Until very recently, perhaps one of the most elusive members of the OVO Sound roster was Toronto-born artist dvsn (pronounced “division”). Since last year, music has been dropped under that name, but the identity or identities behind the project never became clear. But the mystery has been solved. Now that their debut album Sept. 5th has dropped almost a week early, dvsn has been revealed as a duo comprising vocalist Daniel Delay and Grammy-nominated producer Paul Jefferies, aka Nineteen85.
A little bit of digging proves that this has been evident for some time now. Speculation began back in 2013 when recording artist Jae One tweeted about the duo working together, a time when no one really even knew what either of the artists were doing in the music world.
The following year, unnoticed tweets continued to reference the two. It was not until the fall that dvsn started to receive mainstream attention outside of the OVO Sound inner circle, when the duo dropped their tracks “With Me” and “The Line” on Sept. 5, a date their debut album would later be named after.
Nineteen85 first popped up in Drake’s ranks in 2013 when he was listed as the producer on Nothing Was the Same’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Too Much,” the latter in collaboration with Sampha. He also produced and co-wrote last summer’s platinum single “Hotline Bling.” His involvement in dvsn has been alleged for quite some time, many believing he could have potentially been both the vocalist and producer of all of the singles.
The actual vocalist, Daley, has more or less been hinting at his involvement in the duo for quite some time, often found tweeting and posting photos on Instagram of the singles’ album covers. He began making music with Nineteen85 in 2010, which was posted on MySpace and has since been deleted. Today, both artists are still relatively hidden on the Internet, with Daley using a private Twitter account and Nineteen85 rarely posting photos of his own face.
With Sept. 5th, the duo has finally made their steamy and illustrious mark on the OVO Sound realm, less than a month after being signed to the label. It opens with “With Me,” the second single to drop before the album. Every second of the track validates its seven-minute length. It opens with a background harmony that gives listeners an instant flashback to late-’90s R&B a la Aaliyah without being corny in homage. It is a strong first impression for new listeners, sure to hook those into a sound that comes off as the harmonic blend of early Usher and modern Bryson Tiller.
In fact, a lot of the album holds a similar tone of mellow R&B that feels all too familiar, especially in tracks such as “Try/Effortless” and “Hallucinations.” The album’s title track, however, is an overtly sensual song that feels like something The Weeknd would show up on. The song is a triumph for Nineteen85’s production, and Daley’s vocals are an experience to behold. It will likely become the song that comes to identify dvsn’s individual style. The same could be said about “Angela.”
When the melody comes in on “Another One,” the ties to “Hold On, We’re Going Home” hit the listener almost immediately. However, Daley’s vocals and lyricism make an obvious attempt to stand out from the sound Drake so quickly gained popularity for. The chorus on this track is so retro and groovy that you won’t be able to help but enjoy yourself, regardless of the song’s theme of cheating on a lover.
So is dvsn the next Usher? The next Drake? The next PARTYNEXTDOOR? Probably not. Nineteen85 and Daniel Daley’s 10-track debut is both everything an R&B lover is accustomed to and something entirely new. If this is just the start, dsvn has an incredible OVO-colored future ahead of them in the coming years.
