By Akili King ·Updated February 2, 2026 /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Be it his out of this world vocal control or his uplifting music, Durand Bernarr oozes all things iconic. This is true even down to the way he ran up to the 68th Annual Grammy Awards stage last night to accept his well-deserved award for Best Progressive R&B Album. “Happy Black History Month for the rest of my life!,” the Cleveland-born artist told the crowd as he excitedly spoke into the mic. “We are all we got…please give yourself some grace and extend your kindness to your neighbor who needs it,” he added. And went on, “Be yourself! And speaking of yourself, I want to thank myself because this was some hard work y’all. Twenty plus years!” I mean, chills.
The winning project, BLOOM—which includes incredible songs like “Overqualified” and “Impact”—is all about, “the love that we have within our friends, within our community, within our tribe. And this was my love letter to my friends who
Author: Akili King
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