All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air. Then, what is evoked in him is of another order, more terrible because it has no words, and triumphant, too, for that same reason. And his triumph, when he triumphs, is ours.
—“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin
It is in this spirit of triumph that Native Son shines a spotlight on 13 Black queer musicians creating music across genres.
1. Durand Bernarr
36-year-old Los Angeles-based musical powerhouse Durand Bernarr was born in Ohio but is loved across the globe. The singer has collaborated with musical legends such as Erykah Badu. He secured a Grammy nomination for the song “Freefall,” a collaboration with Kaytranada. His NPR Tiny Desk concert has been viewed over one million times on YouTube. His most recent EP, En Route, is streaming now.
