# Dvsn
**Dvsn** (pronounced "division") is a Canadian alternative R&B duo from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2015, consisting of vocalist Daniel Daley and producer Paul Jefferies, known professionally as [Nineteen85](https://www.edgepedia.org/nineteen85). Signed to [Drake](https://www.edgepedia.org/drake-musician)'s OVO Sound from 2016 to the mid-2020s, the duo is known for atmospheric slow jams and has released four studio albums: *Sept. 5th* (2016), *Morning After* (2017), *A Muse in Her Feelings* (2020), and *Working On My Karma* (2022), plus the collaborative *Cheers to the Best Memories* with Ty Dolla $ign (2021).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) • [2](https://www.liverate.com/artists/dvsn)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | Vocalist Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85 (Paul Jefferies), both from Toronto[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) |
| Formed | 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; genre listed as R&B, styles alternative R&B and contemporary R&B[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) |
| Label history | Signed to OVO Sound on February 29, 2016; later signed by Jermaine Dupri to So So Def/HYBE in June 2025[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/backwoodsaltar/dvsn-since-october-documentary-chapter-one) • [4](https://sosodef.com/dvsn-leaps-into-a-new-era-with-two-fresh-tracks-excited-love-on-you/) |
| Debut album | *Sept. 5th*, released April 2016; entered the Canadian chart at number 69 and peaked at number 17 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the U.S.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) |
| Best-charting album | *A Muse in Her Feelings* (2020) debuted at number five on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) |
| Producer credentials | Nineteen85 produced Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home," "Hotline Bling," and "One Dance"[5](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf) |
| Touring | Played more than 100 shows by early 2018, the majority opening for Drake and Future on the Summer Sixteen tour[6](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/02/21/canadian-duo-dvsn-seduce-from-shadows/8oCeHu5I66DE4W252KAsDJ/story.html) |
## Origins and name
The two met in Toronto's music scene in the late 2000s through mutual friends, when both were heavily into rap.[5](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf) • [7](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2021/01/04/interview-dvsn-on-their-creative-process-staying-inspired-mentoring-emerging-canadian-artists-with-first-up-with-rbcxmusic/) Daley grew up in Toronto loving rap and hip-hop first, and came to R&B through school music classes and piano lessons; Jefferies started out wanting to be a DJ, taught himself guitar as a young teenager, and began writing songs and producing for a band he formed around age 13 to 15.[7](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2021/01/04/interview-dvsn-on-their-creative-process-staying-inspired-mentoring-emerging-canadian-artists-with-first-up-with-rbcxmusic/)
**The name.** Daley explained that the pair realized they were different from many others making music, and chose to make that a feature: "let's continue to be the division between us and them or whatever is popular at the time, let's just move at the beat of our own drum."[7](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2021/01/04/interview-dvsn-on-their-creative-process-staying-inspired-mentoring-emerging-canadian-artists-with-first-up-with-rbcxmusic/) AllMusic lists "Division" as an alternate name for the act.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography)
## OVO Sound years
Nineteen85 debuted a number of dvsn tracks on OVO Sound Radio, building a fan base quickly, and the duo initially kept their identities largely hidden so the music could speak for itself; their names surfaced through the songwriting credits on *Sept. 5th*, and their identities became broadly known around the 2017 album *Morning After*. The duo signed to [OVO Sound](https://www.edgepedia.org/ovo-sound) on February 29, 2016, about a month before releasing *Sept. 5th* on the label; OVO Sound co-founder Noah "40" Shebib recalled that Drake was already asking about dvsn before Shebib could explain them, because Daley and Nineteen85 had finished their first album before that conversation.[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/backwoodsaltar/dvsn-since-october-documentary-chapter-one) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) • [5](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf)
**Albums on OVO.** *Sept. 5th* was released as a digital download in April 2016, the same month the duo was featured on Drake's "Faithful" from *Views*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) A run of singles beginning with "Think About Me" in May 2017 led to *Morning After*, which reached number 19 in Canada; by the end of 2017 the duo also appeared on tracks by fellow OVO artists [Majid Jordan](https://www.edgepedia.org/majid-jordan) ("My Imagination") and [Roy Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-woods) ("Balance").[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) After the singles "Miss Me?" and "In Between" in July 2019, the third album *A Muse in Her Feelings* arrived in April 2020 with numerous guests, including [PartyNextDoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/partynextdoor), Ty Dolla $ign, Summer Walker, and Jessie Reyez, and debuted at number five on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography)
**Collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign.** In 2021 the duo released *Cheers to the Best Memories*, a full collaborative project with California artist Ty Dolla $ign, led by the single "I Believed It" featuring the late [Mac Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/mac-miller). Nineteen85 described it as the first time fans would see dvsn leave their self-contained world and work in another artist's space; the release reached number 15 on the R&B chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) • [5](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf)
## Working On My Karma and later moves
The stand-alone single "If I Get Caught," released in July 2022, deliberately adopted a harder-edged, unapologetic lyrical stance wrapped in smooth crooning, and sparked wide discussion about the state of R&B. It led into *Working On My Karma*, a pseudo-concept album about young male relationship anxiety, co-produced by [Jermaine Dupri](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-dupri) and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) • [8](https://www.gq.com/story/dvsn-working-on-my-karma-interview)
**New label home.** After four studio albums under OVO Sound/Warner Records, the duo became a free agent and was signed by Jermaine Dupri as the first signing at So So Def/HYBE in June 2025. Their first release under the new label, a dual single of "Excited" and "Love On You," arrived on November 7, 2025.[4](https://sosodef.com/dvsn-leaps-into-a-new-era-with-two-fresh-tracks-excited-love-on-you/)
## Sound and creative process
Critics characterize dvsn's music as narcotic slow jams and moody, soulful R&B that bridges the genre's traditionalist romance with a 21st-century sound; Daley's vulnerable falsetto has placed the duo alongside artists such as H.E.R., Summer Walker, Daniel Caesar, and Khalid in pushing different R&B approaches to mainstream audiences.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography) • [8](https://www.gq.com/story/dvsn-working-on-my-karma-interview) • [9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2020/Billboard-2020-02-01.pdf) In the studio, the pair articulates intent by asking each other what movie they want listeners to walk away with, a framing Nineteen85 credits to the trust between them.[5](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf) Nineteen85 has also said that no matter how strong the lyrics or concept are, if the beat does not make people react, the song goes over their heads.[10](https://nowtoronto.com/music/dvsn-interview-2020/)
Beyond their own records, both members have cited Jay-Z as a major influence and have taken on mentorship roles, serving as ambassadors for the First Up with RBCxMusic program for emerging Canadian artists.[7](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2021/01/04/interview-dvsn-on-their-creative-process-staying-inspired-mentoring-emerging-canadian-artists-with-first-up-with-rbcxmusic/)
## References
1. [dvsn Biography by Andy Kellman, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dvsn-mn0003488294/biography)
2. [Dvsn, LiveRate artist page](https://www.liverate.com/artists/dvsn)
3. [Explore the Origins of OVO's Dvsn in First Chapter of 'Since October' Doc, Complex (September 5, 2018)](https://www.complex.com/music/a/backwoodsaltar/dvsn-since-october-documentary-chapter-one)
4. [DVSN Leaps into a New Era with Two Fresh Tracks: "Excited" & "Love On You," So So Def Recordings (November 7, 2025)](https://sosodef.com/dvsn-leaps-into-a-new-era-with-two-fresh-tracks-excited-love-on-you/)
5. [dvsn Bio, Warner Records press kit](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/dvsn-Bio.pdf)
6. [Canadian R&B duo dvsn seduce from the shadows, The Boston Globe (February 21, 2018)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/02/21/canadian-duo-dvsn-seduce-from-shadows/8oCeHu5I66DE4W252KAsDJ/story.html)
7. [Interview: DVSN on Their Creative Process, Staying Inspired, & Mentoring Emerging Canadian Artists With "First Up with RBCxMusic," Aesthetic Magazine (January 4, 2021)](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2021/01/04/interview-dvsn-on-their-creative-process-staying-inspired-mentoring-emerging-canadian-artists-with-first-up-with-rbcxmusic/)
8. [DVSN Want R&B Fans to Be Honest About What They Really Want From Today's Music, GQ (November 1, 2022)](https://www.gq.com/story/dvsn-working-on-my-karma-interview)
9. [Billboard, February 1, 2020 issue](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2020/Billboard-2020-02-01.pdf)
10. [Dvsn muse on drive-in concerts and the pandemic's impact on music, NOW Toronto (2020)](https://nowtoronto.com/music/dvsn-interview-2020/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Hip-hop and R&B duos*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license