At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as artists went into a panic watching dozens of festival appearances and tours get canceled, R&B singer Daniel Caesar was able to ride the stratospheric success of Justin Bieber‘s “Peaches,” on which he features alongside Giveon, as the song shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then, he got to work.
Setting up shop in a small town a couple hours outside of Toronto, he spent days writing, crafting beats, and putting together the album that would become “Never Enough.” For this third release, Caesar took on more of the producer role — something he had been wanting to do for years that challenged his typical writing process.
While “Never Enough” continues Caesar’s poignant thread of heartbreak, riddled with philosophical allusions, the Republic Records release feels like his most personal yet — driven home by the production and instrumentation credits on almost every track.
The 15 songs are confessional, folkloric and, at points, gut-wrenching as Caesar puts his demons on display. The four-year break between albums well worth the wait.
You began recording “Never Enough“ during the height of COVID. What was that like?
I set up a little studio in my guest house and I spent days at a time in solitude just getting a house feeling. I also started cooking and painting, but mostly making music.
How did your creative process differ from previous releases like “Freudian” and “Case Study 01?”
I produced more. [On earlier projects], I would write the songs on my guitar by myself in my room, and then bring a voice note to the studio. Whereas now, I would go into the studio, and just pick up the guitar and make a chord progression or something. And then the lyrics might come after the melody. So the order in which I would make the songs was different because I was also in charge of recording the actual instruments. I would do that first, because that came easiest, and I didn’t have to think so much. Then, I had to think really deeply about the lyrics.
Was it a challenge stepping into a producer role, or do you feel it came naturally?
I’d been itching to do it, and it was just the right time. I’m still stepping into it. I still needed guidance; I still needed people around that I trusted to bounce ideas off of.
Did you find it daunting working with Raphael Saadiq on “Do You Like Me?”
It was, until you’re in there for 15 minutes, and then you’re, like, “Oh, this guy’s as cool as fuck.” He makes you feel comfortable. He’s also full of stories, so if you’re nervous, you can just listen. And you know, he’s only in there because he respects you already, so you can just cook and he’s there.
At what point in the process did the title “Never Enough” come to you?
I’d been saying it a lot. And then one day, like a year or two ago. I was on a boat ranting about something never being enough. Then this other boat just floated by, and it was called Never Enough. That was an interesting name for a boat. I was in the south of France at the time, and I started talking with the people on the boat and found that they were from Toronto. And I was just like, “Oh, that’s so interesting.” Like, I was so far away from home and met a family from Toronto on this boat. It just felt like a synchronicity moment.
The song “Valentina” paints a very vivid picture and tells a relatable story.
That one is honestly my younger brother, Zachary. The chorus part, “Valentina baby,” he wrote and produced that whole beat himself, and he wrote that part himself. So that’s his story about this girl that he had a crush on. He showed me the song, and I was, like, “This is absolutely incredible! I didn’t know that you were so good; I didn’t know that you could do this.” I wrote the verse, and I took the song and dwelled on it. Obviously, we’re cut from the same cloth, so I’ve experienced feelings like that, and I just applied my own life to it.
On “Let Me Go,” the lyric “Ain’t no sleep tonight / My dreams exhaust me” is interesting. How do you cope with anxiety?
So many ways — some good, some bad. I’m a big believer in psilocybin.
I think my personal favorite is “Always,” which tells the story about how a relationship has evolved with both parties separating, but the love is always there. Are you a believer in the idea that time heals all wounds?
I don’t think it eliminates scars, but it heals wounds.
“Best Part” and “Get You” were big streaming hits through playlisting, and ‘Peaches’ went viral on TikTok in 2021. How do you feel about the current landscape of music? Where do you feel like people are discovering your songs?
I would say TikTok. And there’s no use complaining about [the current landscape]. You either adapt or you die.
It’s been almost four years since you released an album. What is the most important thing you’ve learned during your hiatus?
It’s never over ‘til it’s over. During COVID, it kind of felt like the world had moved on. If I’m not doing COVID radio or getting on Instagram Live, like, ‘Yo, I’m still here,’ you feel like the world is going to move on, and then you don’t have a platform anymore. If every time you make something, you put your all into it, and people like it, there’ll be someone there to listen when you come back around.
