By Olivia Suh
Correspondent
Daniel Caesar released his fourth album, “Son of Spergy,” on Oct. 24, a journal-like reflection on his self-growth and spiritual awakening.
After the controversy surrounding his rant on an Instagram Live defending influencer YesJulz, who was accused of cultural appropriation and making demeaning comments about Black women, Caesar faced backlash.
“I was canceled for, you know, speaking my mind,” Caesar told Billboard. “I was canceled for being drunk and foolish in public. But that was something I was always allowed to do. No one gave a s— [until I started to get famous].”
As Caesar has been confronted with the pressures of fame in the past few years, his newly released album, “Son of Spergy,” signifies his growth and realization.
“I almost feel like I’m starting again, and I love it,” he explained to Billboard.
The album begins with “Rain Down,” featuring Sampha, greeting listeners with what seems to be a mixture of prayer, confession and self-reflection, a spiritual outpour from Caesar accompanied by a gospel choir in the back.
The repeated lyrics, “Lord, let your blessings rain down on me,” seem as if a plea for renewal, rain symbolizing forgiveness and rebirth. Caesar then continues with being “cleansed with your blood’s power,” tying with Christian ideology of forgiveness and salvation.
As the first track wraps up, the mention of “Spergy” creates a personal twist, as if Caesar is having a conversation with both God and himself. Lyrics such as “Spergy is stuck, can I see him?” and “Spergy, your son” create a visual of Caesar struggling with balancing his identity and faith.
The song “Moon,” featuring Bon Iver, discusses Caesar’s self-awareness. He sings, “I’m not who I wanna be at the moment,” an admission to inner struggle and frustration, but remains hopeful that change might come, “maybe soon.”
The lyric continues with, “Fighters keep fighting,” creating an image of an individual pushing through hardships regardless of exhaustion and pain. Then Caesar raises the question, “Who’s going to be my Jesus?” displaying vulnerability, as if he’s fed up with fighting and wants someone or something to stand up for him the way he’s tried for others.
A message hidden in “Touching God,” featuring Blood Orange and Yebba, is taken from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:11, where Blood Orange sings, “When I was a child, spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things.”
This message signifies growth, remembering when life was simpler, looking at the world through innocent eyes. This verse goes beyond the realization of the different perspective he observes his surroundings.
The repetition of “When I was a child…” then finally shifting to “I became a man,” it sounds as if he is looking back at a version of himself that was more naive, acknowledging how the challenges of life forced him to grow up.
Listeners have praised “Son of Spergy” for its depth and honesty. On Album of the Year, one fan comments, “This album is one of the best Christian/gospel albums I’ve heard in a long time.” Another described it as a “coming-of-age journey through heartbreak, regret and redemption,” while another states, “The vocal delivery from Daniel is also just angelic. The lyrics in general are also just very deep and have a lot of meaning to them.”
With the release of “Son of Spergy,” Daniel Caesar resets his narrative, acknowledging past mistakes through a meditation focusing on faith, forgiveness and identity. The album plays out like pages taken from a personal diary, where he questions himself, leans towards his faith and slowly creates peace with his past.
Instead of defending his past mistakes, Caesar focuses on who he wants to become. “Son of Spergy” is Caesar’s hard reset, his effort to start fresh, humbled, truthful and finally comfortable with his process of figuring it all out.
