{"id":236479,"date":"2026-02-24T15:18:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2026\/02\/24\/durand-bernarr-in-full-bloom-grammy-winner-talks-viral-speech-upcoming-netflix-variety-show-the-merits-of-being-too-much-of-yourself\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:18:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:18:05","slug":"durand-bernarr-in-full-bloom-grammy-winner-talks-viral-speech-upcoming-netflix-variety-show-the-merits-of-being-too-much-of-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2026\/02\/24\/durand-bernarr-in-full-bloom-grammy-winner-talks-viral-speech-upcoming-netflix-variety-show-the-merits-of-being-too-much-of-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Durand Bernarr in Full \u2018Bloom\u2019: Grammy Winner Talks Viral Speech, Upcoming Netflix Variety Show & The Merits of Being \u2018Too Much of\u00a0Yourself\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tInitially, Durand Bernarr thought Bilal won the Grammy.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tDurand Bernarr Details New \u2018Bloom\u2019 Album Honoring Friendship: \u2018I Wanted to Decenter Romantic\u00a0Love\u2019\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWhy Did Everything Finally Seem to Click for R&B on a Mainstream Level in 2025?\u00a0(Critic\u2019s Take)\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tLeon Thomas Penned Hits For Ariana Grande and SZA \u2014 Now He\u2019s R&B\u2019s Hottest \u2018Rock\u00a0Star\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tBut first, he had to let Jimmy Jam get past the first syllable of whatever was written on the card in his hand. By the time the famed producer finished announcing \u201cBLOOM<\/em>, Durand Bernarr\u201d as the winner of best progressive R&B album, the virtuosic, Cleveland-bred vocalist was halfway through a mad dash to the stage \u2014 in a Luar Jehan mule, no less \u2014 to deliver an instantly viral<\/a> and endlessly memed<\/a> acceptance speech for his first career Grammy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt completely slipped my mind where I put my speech.\u00a0As\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0running up,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0like,\u00a0\u2018Oh my goodness, let me get my notes app\u2019 \u2014 \u00a0and my publicist is running behind me with it,\u201d he says with a laugh while catching up with Billboard<\/em>. \u201cPeople thought I\u00a0was changing my bio to\u00a0\u2018Grammy Award-winning,\u2019 they\u00a0said I was texting somebody\u00a0\u2014 but I was just trying to get that speech, because you only have 45 seconds!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd in those 45 seconds (and then some), his charisma proved inescapable. The New York Times<\/a> <\/em>named his triumph as one of \u201cseven great Grammy winners you didn\u2019t hear on T.V.\u201d; Essence<\/em><\/a> <\/em>profiled his stylist, Vincent Smith, to break down his winning look and Them<\/em><\/a> proclaimed that his acceptance speech was \u201ca burst of Black queer joy.\u201d Grammy-winning songwriter James Fauntleroy wrote on X<\/a> that he\u2019s \u201cnever seen the whole community collectively celebrate a Grammy win\u201d like Bernarr\u2019s, and fellow nominee Destin Conrad took to Instagram Stories, writing<\/a> \u201cBlack gay boys taking it b\u2014h, I don\u2019t give a f\u2014k!\u201d Kendrick Lamar even stopped to dap him up<\/a> on his way to accepting best rap album for GNX<\/em>, the first award of the telecast. In contrast, Bernarr hosted an intimate celebration with close friends \u2014 his earnest attempt to \u201cbe as present as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe day after his speech (Feb. 2), Bernarr\u2019s catalog exploded 546% in weekly official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate, despite his triumph happening hours before the telecast. It\u2019s fitting that Durand finally took home his first Grammy (he boasts four career nods) on the first day of Black History Month (Feb. 1), 100 years after it originated as Negro History Week and 50 years after President Ford officially recognized the celebration. His win was a triumph for churchy, queer Black folk everywhere, the exact intersection of identity whose art is constantly pillaged and repackaged, while their individual persons are often discarded and ignored.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have worked<\/em>!\u201d he says emphatically. \u201cYes, we\u2019re excited! What is there to play cool about? We\u2019ve been acknowledged for our hard work!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn to a music teacher mother and an audio engineer father, Bernarr entered the music industry at just 16 years old, accompanying his dad as a production assistant for an Earth, Wind & Fire tour. As he cut his teeth professionally, Bernarr used the ever-waning power of third spaces to hone his musical and vocal chops: He attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, dabbled in acting at Playhouse Square, mounted stage productions at Karamu House Theatre, and even frequented open mic nights and poetry slams.<\/p>\n

\n\tOf course, he owes his sanctified grounding and gospel-informed musical foundation to the hours he spent hooting and hollering in the church choir. His impassioned renditions of gospel standards like \u201cTotal Praise\u201d<\/a> and \u201cCalvary\u201d<\/a> helped him accrue an online following when he first started sharing clips on YouTube (\u201cHoly Commentating\u201d<\/a> remains a classic) \u2014 and they were the first posts to resurge following his Grammy win.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI honestly could not imagine my personality or sense of humor without Black church culture,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a big part of how I express myself. It\u2019s important we acknowledge our roots, whether that\u2019s sonically or how we move in our character. \u201c<\/p>\n

\n\tBernarr\u2019s early YouTube blueprint harnesses the same energy he tapped into on BLOOM<\/em> a decade and a half later: an inimitable balance of the sacred and the secular, as well as the comedy and theatricality woven through both spheres. A debut mixtape (Alcoholharmony<\/em>) arrived in 2009, which gave way to a 2010 EP of Erykah Badu covers that helped him land an ongoing gig as one of her background vocalists. And to be clear, a Grammy win isn\u2019t stopping him from fulfilling his BGV duties. \u201cWho else gon\u2019 be tenor?\u201d he quips. \u201cI want to continue being of service; it\u2019s not a competition to me. It\u2019s not an ego thing. I enjoy [singing backup] because I genuinely love what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHis contributions as a background vocalist and songwriter for projects by artists ranging from Kaytranada to The Internet brought him closer to Grammy glory throughout the 2010s, but his first nomination would come in 2025 for En Route, <\/em>an EP that competed for best progressive R&B album. The following year, he emerged as the second-most nominated artist in the R&B field, with three nods for BLOOM<\/em> and its tracks. At its core, BLOOM<\/em> \u2014 which arrived almost exactly a year ago<\/a> \u2014 is about friendship, a relatively underexplored subject in contemporary R&B. Across 15 shape-shifting tracks, featuring appearances by T-Pain and GAWD, Bernarr cartwheels through funk-driven soul, Prince-esque rock balladry, and \u201800s pop&B with remarkable precision.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot only is the album a clear culmination of his primary influences, but it\u2019s also a testament to the power of collaboration. It\u2019s why Bernarr began his acceptance speech by reminding the crowd, \u201cWe are all we got \u2014 and we know who I am referring to.\u201d After penning most of his catalog solo, Bernarr opened his creative process to additional songwriters like \u201cFreaky Rob\u201d Gueringer, resulting in both his most expansive album yet, and deeper ties with the artist community that would eventually get him to that Grammy stage.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDurand\u2019s voice is otherworldly, and he writes very specific to him, and that\u2019s gotten us to this point,\u201d explains his publicist and BLOOM<\/em> co-executive producer Shean England. \u201cBut how do we continue to elevate your sound and creativity? By bringing in artists he\u2019s actually friends with, and people he\u2019s been wanting to work with. It was really a community project, and Durand is an extension of that. He calls his fanbase his \u201ccousins,\u201d because it really is a family affair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough she does not appear on BLOOM<\/em>, Avery Sunshine, the 2025 best progressive R&B album Grammy winner (So Glad to Know You<\/em>), proved to be a key member of this family. And it was at her urging that Bernarr even wrote an acceptance speech. \u201cI think it was the tone behind it,\u201d he reflects. \u201cIt was this feeling of, \u2018I counted myself out, or I got counted out, and I wish I would have given myself the consideration to be prepared.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond that encouragement, the two independent artists also sat for a 45-minute, in-depth conversation<\/a> about their musical journeys. Couple that with ensuring Bernarr performed essentially everywhere he could, and you have the two primary tenets of England\u2019s victorious Grammy campaign. From a hilarious viral clip of him belting out \u201cDo you know the Muffin Man?\u201d<\/a> to the eternal life of early breakthrough hit \u201cMango Butter,\u201d<\/a> Team Bernarr took advantage of every click-worthy moment and turned that attention back to BLOOM<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe won because I wasn\u2019t trying to do everything by myself,\u201d Bernarr says. \u201cAnd now I say, if I don\u2019t have to do it by myself, I don\u2019t want to do it by myself. Creating is a playground; when you have company that has just as big an imagination as you, it makes the experience more fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd so, Bernarr handwrote a speech. In fact, that\u2019s what England was clutching in his hand as he sprinted down the aisle behind him. While his delivery instantly made the speech memorable, it\u2019s the content that made it so immediately resonant for so many viewers. Here was an openly queer, flamboyant, sanctified Black man accepting music\u2019s highest honor with both of his parents standing behind him. Here was a self-proclaimed \u201cbutch queen\u201d being honored for an album about friendship in a genre that generally prefers to ponder romantic love and sex.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA point had to be made, and a standard had to be set,\u201d Bernarr says, taking care to stress every syllable. \u201cI felt that it was important for people to see that not all of us are coming from certain experiences. There are those of us [who] have active fathers in our lives who allow us to be ourselves. That is a healing component that was needed in this time; now I\u2019m inspiring fathers to take inventory on how they are handling their children and loved ones. How your children treat you when you\u2019re an adult, and you don\u2019t need them, is your report card. This was me showing the world what an outstanding job [my parents] have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe same night Bernarr triumphed, Leon Thomas took home his first two Grammys for his own music, and the late D\u2019Angelo and Richard Smallwood were honored with an all-star, Ms. Lauryn Hill-led tribute<\/a>. The legacy of Black male vocalists towered over the ceremony, and that wasn\u2019t lost on Bernarr, despite his personal win.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the moment, it\u2019s about you, but afterwards, it\u2019s beyond you,\u201d he reflects. \u201cI\u2019m standing on the shoulders of those men. And I\u2019m glad that they not only crawled but trudged through times when it wasn\u2019t okay to be too much of yourself. As loud and boisterous as Little Richard was, there was still this element of not fully loving yourself. I like to think that I\u2019m a continuation of that, but in a way that is genuinely being embraced and celebrated.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe are both Black gay men, living a dream in a world that tries to show us that we can\u2019t or try to take it, take it away from us,\u201d adds England, who joined forces with Bernarr in November 2021 after stints at entertainment companies like Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Parkwood. \u201cThat\u2019s not something that people can just take away because they didn\u2019t give it to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been over two weeks since the Grammys, and Bernarr is still wading through congratulations messages. Notably, some are from potential new besties like Tyla \u2014 who hit him up with, \u201cChile, just from the run alone, shoot, I want to be friends,\u201d after his speech. A deluxe version of Bloom<\/em> is in the works, as are forthcoming collaborations with Vic Mensa, Dawn Richard, and Sebastian Mikael.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, he\u2019s set to combine his musical and comedic chops into a special variety show at Netflix Is a Joke on May 7; the week prior, he\u2019ll play two sold-out shows at the newly opened Blue Note Jazz Club in Los Angeles on April 29. He also auditioned for the role of James \u201cThunder\u201d Early in Dreamgirls<\/em>, which makes its Broadway return this fall, but his You Gon\u2019 Grown, Too Tour conflicted with callbacks. As a newly minted Grammy winner, the opportunities are endless, so England\u2019s top priority is maintaining a pace that respects Bernarr\u2019s health while keeping up with this \u201chuge momentous period that has changed [their] lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy dream show is my own show \u2014 a combination between\u00a0the Chappelle\u00a0Show <\/em>and\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0So Raven<\/em>,\u201d Bernarr muses as his Uber pulls up to the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show<\/em>, which he\u2019ll be appearing on later that day. \u201cThe idea that I have\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0been\u00a0done. But\u00a0being\u00a0an independent artist who has done the things that\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0done\u00a0while\u00a0being who I am\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0never\u00a0happened either.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Initially, Durand Bernarr thought Bilal won the Grammy. Related Durand Bernarr Details New \u2018Bloom\u2019 Album Honoring Friendship: \u2018I Wanted to Decenter Romantic\u00a0Love\u2019\u00a0 Why Did Everything Finally Seem to Click for R&B on a Mainstream Level in 2025?\u00a0(Critic\u2019s Take) Leon Thomas Penned Hits For Ariana Grande and SZA \u2014 Now He\u2019s R&B\u2019s Hottest \u2018Rock\u00a0Star\u2019 But first, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}