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All hail Daniel Caesar.
Just hours after he was crowned on Billboard’s Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Caesar stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a performance of “Who Knows.”
Wearing a red beanie and a blue hooded jacket, and wielding an acoustic guitar, the late-night musical guest commanded the spotlight for this soul-filled number.
“Who Knows” is housed by Son of Spergy (via Hollace/Republic Records), which bowed atop the list dated Nov. 8, for his first leader. Son of Spergy, the title for which is a nod to the nickname of Caesar’s father, gospel singer Norwill Simmonds, is the fourth album by the Canadian singer-songwriter.
The collection also enjoys splashes across various Billboard tallies, including a No. 1 start on the Top R&B Albums chart, his first time atop that tally; plus a No. 4 entry on the all-genre Billboard 200, for his first top 10 visit on the main survey; a No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, and No. 11 on the Top Streaming Albums ranking.
Meanwhile, 10 of the album’s tracks crack the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led “Who Knows,” which debuts at No. 23 — his best result as a lead artist.
Caesar (real name: Ashton Simmonds) has already reaped serious rewards in his career. He won a 2019 Grammy Award for “Best Part,” featuring H.E.R.; was featured alongside Giveon on Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021; and his fruitful collaboration with Tyler, The Creator played a big role in sending the rapper’s 2024 album, Chromakopia, the leadership on the Billboard 200.
Son of Spergy was two years in the making, shaped during sessions in Oracabessa, Jamaica and at Paris’ Rue Boyer and New York’s Electric Lady studios.
“It’s about religion, but more importantly, it’s about my father,” he told Billboard of the new album. “In your childhood, your father is a lot like God. He’s the person you fear the most on earth and also the person whose love and respect you desire more than anyone else on earth. It’s the source from where all your blessings come.”
Watch Caesar’s late-night performance below.
