Biography

“I don’t like restrictions. The easier the song feels, that’s the one I want to put out,” says 21-year-old singer-songwriter DESTIN CONRAD. A lifelong vocalist, DESTIN has released only a handful of songs leading up to his 2021 EP, COLORWAY. However, he has since achieved success quickly—amassing over five million streams for Colorway’s lead single “IN THE AIR.” “We use that term a lot in shoes, fashion, or patterns,” explains the artist. “I love the idea of different colors coming together and making one thing—just existing together. I wanted my project to feel like that.” A spectrum of songs showcases an artist with many layers and a strong sense of self.

DESTIN CONRAD was born in Tampa, Florida, and was raised by a proud single mother who immigrated from Jamaica. “My mother says I could sing before I could talk,” the artist shares. After watching her son’s singing stand out at church, she moved the pair to Los Angeles. There, DESTIN joined the jazz choir and enrolled at the legendary Debbie Allen Dance Academy. DESTIN joined the Vine app during junior high; his singing talent attracted over a million followers. One of those people that regularly engaged with DESTIN’s short videos at the time was another artist hopeful, Kehlani. While the Oakland songstress was a few years older, the pair formed a strong friendship that outlasted Vine. “She always looked out for me; she saw my potential at a young age,” CONRAD remembers. “As she became a very successful artist, she sparked the need for me to go to the studio,” CONRAD says, joining his friend regularly. “Having cool friends who were successful at making music made it seem more possible for me.”
After a few snippets and smaller Soundcloud tracks, DESTIN released “CAUTIOUS” in late 2019. The song accented his Reggae roots with the R&B he loved. “Finding my groove and finding the things that I wanted to talk about and how I wanted to sound was freeing,” he says. “It took a while to find that.” The patience paid off as the song resonated to the tune of 750,000 streams. “I love when I make songs, and they feel easy. I think you can hear it when they’re hard versus when they’re easy and smooth; I just really wanted to put ‘CAUTIOUS’ out,” says DESTIN. Apple Music and Beats 1 were early supporters of the singer, who put his songs on playlists and in rotation.

In 2020, Kehlani continued to challenge her friend. DESTIN was invited to the writing camp for It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. “That experience pushed me, ‘cause I never did that before; I felt the pressure to prove myself. I ended up getting three or four songs on her project,” he says of the album, which reached #2 on the charts. After rising to the occasion, DESTIN released a series of songs that showed his range and humanity. “CLOSURE,” “IN THE AIR,” and Ambré collaboration “FRAUD” further introduced an artist with a powerful pen and a soaring voice. Several of these songs drew from real-life relationships, tensions, and keen life observations.
COLORWAY puts the kaleidoscope of DESTIN CONRAD on full display. “I can be whatever I want to be,” he beams about music and life. The title also has personal meaning. “I definitely see color when I’m making songs or listening to other people’s music,” he admits. The standout title track looks at how two people can create amazing colors together. Another song, “Bills,” examines those who posture and front who don’t have it. Like the colors that inspire him to create, DESTIN CONRAD’s music pops. He is bright, bold, and leaves a lasting impression.