Music Caton gained fame in 2017 after a video of him singing
Nina Simone's 1964 hit "
Feeling Good"
went viral and was sampled in the opening montage video for rapper
Jay-Z's song "
4:44". In March 2018, Caton appeared on the season three premiere of the
NBC variety show
Little Big Shots, performing
Kurt Carr's "For Every Mountain." Caton was popular enough to return for the
Little Big Shots holiday special in December, where he performed "
O Holy Night". On
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019, Caton performed live on
The View alongside gospel singer
Yolanda Adams, singing her song "Never Give Up". In 2022, Caton toured with
H.E.R. In 2023, Caton released his debut single "This Ain't It", which Zach Simmons of
Enspire described as "[giving] the world just a taste of what they had been waiting on" featuring "a clean vocal performance reminiscent of legends
Stevie Wonder and
Donny Hathaway". He released his single, "Somethin", on July 31, 2025. In March 2026, he signed to
Columbia Records and released his major-label debut single "Don't Hate Me".
Film In 2025, Caton made his film debut in the
Ryan Coogler supernatural horror film
Sinners, alongside
Michael B. Jordan,
Hailee Steinfeld,
Wunmi Mosaku,
Jack O'Connell, and
Delroy Lindo. Caton's musical past played a large role as his character, Sammie, possesses a musical ability that transcends time and leads to the supernatural. Caton performed a number of songs within the film and on the soundtrack, as well as co-wrote the song "Last Time (I Seen the Sun)." He also learned how to play the guitar for the film, performing a substantial amount of acoustic guitar on the soundtrack. The film was met with critical acclaim and grossed over $360 million worldwide. The film achieved a number of box-office records and milestones, including having the biggest opening weekend for an original R-rated film of the decade and becoming the fifth highest-grossing horror movie of all time. Caton's performance was also met with praise and was featured on
Variety and
Time's Actors to Watch. He was awarded the
Best Young Performer award at the
31st Critics' Choice Awards for this role. The film set a record by receiving 16 Academy Award nominations, the highest number in Oscar history. == Filmography ==