Durand Bernarr is gearing up to release the follow-up to his Grammy-winning album, Bloom. BERNARR will arrive on May 1 and features appearances from Khalid, Big Sean, Vic Mensa and Sevyn Streeter, BJ The Chicago Kid and James Fauntleroy.
Raphael Saadiq, Bryan Michael Cox and Trinidad James are among the album's producers. Raphel and Bryan are also credited as songwriters, alongside Kandi Burruss, Troy Taylor, Sevyn, James Fauntleroy, Johnta Austin, Miguel and more.
"It's been a long road to get to a place where you're respected by the OG's as well as welcomed by other heavy hitters in the industry," Durand captioned a post announcing the album's collaborators. "The belief in me to help enhance the fire that's already burning can be felt throughout this body of work and this is only the beginning… a new beginning."
Durand told the Los Angeles Times that BERNARR is "a time capsule of the music that I've been inspired by, from yacht music to alternative rock to funk. I mean, 'The Midnight Special' with Chaka Khan and Rufus, all of those things that I was raised on, but I'm bringing my approach to it."
The title also pays tribute to one of his biggest supporters: his father, whom he noted comes second only to his mother.
"Anytime your allegiance, even to yourself, overrides your allegiance to me to make sure that I have everything that I need when you’re modifying and adjusting how you move through life so that your family can be OK, that needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be celebrated," he said.
BERNARR will mark Durand's latest self-titled project, following Dur&. Bloom, released in 2025, won a Grammy for best progressive R&B album.