Destin Conrad has come a long way from his days as a social media personality. Conrad first made a name for himself by posting clips of himself singing on Vine, but has since transitioned to music, emerging as one of the most promising singers and songwriters in R&B.
Born in Tampa, Florida, and based in Los Angeles, Conrad and his mother relocated to the West Coast after she noticed his talent while he was singing in his church choir. Once there, Conrad enrolled in the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, where he joined the program’s jazz choir. Conrad utilized Vine to grow his audience, eventually catching Kehlani’s ear and earned songwriting credits on her blue water road and It Was Good Until It Wasn’t projects. This led to his 2021 EP COLORWAY and his most recent project, last year’s SATIN. The latter is an improved showcase for why we included Conrad in our SCENES: SoCal Soul documentary, which looks at emerging R&B artists in Southern California.
SCENES highlights ascendant communities of artists and fans who are on the cutting edge of music and culture around the world. SoCal Soul isn’t a specific sound or style, but rather a group of artists who share a love of R&B music and want to uphold the genre’s tradition through their work. Conrad may not be a California native, but he’s helping to add to its rich R&B history through his music. For Conrad, R&B is about passion and commitment beyond the work itself.
“I define R&B as a labor of love...It’s love music.”
Conrad’s love for R&B started at a young age, absorbing it before he ever learned to sing.
“Even as a kid, before I could speak words, I feel like I listened to R&B,” he says. “And my big sister’s a big R&B head, so I just grew up on R&B.”
SATIN clocks in at just 23 minutes total, but it’s filled with Conrad’s ambition and artistic growth. It opens with the uptempo “ON 10, in which Conrad longs for the intoxicating feeling a lover has left him with over dance-ready production. And on the smooth title track, Conrad reflects on the back-and-forth that takes place between people who aren’t exactly honest about their feelings for each other.
Conrad performs part of “NOBODY KNOWS” in SCENES: SoCal Soul before explaining how moving to Los Angeles at the age of 10 shaped him as an artist down the line.
Listen to Destin Conrad on SoundCloud, and check out our SoCal Soul playlist.
LISTEN TO DESTIN CONRAD
WATCH SCENES: SOCAL SOUL
Credits: Directed by C.T. Roberts. Portraits by Ira Chernova. BTS by 70mm.
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