By Linley Mueller
Welcome back to the Queer Media Update! Today I will be discussing Destin Conrad’s new album titled ROADRUNNER. Destin is a 26-year-old R&B singer and songwriter from Tampa, Florida who has officially been releasing music for about seven years. Conrad is an artist that isn’t interested in staying within only one genre. His music has moved through alternative R&B, jazz, and now reggae and dancehall, with ROADRUNNER being his biggest step into Caribbean music so far. The album was released on August 21st, 2026, and contains 13 tracks that run for about 30 minutes. I think a really important way to approach this album comes when Conrad describes himself as “boundless.” This album does not feel like he is simply trying out a new genre. It feels like he is taking pieces of himself and turning them into a personal project. After releasing albums LOVE ON DIGITAL and wHIMSY! in 2025, where he explored contemporary R&B and jazz respectively, Conrad has once again reconnoitered his sound.
Before discussing some of my favorite tracks from ROADRUNNER, I wanted to hear another fan’s perspective. I interviewed my friend and fellow Centre student, Keni Maithya, about her first impressions of the album, Conrad’s shift toward dancehall, and what makes ROADRUNNER stand out from his previous work.
Keni first admitted that she was initially skeptical of the album. Having primarily associated Conrad with R&B, jazz, and neo-soul, she was unsure what to expect from his move into dancehall.
“I feel like I was so used to his sound as a jazz, R&B, neo-soul artist, and I was like, why is he doing a dancehall album?” Keni said.
That skepticism quickly disappeared after she listened to the album. Her introduction to ROADRUNNER was “CHI CHI,” a track that immediately caught her attention because of the way Conrad reworked musical material. This song samples “Chi Chi Man” by T.O.K., originally used to make fun of queer presenting men in particular. It is most popular for its use by the Jamaican Labour Party in 2001, gaining much support. Keni says she thinks “CHI CHI” by Conrad demonstrated one of the album’s most interesting qualities: his ability to take familiar sounds and reshape them into something that reflects his own identity.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “He sampled the original ‘Burn the Gays’ song and made the best summer anthem.”
Keni also pointed to Conrad’s use of samples and collaborations throughout the album as a major reason why it stood out to her. Rather than simply reproducing older dancehall sounds, she felt that Conrad was engaging with them and introducing them to a new audience.
“I think it’s his rewriting and his retelling of these things,” she explained. “I just love that he brought that back.”
This approach by Conrad also changed how Keni viewed his decision to introduce dancehall to his repertoire. She initially questioned whether the genre would suit him, but came to see the transition as another example of his willingness to experiment.
“He doesn’t tie himself down to a genre,” Keni said. “He’s always exploring.”
Conrad’s music can be seen as a way of connecting different parts of Black and queer culture while allowing him to explore his own identity. Keni especially appreciated how openly queer and inviting the album feels.
“It’s just queer because it’s queer.”
When asked to describe ROADRUNNER in one word, Keni initially hesitated before settling on “risky.” To her, the album’s risk comes from Conrad placing his own identity within a genre that has sometimes contained lyrics and cultural attitudes that marginalize queer people.
“He’s taking it and making it his own,” she said. “He’s like, ‘I’m taking this, and I’m using it to shake my ass.’” That idea of taking something familiar and transforming it is ultimately what Keni believes makes ROADRUNNER so distinctive. Rather than treating the album as a simple departure from Conrad’s previous work, she sees it as another step in his ongoing experimentation and self-expression.
“I think that taking risks is the most expressive thing you can do,” she said.
I think her perspective is interesting because music can feel completely different depending on who is listening to it. While I have my own favorite tracks and interpretations, hearing another person’s reaction helped me think more about how ROADRUNNER works as a project and how Conrad’s change in sound is received and appreciated by those who have followed his music before.
One track I would especially recommend is Track 10. Titled “DADAMAN,” this song is one of my favorites on the album. The collaboration with kwn and its production from KAYTRANADA is particularly exciting to me. KAYTRANADA’s production has become closely associated with rhythmic, electronic, R&B, and dance music, so seeing him work with Conrad on a project that is already exploring dancehall influences makes “DADAMAN” feel like a meeting point between several different parts of contemporary Black music. Both collaborators on this song being queer as well helps show how much influence the LGBTQ+ community has on music as a whole– and especially where it will go in the future.