Obama selects Canadian R&B star Daniel Caesar for his playlist of favourites

Daniel Caesar (Photo by The Come Up Show – Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

TORONTO — Rising Canadian R&B-soul singer Daniel Caesar is getting some heavy rotation on Barack Obama’s speakers and headphones.

The former U.S. president has shared a list of his favourite songs of 2017, and the Oshawa, Ont., musician’s name shows up twice.

Among Obama’s selections is “Blessed” from Caesar’s Grammy-nominated album “Freudian.”

Caesar also appears on Chance the Rapper’s “First World Problems,” a performance the pair debuted on Stephen Colbert’s late-night show last September.

Other tracks on Obama’s list include Top 40 hits like “Mi Gente” by J Balvin & Willy William, “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble.”

There are also critically-acclaimed songs like the National’s “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” and Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”

The 22-song list continues a tradition Obama started during his presidency of sharing a music playlist and a selection of his favourite books.

Caesar will contend for two Grammys later this month. He’s nominated in the best R&B album category while the song “Get You” is up for best R&B performance.