Destin Conrad Reflects on His First ESSENCE Festival: “It’s Such a Beautiful Thing to Have Space and Community”

Destin Conrad Reflects on His First ESSENCE Festival: “It’s Such a Beautiful Thing to Have Space and Community” For many artists, performing at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture is more than just another stop on the calendar. It is a defining career moment. Fresh off his performance at Coca Cola’s Shine City Experience during the […]

Jul 11, 2026 - 00:41

Coca-Cola presents Estin Conrad performing on stage with a laptop and microphone, against a large red Coca-Cola backdrop. — Source: Destin conrad / Destin conrad

Destin Conrad Reflects on His First ESSENCE Festival: “It’s Such a Beautiful Thing to Have Space and Community”

For many artists, performing at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture is more than just another stop on the calendar. It is a defining career moment.

Fresh off his performance at Coca Cola’s Shine City Experience during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans, Grammy nominated R&B singer Destin Conrad caught up with CVBER to reflect on making his ESSENCE Festival debut and what the experience meant to him.

“This is my first one,” Conrad shared.

Known as one of the nation’s largest celebrations of Black culture, music, and community, ESSENCE Festival left a lasting impression on the singer.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve realized that it’s such a beautiful thing to have space and community. I’m just really excited to be a part of people’s memories at such a beautiful event.”

For Conrad, performing at the festival was about much more than taking the stage. It was about becoming part of a legacy that has celebrated Black artists, creatives, and culture for decades.