Black Pumas: ‘We’re not trying to make a political statement’

As the Austin-based band prepare to find out whether they've won the Grammy for Best New Artist, they speak with Roisin O'Connor about their debut album, soul influences, and why their goal is to unite, rather than divide

Black Pumas: Eric Burton (left) and Adrian Quesada (Lyza Renee)

Black Pumas’ origin story has become somewhat exaggerated. “People think I was starving on a street corner,” says frontman Eric Burton, “and Adrian walked up to me in a mink coat and invited me into his limousine to make some hits…”

The real story is less Hollywood, but still sings of serendipity. Burton was busking in Austin, Texas, when a friend of producer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada happened to walk by. The pair exchanged numbers. Burton called Quesada, sang to him over the phone, and Black Pumas were born.

Since that day, the Austin-based duo have blossomed. Their self-titled debut album earnt them an ever-growing fanbase and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at this Monday’s ceremony. Released in 2019, the record fuses psychedelia, soul, rock and hip hop – all funky keys, stately horns and fuzzed-out guitars. Quesada’s deft production skills add a live feel to it all; the dramatic arrangements recall the vast Wild West landscapes of Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone. Meanwhile, Burton channels the soul greats – Marvin Gaye, Bobby Womack, Nina Simone – with his rich timbre and reverential delivery.

“Soul music is very central,” says Burton, as the band drive around the outskirts of Chicago towards a gig in Detroit. “It’s by people who feel a certain way about their existence – they might not feel as accepted... it’s that reflection of old gospel and blues music. Adrian and I consider ourselves as sincere as possible when it comes to experiencing life today, as Americans, with the backgrounds that we come from.”

Quesada, 42, grew up in Laredo, Texas, where he studied flamenco and classical guitar while poring over the rock music being played on MTV. Eventually, he dropped the lessons and began to jam with bands in friends’ garages around town. He went on to play guitar in the nine-piece Latin funk orchestra called Grupo Fantasma, which won a Grammy in 2011 for Best Latin Rock Album. Burton, meanwhile, came to Austin via New Mexico and California. He grew up in a “theatrically inclined” family, and began going to choir practise when he noticed his younger brother got a sweet each time he went.

“I never really paid attention to soul music when I was growing up, things like Al Green and Otis Redding were just played around the house,” says the 29-year-old. “Soul music in the east coast, there’s this visceral nature to it that I don’t think you get anywhere else in the entire world.” When he moved to New Mexico, he spent his time “listening to the great storytellers: Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beatles…” Then, he busked on California’s Santa Monica Pier, before ending up in Austin, where he met Quesada.

While most critics have been enthusiastic about the Black Pumas debut, some have suggested that their sound can drift into pastiche territory. “I’d agree with that analysis only to the degree that we were trying to honour soul music, to honour the song structure and the lyrics,” Burton says. “The poetry of soul is more a feeling, as opposed to being super worried about where we’re headed.”

Some people assume their name was inspired by the radical political organisation the Black Panthers – particularly given how much of the music that inspires them hails from that era. But their own formation was less serious: “We were just doing it for fun at first,” Quesada says. “By the end of 2017, we decided to play a couple of gigs in Austin, and took things from there. The name wasn’t intended to have any connection… it just sounds badass.”

That’s not to say they haven’t considered the messages they want to put across in their songs. The rousing “Colors” – one of Burton’s compositions – has a spiritual quality. Organ notes, hand claps and gospel harmonies join Burton on the chorus: “With all my favourite colours, yes, sir/ All my favourite colours, right on/ My sisters and my brothers/ See ’em like no other.” Through the album, there’s a recurring theme of nature and the divine feminine; Burton was in his first serious relationship when Quesada sent him the music for what would become “Black Moon Rising”, and became inspired by the concept of female power.

“One of our goals is unity in a time when there’s a lot of divisiveness,” Quesada says of their music. “We’re not trying to make a political statement, but you look at our live show and you see these people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities and genders – it’s about inclusiveness.”

“Whatever’s going on politically doesn’t decide who we are,” Burton agrees. “Our biggest challenge is to be honest in the sharing of our experience. We don’t worry about trying to make explicit political statements… life is more precious than that.”

The debut Black Pumas album is out now. The Grammys take place on Monday 27 January