Destin Conrad is this year’s Billboard R&B Rising Star.
The R&B singer, who hails from Florida, accepted the award alongside Hip-Hop Rising Star Samara Cyn and Caribbean Rising Star Skippa.
“It’s an incredible honour to receive the 2026 R&B Rising Star Award,” he began his acceptance speech. “R&B music has played such a foundational role in my life. There’s something about the honesty in R&B that I feel like I gravitate towards, and there’s something very free about the genre that’s always encouraging me to trust my own ear.”
Conrad gained early internet fame on the app Vine in 2014, amassing more than a million followers. He earned songwriting credits for major artists including Kehlani and Ambré, before dropping his critically acclaimed debut studio album, Love on Digital, in April last year. The LP earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.
The Colourway singer has released two projects under two different genres this year: a jazz record, Whimsy!, in April; and a reggae album, Roadrunner, in August.
Conrad ended his speech by thanking his team.
“Thank you to Billboard and thank you to my team Above Ground,” he said. “Make some noise for David Ali. I don’t know where he is, but I’m also really spoiled to have such an amazing team. Shout-out to Kehlani for introducing me to him.”
