Proud Performance

Durand Bernarr’s Upcoming Tiny Desk Concert Will Be a Performance to Be Proud Of

*photo credit: Durand Bernarr (Instagram)

So NPR has a little performance series that they call Tiny Desk Concerts. Since 2008, these intimate concerts have been inviting artists of various genres to give live performances right at your desk, if you work at NPR. Think of what it would be like to have an intimate performance with Rina Sawayama, Raveena, or Omar Apollo (all of whom have performed a Tiny Desk Concert) with them singing right next to your stapler. What a time. Now, R&B/soul artist Durand Bernarr gets to join in on the office shenanigans with his upcoming Tiny Desk debut. 

Bernarr took to social media to share the announcement of his Tiny Desk Concert, but fans noticed a little The Proud Family twist. Bernarr, his band, and backup singers were all stylized as different characters within the Disney Channel classic. Get into all of this nostalgia. 

LaCienega, Zoey, Sticky, and the Gross Sisters were all accounted for, as was the funk superstar Uncle Bobby, who Bernarr dressed as. Quite fitting, if you ask me. 

The Proud Family got older (and queerer) with their latest incarnation, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. The show now follows Penny, her friends, and her family as they navigate life’s ups and downs in the fictional city of Smithville in California. And they elevated nonbinary character Michael Collins (voiced by EJ Johnson, child of famous basketball star Magic Johnson) to a main character and feature two new characters Maya and KG Leibowitz-Jenkins (played by Keke Palmer and Artist “A Boogie” Dubs respectively) who are raised by two gay dads (played by Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto) in this The Proud Family update.

The popular kids show has featured numerous queer celebrities. Along with Johnson, Quinto, Porter, and Palmer, Lena Waithe, Jeremy O. Harris, Bretman Rock, and Lil Nas X have all contributed to The Proud Family franchise. Maybe there’s room for Bernarr to join too? Just saying. 

Bernarr has been steadily giving us soulful vocals for a while now. Having worked with Erykah Badu, Ari Lennox, Kaytranada, The Internet, and Thundercat, Bernarr is building up his musical portfolio. In addition to working with some of the music industry’s best and brightest, he was also featured on BET’s The Next Big Thing reality competition where he trained intensely to become just what the show’s title suggests. 

If you need to be convinced of Bernarr’s talent, check out this cypher he did with R&B singers Muni Long, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and Alex Vaughn for the 2022 Soul Train Awards. 

With 2023 here, Bernarr’s year is getting better and better. The singer-songwriter is currently wrapping up his The Wanderlust Tour to promote his latest album Wanderlust and was able to pull out all the stops for a Tiny Desk Concert. 

And the fans are here for Bernarr’s come up.

Bernarr’s upcoming Tiny Desk Concert premieres on March 30, 2023 and it’ll definitely be something to be proud of. 

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