{"id":727868,"date":"2026-04-14T18:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T18:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/727868\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T18:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T18:21:25","slug":"durand-bernarr-on-new-album-grammy-win-and-upcoming-l-a-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/727868\/","title":{"rendered":"Durand Bernarr on new album, Grammy win and upcoming L.A. shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was only a matter of time before Durand Bernarr was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

After more than two decades in the music industry (including singing background vocals for Erykah Badu) and 13 projects deep, the Cleveland-born singer has built a devoted following on the strength of his elastic vocals, tongue-in-cheek lyricism dosed with healing affirmations and flamboyant live shows, which feel as indebted to Broadway as they are to R&B. His 2023 NPR Tiny Desk concert, now with more than 2.9 million views, offers a succinct introduction.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

So when Bernarr \u2014 born Bernarr Ferebee Jr. \u2014 darted to the Grammy stage in February to accept his first award, for progressive R&B album for \u201cBloom,\u201d the viral moment<\/a> felt perfectly on brand. <\/p>\n

When asked how his life has shifted since, he reaches for a vivid metaphor. \u201cIf I can compare it to a fire, there were several pieces of wood,\u201d he told The Times, \u201cand now there is gasoline and lumber and all types of stuff thrown into it \u2014 so now it is ignited. The fire can be seen from farther away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Durand <\/p>\n

After winning his first Grammy for progressive R&B album, Durand Bernarr is slated to release his follow-up, titled \u201cBernarr,\u201d on May 1. <\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t wait long to feed it. Two days later, Bernarr was back in the studio, initially aiming to create a deluxe version of \u201cBloom.\u201d Instead, the sessions grew into an entirely new project, \u201cBernarr.,\u201d a self-titled offering named in honor of his dad, whom he shares a name with. Due out May 1, it features contributions from R&B pioneer Raphael Saadiq, pop star Khalid, rapper Vic Mensa and more. Bernarr released the first single, \u201cWild Ride,<\/a>\u201d with singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy and an accompanying video in late March. <\/p>\n

Ahead of upcoming shows at the Blue Note jazz club<\/a> April 29 in L.A. and the Netflix Is a Joke festival,<\/a> where he\u2019ll be merging his musical and comedic gifts (May 6), Bernarr stopped by The Times to discuss the inspiration for \u201cBernarr.,\u201d why he plans to continue singing background, his variety show debut and the chapter he finds himself in now.<\/p>\n

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

Congratulations on your first Grammy. Your acceptance speech \u2014 and that run to the stage \u2014 has brought people so much joy. What have the <\/b>l<\/b>ast couple of months been like since that moment? <\/b><\/p>\n

Thank you, first and foremost. I can\u2019t say much has changed, more so things have just been added on to what was already happening. If I can compare it to a fire, there were several pieces of wood and now there is gasoline and lumber and all types of stuff thrown into it \u2014 so now it is ignited. The fire can be seen from farther away.<\/p>\n

Following your win, you jumped right back in the studio, right? <\/b><\/p>\n

Two days later.<\/p>\n

[Warning: Video contains profanity.]<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

You just released a single called \u201cWild Ride\u201d with singer-songwriter and producer<\/b> James Fauntleroy. Did that song come out of that time? <\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. I just jumped right in. There was a list of people that I\u2019ve been wanting to work with and [Fauntleroy] was one of them. Funny enough, that was the first track that he played out of a list of things. I was like, \u201cWhoa, whoa, whoa, go back, go back,\u201d because he only played like five seconds of it. I said, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d I love his writing. The way that we pieced the song together was that I did a couple passes on it melody-wise, then he wrote to my melodies. I thought that was just really dope. <\/p>\n

Why was \u201cWild Ride\u201d the best song to put out after your Grammy win? <\/b><\/p>\n

I like to give something that\u2019s a little bit different, at least to get you started. I feel like \u201cWild Ride\u201d was a great way to kind of segue out of coming from \u201cBloom,\u201d even though this is still a continuation of that, I wanted to showcase something a little different. I was able to practice restraint in the song while also still being interesting. The composition and the music alone created a world for me to be able to flow in certain ways that I would have to create myself vocally, so the music gave me the space to be able to land on certain notes that I love. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a little over a year since you released \u201cBloom,\u201d and now you\u2019re stepping into the next era. I heard that it was initially going to be a deluxe album, but then you decided it would be a second iteration and now it\u2019s something different. <\/b><\/p>\n

[Laughs] Originally, we were just gonna go with the deluxe five additional new songs and two remixes, and this music that came out of trying to only do five was way more than that. We were like there\u2019s no way. Let\u2019s just do something else, something fresh. And even with the 28 ideas that I came out with in the first two days, it was a lot. We were really trying to narrow it down and it\u2019s so good. <\/p>\n

Can you share the name of the album? <\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s another self-title, so it is \u201cBernarr.\u201d I\u2019m a junior and even the cover of it looks like Bernarr. It very much looks like \u201cYou\u2019re looking just like your father.\u201d Even just looking at it I\u2019m like, wow, I\u2019ve really grown up. I\u2019ve really blossomed into this human being that has all of these different layers and dynamics to them, and yet, all of it is cohesive all at the same time. It\u2019s a time capsule of the music that I\u2019ve been inspired by, from yacht music to alternative rock to funk. I mean, \u201cThe Midnight Special\u201d with Chaka Khan and Rufus, all of those things that I was raised on, but I\u2019m bringing my approach to it. I\u2019m just glad that I\u2019m in the space to be able to tell these stories in the way that I\u2019m telling them \u2014 that are still true to me and also reaching a broader audience.<\/p>\n

\"Durand <\/p>\n

Durand Bernarr is slated to perform April 29 at Blue Note Los Angeles and May 6 at the Netflix is a Joke festival. <\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Does the album feel like a dedication to your father or your lineage? <\/b><\/p>\n

I had the \u201cDur&\u201d album. Everybody\u2019s so creative<\/a>. However, this feels really mature. I thought \u201cDur&\u201d was my Aaliyah moment, but I also feel like \u201cBernarr.\u201d really encapsulates when we\u2019re talking about self-titled, it\u2019s really getting into that, that evolution of us as artists. And what a better way to honor one of my biggest supporters? My mother\u2019s number one because she carried me. She\u2019s always number one and then there\u2019s just my dad. Anytime your allegiance, even to yourself, overrides your allegiance to me to make sure that I have everything that I need when you\u2019re modifying and adjusting how you move through life so that your family can be OK, that needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be celebrated. <\/p>\n

Your live performance can\u2019t be talked about enough. Whether it\u2019s Tiny Desk or it\u2019s at a day party like Everyday People … <\/b><\/p>\n

Shout-out to Everyday People. That\u2019s my spot! <\/p>\n

… Or one of your tour stops. How does your background in theater, touring with Earth, Wind & Fire and doing background vocals for Erykah Badu <\/b> help<\/b> shape you as a live performer? Why is showmanship so important for you? <\/b>
I don\u2019t ever want anyone to come to a space that I\u2019ve curated and leave uninspired, because that means that I\u2019ve wasted your time. And as Luther [Vandross] said, \u201cI am not here to waste your ticket money.\u201d I\u2019m here to motivate you. I\u2019m here to lift you up. I\u2019m here to provide some insight, some perspective, because if I\u2019m in therapy, we [are] in therapy. So I\u2019m always dropping gems. It\u2019s so many different things that are wrapped into one and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to me to make sure that people are inspired when they come see my shows. I want people to come to my show and be like, \u201cYou know what I\u2019m getting in the studio as soon as I get home right now, like, I gotta go create, I gotta go paint, I gotta go dance.\u201d Whatever it is that you need to get out of you, I want to bring that out. <\/p>\n

\"Durand <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce they lay eyes on me, to know me is to love me,\u201d says Durand Bernarr. <\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

You have some upcoming shows at the Blue Note Los Angeles. What are you most excited about for these performances and how have you been preparing? <\/b><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m preparing for anything because I\u2019m already in the things. When you\u2019re constantly doing it, it\u2019s more so just we\u2019re getting together to rehearse. There hasn\u2019t been a time where I have not been prepping for something. I\u2019m more excited about the interpretations of the songs, specifically at Blue Note. I want to turn most of the songs jazz just to kind of give a different feel. And also do some jazz standards as well, because I was in my jazz bag, real heavy in my late teens, early 20s. A lot of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Big Maybelle, even Phyllis Hyman when she was doing \u201cSophisticated Ladies.\u201d And then as far as my Netflix Is a Joke special, I also want people to know I don\u2019t consider myself a stand-up comedian because that\u2019s a different art in itself. However, I can tell stories and there\u2019s an animation in which in which I can tell my story. So getting with friends of mine, who are comedians and I always filter it through them, like, what\u2019s funny, what\u2019s not. So that\u2019s the exciting portion of it, and preparing for that, I feel that would be a great segue into, \u201cWe need to get this guy in film. We need to get him on TV. Something. Get him a hosting gig.\u201d Whatever that is. Again, people just need to see me. Once they lay eyes on me, to know me is to love me.<\/p>\n

What chapter is Durand Bernarr in now and what are you most looking forward to after the crazy year you\u2019ve had?<\/b><\/p>\n

What would this chapter be called? Oof. Buckle up. [Laughs] Because at first my restraints were just a seat belt going over the waist, then Tiny Desk happened. Now, we gotta put something over here. Then the nomination happened. OK, now we gotta strap this side. We won the Grammy [makes roller coaster sound]. Now we\u2019re about to do inversions. We\u2019re doing twists and turns and loops and whatnot. So that\u2019s what it feels like and I\u2019m excited about taking these songs on the road \u2014 a brief run because last year I was on four tours.<\/p>\n

\""I <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t ever want anyone to come to a space that I\u2019ve curated and leave uninspired,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

You were doing so much. Wasn\u2019t the \u201c<\/b>Mama\u2019s Gun<\/b><\/a>\u201d anniversary tour happening too?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. So here\u2019s the thing. I was gonna sit my \u201cSounds of Blackness\u201d down after my third run. Then I saw that she was doing the 25th anniversary of \u201cMama\u2019s Gun<\/a>,\u201d my inner teenager was not going to allow me to not do it because I didn\u2019t want to have FOMO and it was easier on my body as my own tour anyway. I\u2019m not exerting as much energy unless of course she has me come out, falling all over the floor. But even outside of that, I also enjoy just being a part of the bigger picture. I don\u2019t have to be in the forefront to tell my story or to express myself. One reason why I wanted the Grammy was so that I could continue doing background because it gives me duality. Not every lead singer can sing with other voices and not every background singer can command the lead, so when you can do both, I\u2019ll never be out of work because it\u2019s not an ego thing with me. <\/p>\n

What do you love most about performing with her? It\u2019s been 15 years now, right?<\/b><\/p>\n

I need my members only jacket. You know what? Let me stop because I got five of them. [Laughs] Baby, talk about Durand keep a job Bernarr. I enjoy how every show is not the same. When you\u2019re kept on your toes in a way that is fun, and also just \u201cKnow your stuff so that we can enjoy ourselves.\u201d Also, don\u2019t take yourself so seriously. As she said, when you are in the studio, you are perfecting a moment. Live, you\u2019re creating a moment, so mistakes happen. Just taking notes of how I want to incorporate certain things in my show or how I want to move, or the things I might need, it\u2019s all been very rewarding. I\u2019ve made beautiful connections. That\u2019s an extension of my, of my family. Her and my mama and my daddy be talking. I couldn\u2019t have told you this 16 years ago, that I would still be doing this 15 years later, let alone that I would be someone she considers a friend. It\u2019s like \u201cIs this my life?\u201d And if it\u2019s not, you better not pinch me. <\/p>\n