Dominique Fils-Aimé

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.”

Pour les fans de R&B, Funk & Soul, et Folk & Blues.

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