There’s absolutely no denying the gift Durand Bernarr was blessed with. His vocal range is out of this world and his spirit is encapsulating. He has the power to gather the strangest of strangers and bring them into a room of worship. As a residential part of the Monday night installment of Tha Juice Joint , Durand puts on a crowd-pleasing performance for fellow juice drinkers. His rendition of Beyoncé’s “Sorry” made him a viral sensation which led him to open up for The Internet at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Recently, the singer sat down with RnBass to discuss his work with Erykah Badu, his Sound Check EP, artists being open about their sexuality, and what it means to be experienced.
Many of us were introduced to your inviting personality and your music via YouTube. How significant has that platform been to your career thus far?
What’s interesting about YouTube and how it’s grown is that I just wanted an unbiased opinion on what it was that I could do. Just putting yourself out there it became something else that I wasn’t necessarily planning on it being. My intent was not to be famous on the internet, I just needed an unbiased opinion on my music but it has become important. A lot of people have been discovered from putting themselves out there, but now it’s become more of a production. Usually, it was I’d press record and I’d tell you about myself — now there’s professional cameras, lighting, and makeup involved just to do a cover. It’s nice to know how far it’s come and it’s also a great tool to use to put yourself out there.
Erykah Badu discovered you on Youtube. With you being one of her background vocalists, what have you been able to learn from her?
It’ll be six years since I’ve been with her and one thing that I can say she’s taught me a lot about is to not take myself so serious. To just enjoy the moment and to create a moment. Have fun, do your job, but have fun with it. She’s exposed me to so many different cultures. From the places we’ve been to, to the conversations we’ve been able to have; her lending me her time and energy turned into something I didn’t even plan on it being. I just knew one day that I’d get the chance to meet her, but not only did I meet her I now have the chance to work with her. That work turned into a friendship and an extended family type thing.
Your cover of Beyoncé’s “Sorry” has over 500k views. Were you expecting the video to get that great of a response?
I was hoping that I was going to do something viral at this point. What was so funny about it was how all of that even came about; it was so organic. These two girls hit me up on Snapchat after they saw that we were going to be in Rochester. I was telling them that I had never been there, they offered to show me around, but I asked that they come to the hotel first so that I could see what was going on with them. They came by and started asking, “What is it that you’re into? What do you like to do?” They offered to call a few people and go to a spot and I was like, “Well, that sounds pretty good.” So we went to a friend of their’s studio and we were all singing and chilling. One of the girls were playing the guitar and they started saying, “You have to do a song!” So I told them that I wanted to do a song, but they couldn’t laugh at me. I started playing “Sorry,” but I wanted to slow it down and play around with it. This was at 2 am and the video was shot on a red camera and things kinda went from there.
What’s crazy about the video is how relaxed you are throughout. It was effortless.
(Laughs) People were talking about that and saying, “He’s just laying back.” It was that type of vibe.
Originally from Cleveland and now a Los Angeles transplant, how was your transition from there to here been?
Socially, it wasn’t much of a shift at all — I’ve been coming out here to network and mix projects since 2012. My mom has family out here, so I’ve been coming out here literally since I was six. What’s funny about the place where we are today is that I came across Tha Crockpot within the first month of me being here and a homegirl of mine who sings background for Rihanna told me to come to The Federal Bar and sing. I saw Mel, the girl who puts this together, and I remember saying, “I like her!” I hadn’t met her yet and as I’m leaving these girls were like, “Hey! There’s a Crockpot happening. Starve the ego, feed the soul.” I ended up going by myself and it was such a magical experience. Being in a room full of artists, dancers, and painters, it was such a warm spirit and energy in there. They haven’t been able to get rid of me since. Finding that community of people in a space where you could come and shed and there is no list or no one worrying about your connections; it’s a space where we share and hopefully help someone. Other than that LA is a good space to be productive in. I just needed to get acclimated and find my groove.
Who are some of your musical influences?
We don’t even have to name Erykah. B. Slade, formally known as the gospel artist Tonéx, Prince, and Phyllis Hyman. I love J. Davey. I like a lot of 80’s music and of course, 90’s Hip-Hop and R&B have always been at the top too. I love Solange and Frank (Ocean). I love how innovative Childish Gambino is. Anderson Paak has a mean ass pocket on the drums while he’s rapping that’s unheard of. Just to see him do it it’s like, “Wow!”
What’s the inspiration behind the Sound Check EP?
I was going to wait to put out something a little later, but Avir, Gladys Knight’s protogé, asked me what was I working on and I said nonorganic trap shit. It just seems trying to be me isn’t really working. And he told me that I didn’t need to compromise myself to be mainstream, that it’s all in how it’s marketed and that there is a formula. I just wanted to put together a few treats for everybody. It’s a dress rehearsal type run.
Diving deep into your EP, there’s a single on it entitled “Fly On The Wall.” It’s a pretty relatable topic as many of us have wanted to at times be an actual fly on a wall in a room we didn’t have access to. What experience led you to write that song?
The song itself is explanatory. I was playing a game of Hearts, which was pretty new to me. I was told that it’s a game that involves being asked very personal questions and it’s best to be played with people who know you personally. There were some things being said about other people and I was just like, “I wonder what ya’ll would say about me if I weren’t here.” It’s one of those situations where I know I’m being talked about, but I’m pretty sure the things that are being said are good. It’s a scandalous game.
If you could pick one song off of Sound Check to dedicate to anyone, what would it be?
It’s funny because there aren’t any songs that are current on there that I’d want to dedicate to anyone right now. I’ve always used “Around” as a reference when I’m talking to someone. It’s like I enjoy your company and I like having you around, but we need time to miss one another.
How would you describe your sound?
Someone described me live before; I’m the church, family bar-b-que, porn, and black graduation all round up into one. It’s funky. It feels good. I used to call it freestyle-soul, the reason being that anything I do I’m going to put a lot of soul into it. The freestyle part of it was how I arranged my songs. I don’t freestyle as much, I have more of a structure now. I look at it as an experience and whatever you need it to be at that time. It’s a lot of fusions, but it has a lot of consistency to it. With the new music I’m pulling from all of my inspirations; stuff that I was listening to when I was six years old. I’d like to tap into that and make it popular again. To put myself into one genre would be unfair.
Is there a big musical influence in your family?
Yes, both of my parents are musicians. My dad grew up in a musical household. He was in a singing group growing up called The Deltones, but he’s an audio engineer now. He takes care of Earth, Wind & Fire, but he’s done the Watch The Throne Tour, Rihanna’s tour, and Jill Scott’s tour. My mother has always sung. Her father taught himself how to play the piano. They were in a trio band together. Now she teaches piano and does praise and worship at various churches. My parents have always been my main influence. They’ve always encouraged me to sing. Even growing up I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to be, but I’ve always sung. At 16, my dad asked if this was what I wanted to do and I said yes. At that point, we started to put in the work.
When it comes to expressing sexuality in art sometimes it’s accepted and there are times when it isn’t. Frank Ocean spoke openly about it and then Makonnen. What are your thoughts on that?
Someone recently hit me up about Kaytranada coming out and I was looking at my wrist like let me find time to care. Does it matter anymore? Personally, I’m very specific about the Frank Ocean situation because people say he came out as bi-sexual, but he never came out as anything. He shared a story about having feelings for another dude that did not like him. That’s what it is. I feel like, for black men, women can go twirl with a girl and go back home to their dude and no one thinks anything of it, but if a man has an experience with another man then there is no middle ground. I’ve gotten to a place in my life where I’m not focused on what people think about me and my personal life. I’m here to share with you my music and what goes on in my mind. Once I understood that not everyone is meant to understand me I was at peace with that. Now I’m at a place where I’m okay with not being understood. I’m meant to be experienced.
If you could collaborate with any two artists, dead or alive, who would it be?
Phyllis Hyman, she has such a tremendous gift. Solange, I’ve met her twice and I’m holding onto that. There’s actually a few people I’d like to work with so let me start over. I’d say Meshell Ndegeocello and Frank (Ocean).
What’s next for you?
I’m taking the next year to put out visuals for the EP. I’m also going to get back on the road. I want to take my time to create music. A lot of times when I put deadlines on things it doesn’t come out the way I wanted. I want to be in the same room as a producer. I’m in a productive environment where I can finally be included in the process of the composition.
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Be sure to follow Durand Bernarr on all social media platforms including, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The Sound Check EP is available for download now.
