By Liz Hammond, Digital Media Editor
If you don’t know the name “Daniel Caesar” by now, you must live under a rock. But don’t worry—I’ll fill you in on what you need to know about the Toronto-based singer.
Caesar caught the attention of the hip-hop community all the way back in 2014 with his debut project, “Praise Break.” The album was ranked number 19 in the “20 Best R&B Albums of 2014” by Rolling Stone.
He stood out right away with his voice, which just pierces through the music. Notable takeaways from the album are “Violet,” “Chevalier,” which is a James Vincent McMorrow cover, “End Of The Road” and “Pseudo.”
Caesar didn’t stop there: in 2015, he followed up his debut with his next EP “Pilgrim’s Paradise.”
In an interview with entertainment magazine Complex, Caesar said, “‘Pilgrim’s Paradise’ picks up where I left off with my story on my last body of work. I found myself dissecting my life through my music; my relationships and my desires, my aspirations and my own self-worth.”
Definitely check out “Paradise” ft. BADBADNOTGOOD and Sean Leon, “Little Rowboat” and “Streetcar.”
This year was no different for Caesar. He released his two singles from the album, “Get You” and “We Find Love.”
“Get You” had over 10 million streams on Apple Music since its release in October 2016. Caesar’s management released a statement saying that the singer has gained over 20 million global streams on Apple Music and 12 million streams on Spotify.
Those singles picked up the attention of Apple Music. So on August 25, Caesar decided to release his new album, “Freudian.” Along with the release he also announced that there would be a North American tour to go along with it.
In an interview with Canadian newspaper Now, Caesar said, “Although the album is very much about love, I wanted it to not just be about that. I’d like to, as time goes on, write about more complex things.”
The full tracklist is: “Get You” feat. Kali Uchis, “Best Part” feat. H.E.R., “Hold Me Down,” “Neu Roses,” “Loose,” “We Find Love,” “Blessed,” “Take Me Away” feat. Syd, “Transform” feat. Charlotte Day Wilson and “Freudian.”
There are three essential songs from this album that you need to add to your playlist immediately.
The first is “Best Part:” it’s a ballad featuring R&B singer H.E.R. From start to finish, it’s a masterpiece. Their voices sync so well together and it makes the most soothing song on the album.
The song is about how much these two people love each other. With lyrics like, “You’re the coffee that I need in the morning/You’re my sunshine in the rain when it’s pouring,” it’s the perfect song to put on when you’re trying to express your feelings to someone.
Next is “We Find Love.” When you’re listening, it sounds like a very promising song about love. If you take a closer look at the lyrics, it is so heartbreaking: “We find love, we get up/Then we fall down, we give up.” Caesar is truly preaching though, I’m sure that almost all of us can relate to that in some way.
Last is “Freudian.” By far the longest song on the album, “Freudian” clocks in at nine minutes. Despite its length, it’s so mellow that you won’t even notice and by the time it’s over you’ll want to replay it.
It’s a common theme throughout all of these songs to appreciate the lyrics. An ex- ample in “Freudian” is, “When you face your fears you stand tall/Know I’d take a bullet for you/No you don’t know what I go through.”
This song is one that gives off a lot of Frank Ocean vibes, which everyone likes.
