Durand Bernarr, born in 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up in a musical family with a mother who was a music teacher and vocal coach and a father who worked as an audio engineer for artists including Whitney Houston and Earth, Wind & Fire. He began his career in 2008 posting YouTube covers and released his first mixtape, alcoholharmony: The MixT@pe, in 2009, followed by EPs like Sound Check (2016) and 8ight: The Stepson of Erykah Badu (2010). Bernarr has provided background vocals for Erykah Badu and featured on tracks by Kaytranada, Anderson .Paak, and The Internet. His style blends R&B, funk, soul, and progressive elements. Key releases include the album DUR& (2020), which topped Apple Music's R&B charts, Wanderlust EP (2022), Grammy-nominated En Route (2024) for Best Progressive R&B Album, and BLOOM (2025), which won the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album in 2026. He was a runner-up on BET's The Next Big Thing in 2019. Bernarr's live shows feature strong stage presence and showmanship, seen at Afropunk, Bonnaroo, Essence Festival, his Wanderlust and Step Into My Office tours, and a 2023 Tiny Desk Concert that gained viral attention.