Freudian (album)

Freudian
Studio album by Daniel Caesar
Released	August 25, 2017 (2017-08-25)
Genre	R&B neo soul gospel
Length	44:47
Label	Golden Child
Producer	Jordan Evans (also exec.) Matthew Burnett (also exec.) Alex Ernewein BadBadNotGood Daniel Caesar Jordon Manswell Riley Bell
Daniel Caesar chronology
Pilgrim's Paradise EP (2015) Freudian (2017) Case Study 01 (2019)
Singles from Freudian
"Get You" Released: October 20, 2016 "We Find Love" / "Blessed" Released: June 9, 2017 "Best Part" Released: 2017

Freudian is the debut studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar. It was released independently on August 25, 2017, by Golden Child Recordings, ^[1] with distribution from TuneCore. ^[2] It includes guest appearances from Kali Uchis, H.E.R., Syd, Charlotte Day Wilson and Sean Leon. Production derives from Caesar, Matthew Burnett, Jordan Evans, BadBadNotGood, Alex Ernewein, Riley Bell and Jordon Manswell. ^{[3] [4]} The album succeeds the 2015 EP Pilgrim's Paradise . The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Album Category, alongside a nomination for Best R&B Performance with "Get You" at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, with "Best Part" with H.E.R. winning Best R&B Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. ^[5]

The album was supported by the singles "Get You" featuring Kali Uchis and the double single "We Find Love" / "Blessed". ^{[6] [7]}

Singles

The lead single "Get You" featuring Kali Uchis was released on October 20, 2016, for streaming and digital download. ^[6] The second single, "We Find Love" / "Blessed" was released on June 9, 2017. ^[7]

Artwork

The album artwork features photography by creative directors Keavan Yazdani and Sean Brown. The photograph is Caesar climbing an incline on the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria, Shumen. ^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Exclaim!	9/10 [10]
Now	4/5 [11]
Pitchfork	7.3/10 [12]
Cult MTL	9/10 [13]

Freudian received widespread acclaim from critics upon release. In a positive review, Briana Younger of Pitchfork complimented the gospel elements of the album, stating: "There’s much here that blends well into this 1990s-obsessed era, but Caesar’s gospel background is his not-so-secret weapon. While he’s surely not the only contemporary R&B singer who grew up in the church, he doesn’t shy away from bringing the full range of his influences to his music. Caesar’s willingness to use all of the tools at his disposal—to explore his own id and superego right alongside love’s heaven and hell—elevates his craft." ^[12]

Kevin Ritchie of Now commented that Freudian is "not an album of sweeping gestures, but rather an ambling, pleasant account of a 20-something falling in and out of love. It’s full of small moments, nuance and detail." ^[11] Ryan Patrick of Exclaim! praised the production and originality: "Freudian isn't about whatever's passing for the genre on streaming playlists, radio or video; it isn't even a throwback. It's a carefully created album rooted in classic gospel and R&B, and a revelation in a world of sludgy alt-R&B, an outlier among overtly soulless genre takes hailed as the next thing because no one knows any better."

Exclaim! ranked the album at number 5 on their "Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017".

The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. ^[14]

Commercial performance

Freudian debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200. On September 1, 2017, Freudian entered the UK R&B Chart at number 15, while entering the UK Independent Chart at number 40. ^{[15] [16]}

Track listing

Freudian ^{[1] [4]}

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Get You" (featuring Kali Uchis)	Ashton Simmonds Karly Loaiza Jordan Evans Matthew Burnett Ian Culley Wesley Allen Alexander Sowinski Chester Hansen Leland Whitty Matthew Tavares	Matthew Burnett Jordan Evans BadBadNotGood [a]	4:38
2.	"Best Part" (featuring H.E.R.)	Simmonds Gabi Wilson Burnett Evans Riley Bell	Burnett Evans	3:29
3.	"Hold Me Down"	Simmonds Burnett Evans Alex Ernewein Nevon Sinclair Kirk Franklin	Burnett Evans Alex Ernewein [a] Riley Bell [a]	3:51
4.	"Neu Roses (Transgressor's Song)"	Simmonds Burnett Evans Sinclair Sean Barrow	Burnett Evans	3:01
5.	"Loose"	Simmonds Ernewein Burnett Evans	Ernewein Burnett [a] Evans [a]	3:05
6.	"We Find Love"	Simmonds Evans Burnett Jordon Manswell Allen Sinclair Kyle David Matthews	Burnett Evans Jordon Manswell [b]	4:14
7.	"Blessed"	Simmonds Burnett Evans Culley Ernewein Sinclair	Burnett Evans	4:01
8.	"Take Me Away" (featuring Syd)	Simmonds Sydney Bennett Evans Burnett Culley	Burnett Evans Bell [a]	3:46
9.	"Transform" (featuring Charlotte Day Wilson)	Simmonds Charlotte Wilson Burnett Evans Ernewein	Burnett Evans Bell [a] Ernewein [b]	4:40
10.	"Freudian"	Simmonds Matthew Sean Leon Burnett Evans Sinclair Bell	Burnett Evans Bell [a]	10:02
Total length:				44:47

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• ^{^[b]} signifies a co-producer.
• "Hold Me Down" features additional vocals by Cadaro Tribe.
• "Neu Roses (Transgressor's Song)" and "Loose" feature additional vocals by Nevon Sinclair.
• "Freudian" features additional vocals by Sean Leon.
• “Freudian” is shortened on the vinyl release, for a length of 5:03.

Sample credits

• "Hold Me Down" contains an interpolation of "Hold Me Now", written and performed by Kirk Franklin.
• "We Find Love" contains an interpolation of "We Fall Down", written by Kyle David Matthews and performed by Donnie McClurkin.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Freudian ^[4] and Daniel Caesar's Instagram. ^[17]

Artists

• Daniel Caesar
• Charlotte Day Wilson – featured artist (also engineer)
• H.E.R. – featured artist
• Kali Uchis – featured artist
• Syd – featured artist (also engineer)

Production

• Matthew Burnett – producer, executive producer, A&R, management
• Jordan Evans – producer, executive producer, A&R, management, engineer
• Alex Ernewein – producer
• Jordon Manswell – producer
• Riley Bell – producer, engineer

Other musicians

• BadBadNotGood – additional music (credited for additional production)
• C.J. Mairs – additional music
• Cadaro Tribe – additional vocals
• Ian Culley – additional music
• Nevon Sinclair – additional vocals
• Sean Barrow – additional music
• Sean Leon – additional vocals
• Steve Henry – additional music
• Wesley Allen – additional music

Other technical

• Calvin Hartwick – engineer
• Eric Stenman – engineer
• Ethan “SPYDER” Ashby – engineer
• Jeremy Nichols – engineer

Other management

• Angelika Heim – legal
• Anthony Osei – publicity
• John Ingram – legal

Design

• Eric Lachance – packaging design
• Keavan Yazdani – artwork
• Sean Brown – artwork

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2017) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [18] 192 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19] 16 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [20] 39 UK Independent Albums (OCC) [16] 40 UK R&B Albums (OCC) [15] 15 US Billboard 200 [21] 25 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [22] 16

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Billboard 200 [23] 110 Chart (2019) Position US Billboard 200 [24] 196

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [25]	2× Platinum	160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [26]	Gold	10,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [27]	2× Platinum	30,000‡
United States (RIAA) [28]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Freudian by Daniel Caesar on Apple Music". iTunes Store. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
2. Chesman, Donna-Claire (January 3, 2018). "Daniel Caesar's Manager on Not Signing With a Major: "We Got TuneCore & Twitter"". djbooth.net. The DJ Booth LLC. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
3. "Daniel Caesar – Freudian". HotNewHipHop. August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
4. Freudian (Media notes). Daniel Caesar. Golden Child Recordings. 2017.
5. "Daniel Caesar | Artist | www.grammy.com". Grammy Awards. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
6. "Get You (feat. Kali Uchis) – Single by Daniel Caesar on Apple Music". iTunes Store . Retrieved August 29, 2017.^{[ dead link ‍]}
7. "We Find Love – Single by Daniel Caesar on Apple Music". iTunes Store . Retrieved August 29, 2017.^{[ dead link ‍]}
8. Collins, Leah (March 13, 2018). "Daniel Caesar's visual brand is carefully planned, but this stunning album art was a stroke of luck". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved March 29, 2025.
9. Kellman, Andy. "Freudian – Daniel Caesar". AllMusic . Retrieved May 13, 2019.
10. Patrick, Ryan (August 26, 2017). "Daniel Caesar: Freudian". Exclaim! . Retrieved August 29, 2017.
11. Ritchie, Kevin (August 16, 2017). "Daniel Caesar's Freudian is a case study in strength-in-vulnerability". Now . Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
12. Younger, Briana (August 26, 2017). "Daniel Caesar: Freudian". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 29, 2017.
13. "REVIEW: Daniel Caesar's "Freudian"". September 25, 2017.
14. "Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List". Exclaim! , July 17, 2018.
15. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
16. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
17. "Daniel Caesar (@danielcaesar) · Instagram photos and videos". Instagram. August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
18. "Ultratop.be – Daniel Caesar – Freudian" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
19. "Daniel Caesar Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
20. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
21. "Daniel Caesar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
22. "Daniel Caesar Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
24. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
25. "Canadian album certifications – Daniel Caesar – Freudian". Music Canada . Retrieved February 19, 2025.
26. "Danish album certifications – Daniel Caesar – Freudian". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved December 20, 2023.
27. "New Zealand album certifications – Daniel Caesar – Freudian". Radioscope. Retrieved January 7, 2025.Type Freudian in the "Search:" field.
28. "American album certifications – Daniel Caesar – Freudian". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 22, 2022.