It’s been an eventful day for Daniel Caesar. Shortly after he received two Grammy nominations for his debut studio album, Freudian, the 22-year-old singer/songwriter released the official visuals for the project’s title track.
Keavan Yazdani and Sean Brown, who’ve worked on a number of Caesar’s previous videos, directed Freudian, a Visual. It begins with a dual shot of the Toronto artist and then cuts to an outdoor scene where Caesar is instructing a group of running women boot camp style. Director Yazdani told Complex the video was intended to reflect the overall concept of the album, which explores the parallels between Caesar’s conscious and subconscious mind.
"It's an introspective look into why Daniel is the way he is, and the relationships in his life that are responsible for such," Yazdani explained. "The second half of the video was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Danny instructing the drill line as the sergeant is him finally taking control of all the relationships he’s experienced. Leading, as opposed to being lead."
Yazdani continued: "At the end of the day, the reason the visual is so obscure, is so the viewer can interpret it as feels right to them. Subjective shit."
You can watch the video up top.
Freudian, which dropped in late August, has received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album as well as Best R&B Performance for "Get You" featuring Kali Uchis. Caesar responded to the nominations on Instagram, writing: "I can't believe this. Woke up this morning to discover we've been nominated for two Grammys. Win or lose this is my proudest moment. Up out the basement. IxxI forever."
