Daniel Daley might have one of the sweetest voices on the R&B scene. His falsetto effortlessly orbits beyond the stratosphere of his R&B and pop male contemporaries. Paul Jefferies, professionally known as Nineteen85, might be one of the most soulful producers and songwriters on the scene. His innate musical ability and broad musical influences have resulted in some of 2010s biggest and most influential hits. Together, they are dvsn and they're bringing their alternative R&B to the 106.1 KMEL Holiday House of Soul stage.
dvsn's music speaks for itself, or at least it had to since Daley and Jefferies kept quiet about their identities after releasing two songs in September of 2015. One of the tracks "With Me" caught the attention of Apple's Beats 1 radio and was played during their OVO Sound radio show. A few months later the Canadian duo released a third track "Too Deep" on Soundcloud and Apple music and didn't release another until March 2016.
This was likely due to the fact that dvsn was busy getting signed to fellow Canadian hip-hop artist Drake's record label OVO Sound, which was officially announced in February of 2016. By the Spring of 2016 they had released their debut album Sept. 5th. The album was warmly received by fans and critics alike, charting at number 17 on Billboard's US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was included on several publication's 2016 year-end lists.
Their sophomore album Morning After was released in October of 2017 and maintained the respect they had received from music critics on the debut album. To support their albums, the duo went on several tours from 2016 to 2018. They were openers for Drake's Summer Sixteen Tour and joined him again in 2017 for his Boy Meets World Tour. They headlined their own tours in 2016 and most recently in 2018 to promote the Morning After. In July, they released two singles "Miss Me?" and "In Between."
Their tours have proved that despite not exploiting themselves in the music media machine, dvsn has found a dedicated and passionate audience. Daley's straight forward lyrics about his own failed relationships have clearly struck a chord with fans, and Jefferies' flawless production solidifies dvsn as one of the most idiosyncratic musical projects in today's R&B landscape.