Kelman Duran is a Dominican songwriter, producer, composer, disc jockey and multi-disciplinary artist, best known for his production and songwriting contributions to opening track "I'm That Girl" and "Heated" from

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's 2022 album ''

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

'', as well as his scoring work on 2022 film ''

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

''.

Early life

Duran grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to the Washington Heights neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1989, residing there from the ages of 5 to 19.

Career

2017–2023: Debut projects, film scoring, and ''
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
''

After attending CalArts, Duran moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he became a fixture in RAIL UP, a series of recurring dance parties in the underground Afro-Caribbean night scene. In 2017, Duran released debut project ''1804 Kids'', which is a reference to the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

and "dedicated to Afro-Caribbean sounds." Duran was recognized as "an artist you need to know" by music publication ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' in January 2019, before releasing his second full-length project ''13th Month'', inspired by the Sioux calendar as well as time Duran spent on the

Pine Ridge Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a small portion extending into Nebraska. Originally included within the territory of the ...

amid the

Lakota Tribe The Lakota (; or ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people. Also known as the Teton Sioux (from ), they are one of the three prominent subcultures of the Sioux people, with the Eastern Dakota (Santee) and Western D ...

making a long-form video piece ''To The North P.I & P.II'' about the lives of the Native Americans on the reservations. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' described the album as a juxtaposition between "the social plagues still haunting us" and a dance-floor "release". Duran released his third full-length project ''Night In Tijuana'' in 2021, inspired by his migration to the United States in the 1980s, and is described as traversing "spiritual jazz, electronic, and ambient ounds. Duran scored French film ''

'', curating the soundtrack during

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

lockdowns in Berlin. He searched for music that elevated director Lola Quivoron's "portrait of suburban angst". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described his work in the film as an "adrenalized soundscape".

Discography

Studio albums

* ''1804 Kids'' (2017) * ''13th Month'' (2019) * ''Night In Tijuana'' (2021) * ''Scorpio falling’ (tba)

Songwriting and production credits

Credits are courtesy of

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and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

Filmography

Film

Awards and nominations

Notes

:A. Winning producers in this category with less than a 50% album contribution are awarded with a Winner's Certificate.

References

{{reflist Living people 1984 births Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Musicians from New York City