All set for the Black Pumas concert this Thursday in Bogotá

Tonight, the new edition of the Estéreo Picnic Festival will be inaugurated, which will take place on the 25th, 26th and 27th. The Royal Center of Bogotá will be the stage and Black Pumas will be the band in charge. The opening concert promises a lot of power for this FEP Comeback. It will mark the return to 'A different world' and will be the first presentation of the Americans on Colombian soil after failing to do so in 2021. They will perform again on the Adidas stage of the Briceño 18 golf course, on Friday 25, at 21:45.

In 2017, singer-songwriter Eric Burton traveled from California to Texas to try his hand at music. He grew up singing in the San Fernando Valley church and became very involved in musical theater. While he was looking for life, Adrian Quesada, a 2010 Grammy-winning guitarist and producer, was on the hunt for a new artist to collaborate with him. Through a mutual friend between the two, the producer met Burton. The moment he heard him sing, he felt that his voice was a perfect fit for what he was looking for. They decided to join a little later, in 2018, they formed a band and adopted the name Black Pumas.

In the middle of a residency at the C- Boys Heart & Soul Bar, in Austin, while working on the material of what could be their first album, they signed a contract with ATO Records and some time later released Black Moon Rising and Fire as their first singles. The reception was quite encouraging and on June 21, 2019, presented as a duo, they released their debut album, which bears the same name as the band.

The album was praised by the music press. Rolling Stone magazine highlighted the tireless and charismatic energy of singer Eric Burton. NPR, The Guardian and Billboard, among others, reviewed the album and gave it very good comments. Pitchfork Media noted at the time: “The duo's talent for drama is so moving that they can seem extremely cinematic.” The debut of the Pumas quickly became international news. They became one of the new bands in 2019 and were nominated for the Grammy Awards in the categories of Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Best American Roots Performance for Colors, and Record of the Year.

You start listening to the songs on that album and practically levitate. The mixes of jazz/soul, the funkie sound melted with that precise touch of R&B and that one I don't know what psychedelic rock make the experience sublime. On vinyl it sounds wonderful, but the CD version is not far behind. Burton's voice is the same live and in studio, that makes for total fidelity. With OCT 33 I felt one of the highest points of the album, but it is not possible to leave behind what was done on songs like Touch The Sky or Know You Better. The album is simply exalted.

The song Colors has ended up becoming the new anthem of neo soul and is probably one of the most popular songs in recent times. Its impact is still latent, with more than 140 million views on YouTube and more than 86 million on Spotify. It has been broadcast more than 60 million times on almost all platforms. At the South by Southwest, the band received a trophy for Best New Band that year, as part of the Austin Music Awards. They made their television debut with CBS, went through the Jimmy Kimmel show, one of the most popular programs in the United States, and in 2020 they performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The band's success is growing, selling out tickets for several of its tours in North America and Europe, and becoming an international musical reference for its sound. In Austin, Texas, the Black Pumas became the first band to sell out four shows in a row on Stubbs. On May 7, 2020, the mayor's office proclaimed the date in honor of the band: The Black Pumas Day. Its impact inside and outside the United States is far from reaching.

Burton and Quesada, accompanied by Angela Miller, Lauren Cervantes, JarOn Marshall, Brendan Bond and Stephen Bidwell, are all set for their double show in our country. Tonight at the Royal Center, and tomorrow at the start of the FEP. They promise to break the sky!

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