Durand Bernarr is a singer-songwriter, producer, and background vocalist who has worked with artists like Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, and The Internet. Coming from a family with a musical background, he says he was born into it.
Bernarr opened up about how he managed his career to get him to where he is today.
How old were you when you fell in love with music and how did that bring you to where you are now?
I didn’t get a chance to fall in love with music, I think it fell in love with me and we had a relationship. … My parents are both musicians, and we are all very musically inclined. Growing up in that environment, even being homeschooled, there was always some kind of music lesson that was implemented into my curriculum. I’ve always been an auditory learner, but it was my first tour that I went on with my dad when I was 16 as a production assistant, for Earth, Wind & Fire. At the end of that tour is when my dad started managing me and has been ever since.
As an artist, how did you set out to architect or design where you are today?
In the beginning, I was throwing a lot of noodles at the wall, trying to see what would stick, [basically] working with one producer per project at a time just to see if I could find that synergy. I was also working by myself a lot and then I moved out to Los Angeles. I really discovered the beauty and the fun of not having to work by myself and being around people who have a sense of humor that I can bounce off of. That kind of changed for me, and so that also changed how many producers I’ve worked with and just being present in the room as it’s being created. Once I got the recipe for what my sound is, [which is] implementing my personality and my sense of humor in the music, that’s kind of been the core ingredient for how I present myself.
Aside from Erykah Badu, how would you describe your style and personal style?
I like to have fun. I’d like to address that. For my tour, I was different characters from TV shows and movies. I was The Mask, I was “Carmen Sandiego,” Leroy from Fame, Beetlejuice, Popeye, “Uncle Bobby,” and Freddy Krueger. That was my favorite, [because] that claw baby. That was really just my inner child wanting to have fun because I did not get a chance to participate in Halloween activities. When I was growing up, it was [called] Hallelujah night. I just wanted to have fun and I think with that, it really sets the tone for everyone else to have fun.
