The TikTok effect is doing strange things in music right now. It’s the reason that years-old songs by faves like Mariah Carey and Miguel are popping back up on the Hot 100. It’s also the reason why every single being released now has sped-up and slowed-down versions put out right alongside them. Tank And The Bangas also got a bit of a boost thanks to TikTok users who discovered a poem titled “DM Pretty” that the group performed during a 2020 performance for Offbeat Magazine. The snippet’s viral success has led to the New Orleans band officially releasing it as a single.
Spoken-word pieces aren’t new to the group, who have singles like “Black Folk” that utilize vocalist Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s poetry against lovely, meditative musical arrangements. “DM Pretty” is similar as Tank breaks down a potential suitor that’s stumbled his way into her direct messages.
“This boy be in my DM / Say I’m pretty / This boy be in my DM / Say I’m pretty,” she speaks. “He make my lonely less lonely / He make my body feel nice and curvy / And my skin clear and deep.” The flattery feels nice and gives her a confidence boost at first. However, she soon realizes it for the double-sided coin it is. She notices he only says these things when it’s dark as she wonders if the compliments are genuine or if they come with ulterior motives. It ultimately doesn’t matter, though, as he’s not giving her new information. “I wonder if he knows I been knew that s**t,” she says matter-of-factly as the piece comes to a close.
“I wrote ‘DM Pretty’ so that women could know that they are beautiful, dope, sexy, smart and obviously pretty,” Tank said in a press statement. “I also love when people really listen to the poem in its entirety to see why he’s sliding into her [DMs]…. It starts off with a compliment at about 2 A.M. in hopes that charm can get them what they really want but if she already knows that she won’t be so quick to flatter…. My hope is that real conversations can happen around this poem and people can truly feel seen through its intent.”
With the official single release, we can only imagine that “DM Pretty” will find even more success as time passes. Listen to the latest from Tank And The Bangas when you press play.