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 

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@liberationblackmusicpod?_t=ZP-90pVhZ7Ecdr&_r=1

Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/cw/LiberationofBlackMusicPodcast 

Kevaun’s Socials:

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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