Black Artist Spotlight: Karen Bernod 🎵

Hello my big music lover fans! Welcome to another long awaited episode of Black Artist Spotlight, the show where we talk to Black artists about the journeys into music and get exposure! 🎶 Today we are given the esteemed pleasure of talking to Miss Karen Bernod! Karen is a Brooklyn native who has more than four decades of experience in music. She has worked with prominent voices of Black music such as Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross and so much more! After a twelve year hiatus, she has returned to the music scene with her fourth studio album entitled *IRIS*, a tribute album to her late mother. And recently she has released two new singles from the album entitled Love is All We Need and Beautiful Soul which she labels as her unofficial *KB’s Soul Summer Singles*! Listen as she shares her story of becoming a background singer, her process of creating her new album, advice she gives to upcoming Black artists, and so much more! Stream Karen’s newest singles on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3StfoBqb1LFeEoBmQrMIR5?si=2Qcuwp7FQ6Onqb\_3g-0R8Q Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-is-all-we-need-beautiful-soul-single/6779812983 Karen’s Socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenbernod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenbernod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/karenbernodmusic Threads: https://www.threads.com/@karenbernod Check out the Crafting the Sound documentary: https://youtu.be/6j59xRpDmzg?si=5jRHNG9YyklW9qdZ The Liberation of Black Music Podcast Socials: Email: liberationofblackmusicpod@gmail.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberationofblackmusicpodcast/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theliberationofblackmusicpod?si=YrtjTKEHdCeD2oAi TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@liberationblackmusicpod?\t=ZP-90pVhZ7Ecdr&\r=1 Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/cw/LiberationofBlackMusicPodcast  Kevaun’s Socials: IG: https://www.instagram.com/kevaunthesunflower?igsh=dzIzcDFicHBldHlj TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevaunthesunflower?\t=ZP-90pVdR9stEU&\r=1 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@kevaunthesunflower?si=A\zR1EXUNndAsMo\ SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/YRhFbAx1ne2XMEu68 Twitch: https://m.twitch.tv/kevaunthesunflower/home If you want to support the show monetarily: Cashapp: https://cash.app/$liberationofblkmupod Timestamps: 0:01 Alone (You Will Never Be) (IRIS, 2026) 4:12 Karen Bernod Welcomes You to the Show 4:38 The Liberation of Black Music Podcast Intro 5:17 Quick Thank Yous 6:32 Karen Bernod Introduction  9:00 The Origins of Karen Bernod 12:06 The Story Behind African Chant (Roots in Nature) 14:09 Karen’s First Exposure to Music 15:47 What Made Karen Get Into Music 18:03 Karen’s Experience with Singing Background for Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and D’Angelo 21:30 The Moment Karen Went Solo 24:22 The Creative Process of Karen Bernod 31:58 Karen’s Songwriting Process 34:48 The Inspiration for Karen’s newest album IRIS 40:04 The Inspiration Behind Alone (You Will Never Be) 43:23 The Inspiration Behind VR 48:47 The Inspiration Behind I Don’t Wanna Go 51:20 The Inspiration Behind Love is All We Need 53:22 Karen Introduces Her First New Single, Love is All We Need 53:37 Love is All We Need (Single, 2026) 58:02 Karen’s Favorite Songs on IRIS 1:02:02 Karen Describes Her Music in One Word 1:07:51 Karen’s Pros and Cons of Her Music Journey  1:13:41 How Karen Motivates Herself to Keep Making Music 1:20:45 Karen’s Milestone Moments 1:22:33 A Message to Lil Karen Bernod  1:25:04 Karen’s Advice to Upcoming Black Artists 1:31:57 Karen’s Legacy 1:36:41 Upcoming Projects 1:37:51 The Inspiration Behind Beautiful Soul 1:38:57 Karen Introduces Her Latest Single, Beautiful Soul 1:39:54 Beautiful Soul (IRIS, 2026) 1:44:04 This or That?: Karen Bernod Edition  1:55:32 Final Thoughts from Karen Bernod 1:59:46 Patreon Shoutouts 2:00:36 Outro: www is a thing x DJ Quads A Podcast FOR US BY US. ✊🏾 2026 Sunflowertown Productions