open-mic scenes, with a collective approach where voice, groove and ensemble playing occupy the same space. The band developed a sound that blends funk, soul, hip-hop, rock and spoken word, with tracks that alternate singing, spoken-word delivery, vocal harmonies and freer passages, in an aesthetic that is at once rooted in the city's musical tradition and very contemporary. After a first album, Think Tank, released in 2013, Tank and The Bangas quickly broadened their audience, notably after winning NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2017, which marked a turning point in their circulation beyond Louisiana. The following years unfolded between American tours, festivals and selective collaborations, while the lineup refined its writing on Green Balloon in 2019 and then Red Balloon in 2022, two records that further expand the band's palette toward an alternative soul nourished by poetry, R&B and rap. In 2024, Tank and The Bangas released The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, a project centered on Tarriona Ball's spoken word dimension, awarded in 2025 a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category.