Fresh off his first Grammy win for best progressive R&B album, Durand Bernarr returns with a genre-bending, sonic exploration on BERNARR, which features collaborations with Big Sean, Sevyn Streeter, Raphael Saadiq and others.
Anyone who may be new to Durand’s music is, most certainly, not new to his presence online. From memes to interviews, the singer/songwriter delivers on viral moments time and time again. However, his music—the best part of every era of Black sound—is more than worthy of your attention.
His work makes reference to the likes of greats like Chaka Khan, Sly and the Family Stone and Prince, as well as his contemporaries like Miguel, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles and Bilal. On BERNARR, his ability to write what many in the social media generation are going through amid the backdrop of a burning world while remaining true to his quirky and comical approach to world building.
There are many standout tracks—including the mental health anthem and project’s second single “AM I OKAY?”—but one that really seems to have captivated the attention of music lovers is the track “Ayo,” that encourages listeners to embrace the changes life often puts everyone through. Durand spoke to the song’s message in an interview with Billboard saying,
“Bad days happen; it’s not going to be sunshine and roses all the time. That doesn’t mean life is out to get you, or that someone is conspiring against you. There doesn’t have to be some big prophetic theory; sometimes life just happens—and the devil didn’t do it either.”
“I want to remind people that it’s okay for things not to go the way we wanted to,” he adds. “And it’s okay to have accountability because sometimes we want to blame something else for something happening. But no one’s to blame; it’s just life.”
With Michael Jackson capturing the world’s attention yet again—the biopic on the late singer’s life remains number one at the box office—Durand’s playful take on ’80s era music feels right on time. On tracks like “Homesick” and “Sugar Family,” the sounds of a carefree musical time ring loud and clear as Durand transports listeners to who he may have been had he been born a couple decades earlier.
Despite having been in the game for over a decade, Durand still seems to be having fun with it all. Instead of feeling “slept on,” he’s embracing new listeners and the chance to reintroduce himself to those who may think they have him pegged already. On May 6, he’ll take part in Netflix’s Netflix Is A Joke comedy showcase.
“I want to do a variety show. However, this is more in the realm of stand-up. I have some musical numbers, but for the most part, I’m just telling stories about my life,” he told MACRO’s Uprising. “I did two test runs [in Los Angeles] to get my bearings. I did an hour at Live at the Sun Rose. Then I did an hour and 20 minutes at the Belly Room at the Comedy Store. The reception has been great. The laughs and reactions have all been genuine. If they didn’t think something was funny, they didn’t laugh. But the stuff that they thought was funny, baby, they laughed. So I have a good idea of what works.”
Something tells us, we’ll be hearing a good amount of Durand at the summer cookouts. And we’re here for it!
