Full Suit: Helen Anthony / Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Full Suit: Helen Anthony / Shoes: Jacques Solovière / Sunglasses: Gucci / Bag: Elvis & Kresse

You’re an independent artist. What made you choose to stay independent over signing with a major label?

Being independent for me is taking, not the scenic route, but definitely the road less travelled. [It’s] taking the road of “let me organically grow this, let me lean on my village, let me lean on my community to make things happen.” It would seem like it would take a while for things to happen, but I would rather things take a while than get myself in a position where I don’t have any autonomy over my art or my music, and I’m putting out material that I don’t feel connected to, or that I don’t like. So I’m very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in, where I could rely on my dad and my team, who have ultimately really been the homies. These have been friends who have gotten into these positions wearing multiple hats, by the way. As I say, we’re small, but we are mighty. I’m open to whatever assistance as long as it makes sense and it’s fair for everybody involved, you know.

If you were to start again from scratch, do you take the same route? Or do you consider any options?

I think I kind of hindered myself a little bit by working by myself so much. I think just finding more people that I could bounce ideas off of and collaborate with, that would have been more beneficial. But outside of that, I don’t think I would change anything because all the things that I’ve encountered, the people that I’ve come across and that have shared their expertise and poured into me, all of that has been very worth it and just made this whole story and journey well-rounded and worthwhile. I tell people, I’m a true testament that you can’t do it by yourself. And even if I could do it by myself, I don’t want to. Amen.

Switching gears again & getting away from the music, more into you now. What does a completely quiet day look like for you? What is your go-to way to switch off from being “Durand Bernarr”?

I would like to be in the house listening to vinyl, smoking. Just kind of being quiet. A lot of my work involves being around people, being on, being loud, so it’s nice to be able to put on my own thoughts, and just be still. To not have to be pulled on and tugged on all the time.

Feeling like you’re on all the time, how do you refill, re-inspire, and keep finding that spark of creativity in a situation where you’re so busy?

Right now, that’s a good question, because I haven’t really had that time yet, so we will tap back in on that when I actually do have a moment to reach out.

One thing fans have always loved about you is your sense of humour, right? You’re a singer, DJ, comedian, and this comes from early days, and recently you did Netflix is a Joke as well. How do music and comedy feed into each other for you? 

Well, we have to start from the very beginning. Just like Bugs Bunny – he could literally act and not say a word. Meanwhile, he’s slapping bulls and dancing, you know. So, cartoons have always been at the epicentre of my sense of humour. Between Bugs, Jim Carrey, and when my parents took me to see The Mask when I was a kid. They took me to see The Nutty Professor in theatres. I love Ricky Smiley, Bruce Bruce, Arnez J, Katt Williams, and Dave Chappelle. So it wasn’t just music and artists that inspired me, and I always enjoy making people laugh.

With your humour and love of comedy, has it changed how people perceive you as a musician?

No, I think people enjoy the infusion of that because it is unique. It’s not necessarily “Weird Al” Yankovic. I’m really singing, but I can also do a spoof, too, but the core of it is to laugh.

I find it a really interesting dichotomy, because there’s the rapper Lil Dicky who takes a similar approach to infusing comedy with music. When you are just relaxing at home with your closest people, are you still the one making everyone laugh? Or do you prefer to sit back and let others take the lead?

  It really depends. I love to host and to tell stories, and all that stuff. Also, that looks different depending on if I’m with my homies or if I’m with people that I need to entertain, you know, it just depends.

For an artist who started on the internet and has such a distinct personality, how do you draw the line between what you share with the world and what you keep just for yourself?

Because I’m always putting myself out there and I’m always sharing myself with people. I need to leave a little bit of something to myself. That’s why they have journals. We’ve got to bring back journals. I’ve been journaling since I was about 12. I actually have the very first journal that I started, and go figure, it was a Bugs Bunny journal. It has Bugs Bunny right on it. I’d have to count how many books I have, from 2000 to 2020. Within the past five years or so is when I haven’t been writing as much, and I’ve been doing more, doing my therapy sessions.

Going to therapy. How has that helped? Or what does that help with for you?

For me, it just gives me perspective. When I first got into therapy professionally back in 2020, I wasn’t going in with the mindset of something’s wrong. It was more so me checking under the hood and seeing what I am. What are some things that I’m conducting myself in? Or what are some character traits that might be because of a trauma response? And not because this is just genuinely who I am? I’m always trying to learn about myself and figure out why. I’m a fan of psychology, so I’m always getting to the root of things.

 Yeah, it’s really interesting. I’ve always believed things don’t have to be wrong for you to go and get a check-up. Does this perspective find its way into your artistry?  

Oh, absolutely. I always tell people, if I’m in therapy, we are in therapy. So I’m always utilising some tidbits that I’ve learned within my journey, things that have been shared with me.  As I say, it’s not for the weak, but it helps the weak.

It can be quite hard to confront yourself. To really look in that mirror… 

Only if you’re afraid of yourself. I feel like, if you’re not afraid of yourself, then confronting certain things shouldn’t be. Confrontation in general isn’t an issue for me. And I think when we look at what the definition of confrontation is, it just means to address something in person. It doesn’t mean to have an argument, it doesn’t mean to be angry, it means I want to address what’s going on.

Being in the limelight, being famous, being known and being perceived, does that come easily for you?

There are some aspects of it that definitely come with adjustments. Now, when we’re talking about someone who has been a musician, or someone who has been engulfed in music, that’s one thing, or someone who has been on social media and has seen kind of the growth of a lot of these social media platforms. I would say the only thing that can be a bit much with fame is the perceptions of you. It’s the clickbait. It’s taking a portion of something that was said, and that being the main thing. We’re not listening to the entire thing. There are things that I’ve seen other people go through on a certain scale, and it’s like, “oh, bitch, now it’s my turn.”

Honestly, for real, for real, that’s just decency. That’s just surety. Just you knowing yourself altogether, regardless of what it is. I mean, not for nothing. The Butch Queens have been doing this for a long time. So it’s the straight men that are just now getting comfortable with themselves and wanting to paint their nails and wanting to have a man bag and all that. We’re the ones who were on the front lines, being targets, expressing ourselves. So for me, it’s whatever I’m feeling and how I need to express it because I could be wearing pink with flowers all over me, but if I’m confident, if I walk into the place with my head held high, who’s going to say something? And if anything, I feel my audacity gives people license to tap into themselves and express themselves. I’ve seen it. Even with songs like “Mango Butter”, where I got straight guys saying ‘No, because I do feel like I’m a bad bitch and that nigga too.’ Bless their hearts. Again, there’s no such thing as women’s clothes or men’s clothes. As RuPaul said: “we are all born naked.”

What are your three absolute favourite fashion items in your wardrobe right now?

I don’t go anywhere without a Doc Marten; I love my black docs. They give me a little elevation, and also they provide a stroll when I walk. Baby, watch out, okay. Because these boots are made for walking. I always have a jacket. I don’t care where I’m going. I don’t care how hot it is outside. It’s something about growing up in the Midwest that at any given moment, it could snow on Monday and be 80 degrees on Tuesday. I don’t trust it. So I’m always going to have something to cover. It can be light, it can be chilly. And also I love a high waist jean or a high waist pant with a little crunch at the bottom because I’m not really a fan of a boot cut. Crunch me up at the bottom so you can see the shoe.

If you could collaborate with any fashion designer, who would it be?

I’m drawn to designers who create from a place of identity and cultural storytelling. One collaboration that felt especially meaningful was with Luar. I first connected with Raul Lopez and the brand during my first New York Fashion Week in 2025, sitting front row at the show, and later collaborated with the team alongside my stylist Vincent Smith on two bespoke GRAMMY looks. Every detail felt intentional, from the ultraviolet suit symbolising my four GRAMMY nominations to the floral textures woven into the red-carpet look. Experiences like that remind me of how powerful fashion can be as a form of storytelling. I’m also really inspired by the creativity and individuality behind KidSuper and the cultural influence Telfar continues to have. A major shout-out to Colm Dillane, Telfar Clemens, and their teams for their continued support. As for dream collaborations, Saint Laurent under Anthony Vaccarello, Maison Margiela with Glenn Martens, and Tom Ford under Haider Ackermann are all at the top of my list. Their work feels bold, refined and expressive in ways that really resonate with me creatively.

You have built a massive body of work over the last two decades. When people look back at your career in fifty years, what is the one thing you hope they say about the “Bernarr” experience?

That I inspired them. That I left them feeling better for having encountered me. Whether that is a perspective, whether that is a type of approach to music or whether it’s a different artist.