Tank and The Bangas has come a long way since winning the 2017 Tiny Desk Contest, going on to be nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 Grammys for the record Green Balloon.
Tomorrow, they're set to release their third studio album, Red Balloon. The music is ebullient – no surprise there – but its focus, says singer Tarriona "Tank" Ball, is meant to be on the myriad troubles in the U.S. currently, spurred in part by the Jan. 6 capital siege. "Let's take a long stroll down memory lane and figure out how we got here," Ball tells Morning Edition's Leila Fadel.
She explains that one song in particular on the new album, "Stolen Fruit," stands out to her in part for its ability to balance musical joy with difficult truth. "It's talking about literally waking up in America, and still expecting to do something amazing with your life despite all the odds against you, being Black in America," Ball says. "Look at the resilience of the people."
You can listen to the full conversation using the audio player at the top of this page.
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