Daniel Caesar
Daniel Caesar | |
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File:Daniel Caesar - Coachella 2018.jpg
Caesar performing in 2018
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Background information | |
Birth name | Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds |
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1] |
April 5, 1995
Genres | R&B |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Labels | Golden Child |
Associated acts | |
Website | danielcaesar |
Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds[1][2] (born April 5, 1995),[3] known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, Praise Break (2014) and Pilgrim's Paradise (2015), Caesar released his debut album Freudian in August 2017, which garnered widespread critical acclaim.[4]
Contents
Life and career
Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds was born on April 5, 1995, in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, and raised in Oshawa. He is the second eldest of four children to his mother Hollace and father Norwill Simmonds, a pastor and gospel singer who released his first album as a high school student in Jamaica. Caesar attended the Seventh-day Adventist Church and private school in Oshawa.[5][6] He is of Bajan and Jamaican descent.[7]
Caesar grew up in church, singing before his father's congregation in Oshawa.[8] He was raised listening to soul and gospel delivered though musicality and religion, even though his parents were cautious of temptations that came with music.[8] Caesar longed for the city, which was an hour’s drive from his home.[8] At the age of 17, Caesar was kicked out of the house after a fight with his father on the weekend of his high school graduation. He felt no choice but to pursue his calling as a musician.[8] After leaving his home, he began doing gigs. The turning point of Caesar's career came in 2015, with the release of his second EP, Pilgrim's Paradise.[8]
In 2014, Caesar received widespread critical acclaim for his debut EP Praise Break, which was ranked No. 19 on the "20 Best R&B Albums of 2014" by Rolling Stone. His music is influenced by religion, which played a large role in his upbringing, as well as unrequited love.[9]
On August 25, 2017, Caesar released his debut album Freudian, which includes the singles "Get You", "We Find Love", and "Blessed". The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.[10] At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, Caesar received two nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for "Get You".[11] At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, Caesar won Best R&B Performance for his single "Best Part".[12]
Artistry
Caesar's music is influenced by soul and gospel. His music draws from his childhood experiences and integrates them with R&B and electronics, while his lyrics explore subjects of religion and unrequited love. His singing voice reshapes itself on each track, often veering into a hushed, introspective lilting style.[8] According to Caesar, "In my religious surroundings growing up, the point is to be still, to direct as little attention to yourself as possible and instead, direct all attention to what you’re saying. Now, it’s kind of the opposite."[8] Caesar cites Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Beyoncé, and The Doors frontman Jim Morrison as musical and stylistic inspirations.[8]
Caesar works in close collaboration with producers Matthew Burnett and Jordan Evans, with whom he co-founded his independent label, Golden Child Recordings, and has co-produced almost all of his music with since 2015.[13] Caesar is also part of an informal collaborative of Toronto-based musicians and songwriters that includes River Tiber, BadBadNotGood, and Charlotte Day Wilson, among others.
Controversy
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In April 2018, Caesar retweeted and then deleted tweets from conservative Candace Owens. He noted that he did not want to "martyr" for the tweets and that people should hear opposing arguments.[14] He later backtracked his comments.[15]
In March 2019, Caesar defended his friend Julieanna Goddard via an Instagram live stream.[16][17] Goddard had been criticized for her insensitive comments on race, particularly those regarding black women.[18][19][20] Caesar came to her defense, asking why some black people were "being so mean," and called call out culture overly sensitive.[21][22][23] His comments were received negatively by some on social media.[24] Caesar later apologized for the way he gave his opinions, saying: "I was talking down to you guys. I apologize for how I expressed my idea, [t]here was no one there to challenge my ideas. That’s also dangerous. That’s why it’s tyrannical... that is where I went wrong. I believe in what I said. A real man can admit when he’s wrong. I can admit when I’m wrong."[25]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [26] |
AUS [27] |
NZ [28] |
US [29] |
US R&B/HH [30] |
US R&B [30] |
US Ind. [31] |
UK [32] |
UK R&B [33] |
UK Ind. [34] |
||||
Freudian |
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16 | — | 39 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 7 | — | 15 | 40 | ||
Case Study 01 |
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6 | 26 | — | 17 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 89 | — | — | ||
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
Extended plays
Title | Details |
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Praise Break |
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Pilgrim's Paradise |
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Up Next Session: Daniel Caesar |
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Singles
As lead artist
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [40] |
NZ Hot [41] |
US [42] |
US R&B /HH [43] |
US R&B [44] |
US R&B/HH Airplay [45] |
US Adult R&B [46] |
|||||||
"Violet"[47] | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Praise Break | ||||
"Death and Taxes"[48] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pilgrim's Paradise | |||||
"Streetcar"[48] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Won't Live Here"[49] | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||||
"Japanese Denim"[50] | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | ||||||
"Get You" (featuring Kali Uchis) |
— | — | 93 | 41 | 5 | 7 | 1 | Freudian | |||||
"We Find Love" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Blessed" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Best Part" (with H.E.R.) |
— | — | 75 | 32 | 4 | 11 | 1 | ||||||
"Who Hurt You?"[53] | 2018 | 86 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
non-album single | |||
"Love Again" (with Brandy)[54] |
2019 | 95 | 15 | —[upper-alpha 1] | —[upper-alpha 2] | 13 | 21 | 1 | Case Study 01 | ||||
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
Notes
- ↑ "Love Again" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but peaked at number 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[55]
- ↑ "Love Again" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number one on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[56]
As featured artist
Title | Year | Album |
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"West"[57] (River Tiber featuring Daniel Caesar) |
2016 | Indigo |
"Matthew in the Middle"[58] (Sean Leon featuring Daniel Caesar) |
I Think You've Gone Mad (Or the Sins of the Father) | |
"Forever Always"[59] (Peter CottonTale featuring Rex Orange County, Chance the Rapper, Daniel Caesar, Madison Ryann Ward and YEBBA) |
2018 | non-album single |
"Beauty & Essex"[60] (Free Nationals featuring Daniel Caesar and Unknown Mortal Orchestra) |
Free Nationals | |
"HER Love" (Common featuring Daniel Caesar) |
2019 | Let Love |
"Time Alone With You" (Jacob Collier featuring Daniel Caesar) |
2019 | Djesse Vol. 3 |
"Peaches" (Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon) |
2021 | Justice |
Other charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
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NZ Hot [41] |
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"Entropy" | 2019 | 29 | Case Study 01 |
"Cyanide" | 25 | ||
"Superposition" (featuring John Mayer) |
22 |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Pacific Coast Highway"[61] | 2013 | Sean Leon | Ninelevenne, The Tragedy |
"Track Ten"[61] | |||
"F****d Up"[62] | 2015 | Jiin | Cult Hymns |
"God"[62] | |||
"Fill the Void"[63] | 2016 | Stwo | D.T.S.N.T. |
Songwriting credits
Title | Year | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Telling the Truth" (featuring Kaytranada) |
2017 | Mary J. Blige | Strength of a Woman |
"Saturn" (featuring Kwabs) |
2018 | Nao | Saturn |
Awards and nominations
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BET Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Himself | Best Male R&B/Pop Artist | Nominated |
Best New Artist | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Freudian | Best R&B Album | Nominated |
"Get You" (with Kali Uchis) | Best R&B Performance | Nominated | |
2019 | "Best Part" (with H.E.R) | Won[64][65] | |
2020 | "Love Again" (with Brandy) | Nominated |
iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Himself | Best New Canadian Artist | Nominated |
iHeartRadio Music Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Himself | R&B Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Juno Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Pilgrim's Paradise | R&B/Soul Recording of the Year | Nominated |
2018 | Himself | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Freudian | R&B/Soul Recording of the Year | Won[66] |
Polaris Music Prize
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Pilgrim's Paradise | Polaris Music Prize | Long List |
2018 | Freudian | Polaris Music Prize | Short List |
2020 | Case Study 01 | Polaris Music Prize | Long List |
SOCAN Songwriting Prize
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | "Paradise" (featuring BADBADNOTGOOD) | SOCAN Songwriting Prize | Nominated |
2017 | "Won't Live Here" | SOCAN Songwriting Prize | Nominated |
Soul Train Music Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Himself | Best New Artist | Won[67] |
Best R&B/Soul Male Artist | Nominated | ||
"Broken Clocks"(as songwriter) | The Ashford And Simpson Songwriter's Award | Nominated | |
"Best Part"(featuring H.E.R.) | Nominated | ||
Best Collaboration Performance | Won |
Concert tours
Headlining
- Freudian, a World Tour (2017–18)[68][69]
- Case Study 01: Tour (2019)
References
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- ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List". Exclaim!, July 17, 2018.
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- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
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- ↑ "Junos 2018: the complete list of winners". CBC News, · March 25, 2018
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External links
- Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
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- 1995 births
- Living people
- Canadian people of Barbadian descent
- Canadian people of Jamaican descent
- Black Canadian singers
- Canadian male singers
- Canadian contemporary R&B singers
- Canadian songwriters
- Musicians from Oshawa
- Neo soul singers
- Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year winners
- Canadian soul singers
- 21st-century Canadian singers
- 21st-century male singers
- Grammy Award winners