Dominique Fils-Aimé

Rising star in vocal jazz and double JUNO Award winner, Dominique Fils-Aimé [FEES-em-AY] just won the award for Jazz Album of the Year at the ADISQ Gala 2024 with her fourth album Our Roots Run Deep. The Montreal singer-songwriter, who puts the history of African American musical culture into the heart of her work, was featured for the second time at the Winter Jazz Festival in New York on January 11, 2025. She performed a show that invited the audience to delve into the roots of her soul with a strong desire to connect with one’s higher self. Whether in Canada (in a double bill with Allison Russell at Toronto’s Koerner Hall), in Europe (opening for Melody Gardot, Diana Krall, and Ibrahim Maalouf), along with a third tour of 18 concerts in spring 2025; or in the United States (with acclaimed performances in New York and Los Angeles), Dominique Fils-Aimé captivates her spectators and leads them on a transcendent journey.

The Montreal-based JUNO award winning singer-songwriter puts the history of African American musical culture into the heart of her work, reflecting on the social realities that influenced the genres of blues, jazz and soul. Her trilogy shed light on the history of Afro American music, inspired by soul icons such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Etta James.

Nameless (2018), was about confronting historical silences and sorrows. This blues-tinged album has become an audiophile’s reference recording across the globe and led to two sold out shows at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2018. Her second album, Stay Tuned! was a call for revolution. This album won the 2020 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year as well as the Félix prize for Best Jazz Album at the 2019 ADISQ Gala, was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and featured among the 19 best Canadian albums of 2019 by CBC. Dominique Fils-Aimé was also nominated that same year as Radio-Canada’s 2019-2020 “Revelation in Jazz.” In 2021, Dominique closed the final chapter of the trilogy with Three Little Words, a call for reconciliation. The record received rave reviews in prestigious publications all around the world. It made the Polaris Music Prize Short List and claimed the #1 spot for best-selling album in Quebec and #2 in Canada.

Her fourth album, Our Roots Run Deep, won the 2024 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year and the Felix Award (ADISQ Gala) for Jazz Album of the Year. The music video for the track “My Mind At Ease” was nominated for Best International R&B/Soul Video and Best Choreography in a Video at the UK Music Video Awards.

Dominique Fils-Aimé shapes her latest work with a loose, dreamlike narrative structure that tells a story of growth. For Dominique, nature acts as an anchor—a source of inspiration that provides her with metaphors to express the unique but interconnected journey of a human being.

Dominique Fils-Aimé released her first single in French, “Moi je t’aime” in 2024 and is currently writing new songs for her upcoming album, slated for release in 2026.