Durand Bernarr | |
---|---|
Birth name | Durand Bernarr |
Also known as | alcoholharmony |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio | September 16, 1988
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer, vocal arranger, pianist, DJ, skater, actor, host |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, keyboard |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels | DSING Records (Independent) |
Website | durandbernarr.com |
Bernarr Ferebee Jr., better known by his stage name Durand Bernarr, is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He frequently provides background vocals for neo-soul artist Erykah Badu and featured vocals for other artists such as Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, and The Internet. In 2019, Bernarr was a runner-up on the BET reality music competition The Next Big Thing. He released his latest album Wanderlust in 2022. [1] [2]
Bernarr was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. [3] [4] He was raised an only child by his mother, a professional music teacher and vocal coach, and his father, an audio engineer who worked with artists like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Jill Scott, and Whitney Houston. At 16, Bernarr accompanied his father on tour for Earth, Wind & Fire as a production assistant. [5] He attended church where his mother was the music director and his interest in music was further nurtured by the gospel music he heard there. [6] He cites Erykah Badu, Rick James and Little Richard as his biggest influences. [2]
In 2008, Bernarr began to grow his digital fanbase by posting YouTube videos that incorporated singing, dancing, and comedic commentary. He also covered popular songs by artists like Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, and Gnarls Barkley. [5] In 2009, he released his first mixtape titled alcoholharmony: The MixT@pe consisting of studio versions of his popular covers from YouTube and original content via Bandcamp. [7]
In 2010, Bernarr released his second EP 8ight: The Stepson of Erykah Badu , a compilation of Badu covers and medleys. [8] [5] Shortly after, Badu messaged him through Twitter and, having heard 8ight, she hired him as a background vocalist in her band Nedda Stella in 2011. [5] He currently tours either her as recently . [2]
in November 2012, he released his holiday EP titled "EXTRA Stankin' Christmas". He's also independently released various EP's and LP's distributed between 2010 and 2014 on Spotify, apple music and Bandcamp. Some of which have been removed. In September 2016, he released a 7 track EP, "Sound Check" and released a video for the lead single "Around".
Bernarr collaborates with various known name as well as indie artists as a feature or providing backgrounds. He has collaborated and performed with Ari Lennox, Kaytranada, The Foreign Exchange, The Internet, Sam Sparro, Thundercat, Knxwledge, Qveen Herby, and Teedra Moses. [6] [7]
Bernarr competed on BET's 2019 reality music competition series The Next Big Thing. [1] He both rapped and sang, and eventually finished as one of the top three performers. [6]
He released the album DUR& (pronounced Durand) in September 2020. [9] In a review, Lucas Aubry of Numéro stated that the album "once again shows his incredible ability to go up in the highs like D’Angelo and down into the low and groovy frequencies of Nate Dogg in numerous rapped moments." [5]
Bernarr resides in Los Angeles. [2] He identifies as queer. [8]
Title | Year | Album | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
"Hang on 2 Your Love" (Sam Sparro featuring Durand Bernarr) | 2013 | Quantum Physical, Vol. 1 EP | [10] |
"Freefall" (Kaytranada featuring Durand Bernarr) | 2019 | Bubba | [11] |
"Self Aware" (Qveen Herby featuring Durand Bernarr) | 2020 | EP 8 | [12] |
"Facetime (Remix)" (Ari Lennox featuring Durand Bernarr) | 2020 | Shea Butter Baby(Remix EP) | [13] |
"Red Aura" (Tech N9ne featuring Qveen Herby & Durand Bernarr) | 2023 | Bliss | [14] |
"Weird" (Kaytranada featuring Durand Bernarr) | 2024 | Timeless |
Erica Abi Wright, known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics.
Baduizm is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Kedar Records and Universal Records. After leaving university in order to concentrate on music full-time, Badu then began touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, and recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg. He set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal. Recording sessions for the album took place from January to October 1996 in New York City, Philadelphia, and Dallas.
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