Ballad and Durand Bernarr feel “alone again” in their new song

Rising R&B singer Ballad teams up with Durand Bernarr for new track “Alone Again.”

Produced by Aidan Carroll, the track is buttery smooth, but lyrically it cuts deep like a knife. In “Alone Again,” Ballad and Bernarr reflect on a relationship gone wrong and whether it ended too soon.

“Baby, we went too far / Both said some things / We didn’t mean to / I didn’t mean to / Be careless with your heart,” Ballad sings in the first verse.

Bernarr appears in the second verse, singing, “How did I get here? / It didn’t take long / I gotta come to terms (which throws me completely away) / I became a victim / Without understanding.”

“Often after a breakup we ask ourselves if it was worth it: What was the point of it all? The inspiration behind ‘Alone Again’ was to honor those feelings,” Ballad explains to Rated R&B. “Durand is one of my favorite singers. Working with him on this song was like a dream come true. He really takes you to another level as an artist.”

“Alone Again” is Ballad’s first song since 2023’s “Stories.” He previously released the sweet-sounding “Lemonade” in 2022 and the sleepy “Orange” in 2021. The latter track is Ballad’s most-streamed song on Spotify with nearly 1.1 million plays.

As for Bernarr, the rising star who delivered one of the most rousing Tiny Desk performances in recent memory, he is on top form this year. In May he released his visual EP, On the wayas a foretaste of his highly anticipated next album.

On the way was introduced by the singles “Unknown” and “Fist Bump” featuring Free Nationals. The former was written and produced by Louis York, the musical duo consisting of Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony.

“On the way is the byproduct of my experiences and my development as a person and an artist. It is a way for me to express exactly how I feel, what I need and how I want to be treated,” explained Bernarr.

“In telling these stories, I wanted to incorporate the eras, genres, cultures, instruments and music legends that inspire me. And what did I say would happen when I finally got money to make a music video?”

Stream the new song “Alone Again” by Ballad and Durand Bernarr below.