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. He is of Bajan and Jamaican descent.
Caesar grew up in church, singing before his father’s congregation in Oshawa. He was raised listening to soul and gospel delivered through musicality and religion, even though his parents were cautious of temptations that came with music. Caesar longed for the city, which was an hour’s drive from his home.
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 was briefly homeless during this time. He felt no choice but to pursue his calling as a musician. After leaving his home, he began doing gigs. He connected with producers and future collaborators Jordan Evans and Matthew Burnett and began writing and recording what would be his debut EP Praise Break in 2014; it was No. 19 on the “20 Best R&B Albums of 2014” by Rolling Stone and the top projects of 2014 by Noisey Canada.
Caesar’s career gained notability in 2015, with the release of his second EP, Pilgrim’s Paradise. The album received positive critical acclaim and, while not immediately a commercial success, tracks like “Streetcar”, the cover of Kanye West’s 2008 song “Street Lights”, have become fan favorites.
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.At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, Caesar received two nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for “Get You”.At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, Caesar won Best R&B Performance for his single “Best Part”. On March 19, 2021, Caesar was also featured alongside American singer-songwriter Giveon on fellow Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s single “Peaches,” from the latter’s sixth studio album, Justice, which became his first chart-topping single on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Caesar released his third studio album, Never Enough, through Republic Records on April 7, 2023.
