As endorsements go, being picked twice by Barack Obama on a list of his favourite songs of 2017 isn’t a bad way to head into a new year for Daniel Caesar. The R&B-soul artist released his debut album Freudian – an exquisitely beautiful and emotionally shattering account of a troubled relationship – last August to huge stateside acclaim. Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu are fans of the 22-year-old, and next week Caesar is up for two Grammy awards.
Born Ashton Simmonds in Oshawa, Ontario, he was raised a Seventh-day Adventist: his father is gospel singer Norwill Simmonds and, although Caesar is no longer religious, gospel harmonies, choirs and vocalising permeate his music. He was expelled from high school for selling “like two grams” of weed to a classmate, and he recorded an EP in 2014 during a spell of sleeping on friends’ sofas and, briefly, in a local park. Although courted by several major levels, he released the album on his own label.
With production reminiscent of Frank Ocean and a lyrical waywardness that recalls Miguel, Freudian charts the tenderness and wonder of falling in love through to anger and resentment as things fall apart. The story is told from both sides, featuring guest vocalists HER, the Internet’s Syd, and Kali Uchis.
Despite the bittersweet ending, fans are undeterred: several successful marriage proposals have been made at Caesar’s gigs.
Daniel Caesar’s world tour comes to the UK, 2-6 Feb
