On the trails of his first headline tour, the SEX, LOVE & PAIN tour, ATLANTIC recording artist TANK teamed up with Diageo brand TANQUERAY, and threw a private VIP dinner at STK Downtown in NYC.
THURSDAY, March 17th – The TANK x TANQUERAY No. TEN VIP Dinner was every bit of intimate, cozy, yet lively and fun – all of those things in one. Greeted upon arrival with a specialty cocktail the TANQUERAY “Green Machine”, a St. Patrick’s Day inspired themed drink with Tanqueray No. TEN being the taste of the night circulated the space; the hint of mint, kale, apples and lemon remains to reminisce, much like the Tank inspired soundtrack for the occasion that played in the background. A signature cocktail menu comprised of three other TANQUERAY No. TEN cocktails made to order at our leisure and hors d’oeurvres floated around the room while waiting for the 8PM sit down.
Toasting to the night and what’s to come, TANK seemed to be winding down while sipping on his signature TANQUERAY no. TEN cocktail “The General”, that taste of pineapple and bubbly from the club soda in a glass. Producer, songwriter, actor and vocal talent TANK dished a little and briefed a room full of music and entertainment tastemakers, executives, and influencers on the details of the SEX, LOVE, & PAIN tour, his new album, life, and what it was like teaming up with TANQUERAY. TANQUERAY is “a perfect fit”, explains Tank when speaking of his first brand partnership, “it’s legendary, its classic.” And TANQUERAY Brand Director, KEENAN TOWNS might agree.
Settling with my TANQUERAY “French 75” cocktail, guilty I tried all but one of the four specials on the menu, the champagne sophistication of it put me in my place. And with a dinner menu prepared to share, I would have stuffed my face with practically every dish. Plus, the dessert after the dessert was TANK serenading the room, closing out the meal.
Performing just the night before at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill for the New York City leg of his tour, the highly anticipated SEX, LOVE & PAIN II (released in January) is sequel to his 2007 album SEX, LOVE, & PAIN. TANK tells THE KNOCKTURNAL why a PART II was necessary this time around, “Sex, Love, Pain II is the first album off of my own label, ‘R&B Money’, and I told myself, if I’m going to launch my label with ‘something’, it’s gotta be an event, something that people have been waiting on, something highly anticipated, a moment when I connected with my fans in a such a way, that they still remember it ‘til this day. And there is only one moment, and that’s Sex, Love & Pain.”
Totally surprised by the positive album response TANK explains why it made even more sense to give his fans another rendition of SEX, LOVE & PAIN, “When you say Sex, Love, and Pain, that is R&B music. You cover everything in sex, love and pain that has anything to do with R&B; and I’m able to articulate those things very well, lyrically, melodically and musically.”
More questions with TANK.
Q: How are able to prioritize and juggle all the hats that you wear, musician, actor, father, touring and still maintain your youth?
A: I think it’s because I just have fun with all of it. I think the thing that kills people when they add so much onto their plate is the stress of it all, and I’m not stressing about anything, I’m doing everything the way I want to do it. It’s been a blessing being able to do all the things that I never imagined myself being able to do. There’s no real juggling act to it, you just have to go with the next thing on the schedule. You do what you need to do, if that means bringing the kids to the studio, you just do it. You get tired here and there, but that’s just a part of the course.
Q: How did your new partnership with Tanqueray come to play?
A: Well, they sponsored a my birthday party a few years back, and it was just an awesome event. It was a Harlem Nights theme, it just felt great, they catered everything, Tanqueray all around, and the aesthetic was so cool. We were just, we should do more things like this, and it went from there. Not to mention, I already knew Keenan for years. So we decided to really dive into it and make it something, because our brand is about quality, class, and legacy and its making sense.
Tank x Tanqueray No. TEN VIP dinner at STK Downtown in New York, NY on March 17, 2016. (Photo by Stephen Smith)
