Daniel Caesar

Real Name
Ashton D Simmonds
Date of Birth
Sep. 15, 2000 - Age 23
Hometown
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Label
indie
Social

Artist Bio

The smoothly-tuned Canadian crooner undoubtedly resides among the most critically noted R&B artists of the past decade. The anachronistic musician took cues from his background in gospel music to develop a sonic texture comparable to the distinct voices of the Frank Oceans and Sam Cookes of music history. His father’s work as a pastor and gospel singer imbued music with deep meaning for Caesar from an early age. After singing for his father’s congregation during his childhood, Caesar swiftly took to music as a personal passion. Yet as his musical interest developed, it delved into more secular themes. This created a divide between him and his parents, which in part led to him being kicked out of his home at age 17. Newly independent, he took the risk of clinging even closer to his dream.

His 2014 debut EP, Praise Break, had limited recognition but was enough to land him a spot at Golden Child Records. It also laid the ideal groundwork for his future endeavors, including his far more successful 2015 EP, Pilgrim’s Paradise. The thoroughly stripped-down seven-song project reinvigorated Caesar’s sound and expanded his reach to more mainstream audiences. Since that pivotal milestone in his career, Caesar’s music took little time to reach extreme heights, with the 2017 release of his critically acclaimed and certified gold LP, Freudian. Since the release of what has thus far been his career touchstone, Caesar has propelled his career forward through collaborations with John Mayer, Sean Leon, Pharell, and Brandy on his most recent album, CASE STUDY 01.

Photo credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images