Canadian superstar with Haitian roots

The Montreal-based singer of Haitian origin builds on the very best of jazz and blues history. She openly embraces the legacy of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and R&B icon Etta James, while her voice also carries the quiet sharpness of legendary Nigerian singer Sade. Her songs are built on gradually intensifying emotional tension and intimate, tightly wound arrangements of guitar and keyboards. Two of her albums have received the Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Dominique Fils-Aimé has performed at a number of prestigious events, including the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2025, one of Europe’s premier jazz showcases, and Japan’s World Expo 2025 in Osaka, where she gave five concerts representing Canadian culture. In Prague, she will present her latest breakthrough album My World Is The Sun, whose opening track was inspired by a cassette recording of her mother singing in the 1970s, before Dominique was even born.

French-speaking Canada has become home to many musicians from the Francophone Caribbean. Singer Malika Tirolien from Guadeloupe, known for collaborations with Bokanté and Snarky Puppy, performed in Prague two years ago. She shares African roots with Dominique Fils-Aimé, though the two singers differ significantly in musical approach. Tirolien prefers fuller arrangements with a strong funk sound, while Fils-Aimé excels in an intimate and minimalist setting. Dominique recalls making her first recording at the age of twelve using a telephone answering machine. She never underwent formal vocal training, something she considers an advantage. It allows her to rely more on the emotional than the physical possibilities of her voice. “For me, it’s more important to share emotion in its purest form, even if it’s not technically perfect.”

Her first albums form a trilogy. The debut Nameless (2018) carries a blues-infused atmosphere and deals with painful memories of the past. The follow-up Stay Tuned! (2019) became a call for revolution and won the Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year in 2020. A year later, she completed the trilogy with Three Little Words (2021), an album centered around reconciliation.

The new album My World Is The Sun (2026) marks a turning point in her work. Most of the recordings were created live in the studio. Critics write that the new record feels like a breakthrough moment where the singer no longer has to prove anything. The music is warmer and more personal than her previous work, and she shows a greater willingness to take risks. Among the highlights is the nearly nine-minute track “Rhythm of Nature,” where, thanks to its extended duration, Dominique gradually builds an intense spiritual charge. “The River,” accompanied by piano, carries an almost gospel-like atmosphere, culminating in a magical yet restrained trumpet solo.

Presented by Rachot Production.