NME’s latest star of The Cover, Destin Conrad, has created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The rising R&B star is on this week’s (April 20) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Destin Conrad’s profile here, written by Nicolas-Tyrell Scott and featuring photography by Ryder.
Alongside his The Cover story, Conrad has curated an exclusive playlist, titled ‘Jazzmin’. The selection includes tracks from notable jazz musicians past and present, including Kamasi Washington, Nancy Wilson, legendary record producer Quincy Jones and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Last year, the Tampa native released his debut album, ‘Love On Digital’, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. But he didn’t stop there, following it up with the surprise jazz record ‘wHIMSY’ (which just got a deluxe edition earlier this month). When asked how he feels about the acclaim, he sinks into a moment of contemplation, then declares: “Destin is happy.” He removes his palm from his forehead, finding his train of thought: “It makes me eager and hungry.”
Conrad has become a key voice in contemporary R&B, whose ongoing resurgence has been marked by a cluster of critical releases – including former NME Cover star Coco Jones’ ‘ICU’, Muni Long’s ‘Made For Me’ and Leon Thomas’ ‘Mutt’. An undeniable fleet of queer artists have added dimension to the genre’s renewal: Kehlani and Durand Bernarr (both of whom dominated a large proportion of the R&B categories at this year’s Grammys), alongside Kwn, Sasha Keable, Victoria Monét and, now, Destin Conrad are foundational figures in this ecosystem.
“I feel blessed to even be part of this shift,” Conrad says, his tender smile echoing his gratitude. “It’s really cool to have community and have the shared experiences we can all talk about.” He adds that ‘wHIMSY’ has “really opened the door for me to explore genres. So I’m doing that again, going to other places I haven’t before… I always learn the most in new environments and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Read Destin Conrad’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.
Every year, NME produces 50 Cover stories, showcasing the future of music via in-depth profiles and exclusive photoshoots. Check out our coffee table book NME The Cover 2024-2025, which features the likes of Kneecap, Lola Young, Amaarae, LE SSERAFIM, Oklou and many more.