R&B freshman Destin Conrad has unlocked his debut album, Love on Digital, via Above Ground Ent./EMPIRE.
The 15-track offering was preceded by the singles “Delusional,” “The Last Time” featuring Teezo Touchdown and “Kissing in Public.” It includes additional collaborations with Kehlani, serpentwithfeet, Lil Nas X and Cari.
“This album is a nod to the digital age of R&B,” Conrad explains. “The early 2000s when new software was created that allowed for music to move from fully instrumental to digital sounds — the bee bee boops.”
Conrad, who was born in June 2000, uses his debut album to tell a story about navigating dating in a world shaped by evolving technology.
The opening track, “Kissing in Public,” sort of sets the tone for the rest of the album. Over a Neptunes-inspired beat, produced by Mack Keane and Jayvidd, Conrad offers a queer anthem for living and loving out loud. It’s free-spirited, authentic and simply joyful just like the video.
Speaking of joy, the club-ready “Bad Bitches,” featuring Kehlani, is bound to fill up a dancefloor with its pulsating production. The title is pretty much self-explanatory. It’s a banger for anyone who considers themself a bad bitch. “This shit right here is for the baddies / These hoes ain’t no nun like Natalie,” Conrad sings.
“Delusional,” the subequential track to “Bad Bitches,” plays like a post-club FaceTime conversation where one longs for the company of another and isn’t afraid to express it. “I wanna kiss, I wanna touch, I wanna love on you / Know it’s been a couple days, but I’m fiendin’ for you / Got drugs on it,” croons Conrad.
On the Lil Nas X-assisted “P.B.S.” is laden with flirtatious, frisky lyrics rooted in desire. “Ain’t no use in actin’ shy, I know you a freak / Can I eat it from the back and put that ass up on a plate?” raps Lil Nas X.
Speaking on collaborating with Lil Nas X, Conrad told Billboard, “I think what he’s doing is so bold that I wanted to bring it into my world a little bit. And he’s actually my friend! That was something I was very adamant about: working with people I’m actually cool with in real life and not just getting people on my album because they’re popping.”
Love on Digital follows the Florida native’s 2024 EP, SUBMISSIVE2, the sequel to his 2023 EP SUBMISSIVE. The former project included his Alex Isley-assisted “Same Mistake,” which has garnered over 11 million streams on Spotify.
“Submissive usually has a sexual connotation, but I’m coming from more of a submitting to non-physical things, submitting to change, submitting to not knowing,” explained Conrad.
He added, “So much has changed in my life that has forced me to submit. I didn’t realize at the time that it gave me the power to be dominant, to be assertive, to be an adult, to grow. Submission as a superpower.”
Stream Destin Conrad’s new album Love on Digital below.
