Daniel Caesar

An acute sense of intimacy, emotional boldness, and a soft touch with rough feelings all give Canadian R&B singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar one of the more unique voices of his craft. Collaboration became the backbone of Caesar’s success, first in the form of several breakthrough singles from his 2017 debut album Freudian. Duets with peers like H.E.R. and Kali Uchis were streamed hundreds of millions of times, and even brought Caesar Juno awards, multiple Grammy nominations in 2018, and a win at the next year’s Grammys for Best R&B Performance. He continued to do some of his best work as a collaborator, scoring his first number one as a part of Justin Bieber’s 2021 single “Peaches” and working with organic instrumental band BadBadNotGood on early tracks and again on his 2022 track “Please Do Not Lean.”
Born Ashton Simmonds in Toronto in 1995, Canadian rapper/singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar launched his musical career in 2015, slowly releasing tracks online, ranging in style from acoustic pop fare to soul songs bathed in ambient electronics. Early singles included collaborations with renowned live hip-hop/rock hybridists BadBadNotGood. Following several self-released online EPs, a 2016 single entitled “Get You,” featuring vocalist Kali Uchis, became massively popular, garnering millions of plays and video views within a relatively short span of time. Following the enormous exposure of “Get You,” Caesar began performing live more frequently in order to quell the newfound demand for his music.
Work on new tracks continued between his concert and festival appearances, and 2017 brought more well-received material: the single “We Find Love” and his debut album, Freudian. The LP featured several special guests, including Charlotte Day Wilson, Syd, and H.E.R. Grammy nominations followed in the categories of Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance (for “Get You”). The single “Who Hurt You?” arrived in late 2018. At the 2019 Grammys, Caesar took home the trophy for Best R&B Performance for “Best Part,” his duet with H.E.R. that appeared on Freudian. That same year, he released a mixtape/album on his own Golden Child label titled CASE STUDY 01. The record featured guest appearances from Brandy, Pharrell Williams, and John Mayer. Caesar received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance for “Love Again,” featuring Brandy. Through 2021 and 2022, Caesar appeared as a featured guest on several tracks by other artists. This included work with FKA Twigs, Omar Apollo, and Charlotte Day Wilson, along with a spot on Justin Bieber’s single “Peaches” alongside Giveon. “Peaches” debuted in the number one spot on the Billboard charts in late March of 2021, making it Caesar’s first chart-topper. In 2022, Caesar reunited with BadBadNotGood for his smooth, lushly arranged song “Please Do Not Lean,” the first new songwriting from Caesar since CASE STUDY 01. He kicked off 2023 with the release of the vulnerable, Raphael Saadiq-produced single “Do You Like Me?” ~ Fred Thomas