Durand Bernarr

Durand Bernarr, a neo-soul and hip-hop crooner, discovered that tributes often unlock unexpected doors. Covers of Erykah Badu material drew her direct endorsement, which quickly translated into a steady role as her touring vocalist. Following scattered independent projects and partnerships with prominent R&B figures, he crystallized his voice on the lush neo-soul album Dur& in 2020.

Born in Cleveland, Bernarr grew up immersed in music through his mother, a vocal coach who led the neighborhood church choir, and his father, a live audio engineer who placed him, at sixteen, as a production assistant on an Earth, Wind & Fire tour. Early online experiments helped him cultivate an audience; drawing primary inspiration from Little Richard and Rick James, he posted vocal covers and comedic sketches on YouTube. His debut set of original material arrived as the self-released mixtape Alcoholharmony: The Mixt@pe in 2009.

Wider recognition followed the 2010 self-released tribute 8ight: The Stepson of Erykah Badu, whose covers of the neo-soul icon prompted Badu to engage him as a backing singer. While fulfilling multiple tours with her, he issued the 2016 EP Sound Check and gained further visibility through stage and studio work alongside Anderson.Paak, Kaytranada, Ari Lennox, Thundercat, and others. In 2019 he reached the finals of BET’s The Next Big Thing, where judges highlighted his range across singing and rapping.

Those milestones paved the way for Dur&, the 2020 album that earned strong notices and featured appearances by Lennox and Kaytranada. A second full-length, Wanderlust, appeared in 2022, followed by the 2024 EP En Route.