Tank and the Bangas Share New Song 'This Black Girl'

Fresh off the heels of their recent Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for their three-part spoken world collection, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, acclaimed band Tank and the Bangas unveil a new song, “This Black Girl.” 

“This black girl is about the powerful journey of black woman hood and my personal experience as a black woman that’s shared amongst some black women if not all. The poem has attitude, joy, gut, and audacity. I think women will feel seen and heard. I believe it’s that powerful. It’s that strong. You’re gonna love it.” - Tarriona Tank Ball 

The Heart, The Mind, The Soul is out now via Verve Forecast; listen to the complete project HERE. Tank recently sat in with Louis Cato and The Late Show Band; watch their performance of “Remember” on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” HERE. 

Tank and the Bangas will embark on a much-anticipated headline tour across North America kicking off January 14 inKansas City, including stops in Los Angeles, Nashville, Houston and more. Tickets and additional info HERE.

Following the headline dates, they’ll set out supporting Trombone Shorty for a twelve-show run starting March 6 in Burlington, VT. See below for a complete list of dates. 

Each chapter of The Heart, The Mind, The Soul finds Tank working with a different producer. The Soul pairs her with acclaimed producer and jazz musician Robert Glasper, as well as Austin Brown and Brian London. The Heart findsTank collaborating with James Poyser, and The Mind with Iman Omari. 

“I want for poetry to get that much more respect and for even more young people to get into the expression of poetry,” Tank notes. “I want it to be seen as even more cool again. Poetry has always been my first love because it loved me back, it loved me before music even. Now I get to share more of that part of myself with the world, in hopes that you love it, too. Everything in this world has its place. The HEART deals with matters of my heart, my relationships with men and the one with myself. The MIND lends itself to the things I think about living as a woman in this world, and the relationships I’ve gone back and forth in my mind about. And the SOUL is a form of subconscious and conscious free flowing poems about myself and the city that raised me.”

New Orleans-based Tank and the Bangas rose to prominence in 2017 following their unanimous NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest victory. Bringing their blend of poetry, R&B, gospel and pop to a worldwide stage, Tank and the Bangas have been praised as one of the “best live bands in America” by NPR Music. In 2019, the band released their major label debut, Green Balloon, on Verve Forecast to widespread critical praise earning the band a Best New Artist nomination at that year’s Grammy Awards. Their third studio album Red Balloon received a nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards. 

Throughout their career, the group has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Austin City Limits,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Today Show.” They have consistently sold-out venues both stateside and abroad, with festival appearances at Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival.

Tank and the Bangas are Tarriona “Tank” Ball (lead), Norman Spencer II (Multi-
Instrumentalist) with new accompanying members, CJ Knowles Jr (Drummer), Matthew MSkillz (Bass), Rob Kellner(Keys) and Etienne Stoufflet (Saxophone).

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