LOS ANGELES, CA- There are certain artists you discover and immediately wonder how you missed them.
That was my experience encountering Dominique Fils-Aimé. She has been releasing albums since 2018, building a reputation as one of Canada’s most compelling jazz voices, even taking home a Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year in 2020. Perhaps it was the chaos of that pandemic year that caused her to slip past my radar. Whatever the reason, being introduced to her music now through “Phoenix Rising” and “The River” feels like stumbling onto something sacred.
This Friday, she releases My World Is The Sun via Ensoul Records, the second installment in a trilogy that began with 2023’s Our Roots Run Deep. If these two tracks are any indication, this chapter deepens her exploration of spiritual freedom, emotional duality, and the quiet revolution of choosing joy.
“Phoenix Rising” opens with a mantra-like invocation: “Fire / Rain / Down / On Me.” The repetition feels ceremonial. The song is built on contrast. Fire and rain. Ashes and rebirth. Dominique sings, “It might seem like the end / But through you we are reborn,” articulating the paradox at the heart of the track. Suffering and renewal are not opposites… They are interdependent.
Her commentary on the song frames it as an act of resistance. In a world bent on breaking our humanity, maintaining joy becomes revolutionary. That idea resonates deeply in the way her vocal pitch subtly lifts during the chorus, as she chants, “Phoenix rising high.” There is a spiritual weight to her phrasing. It does not feel performative. It feels embodied.
Then comes “The River,” which pairs with “Phoenix Rising” in a continuous visual narrative. Where “Phoenix” invokes flame, “The River” leans into water, symbolizing a healing force. “Meet me by the river / Let’s heal together / Let’s belong,” she sings. The invitation is communal. There is no ego in it. The music a shared space for renewal.
What strikes me most about Dominique’s artistry is the timbre of her voice. It is strong yet soothing, with a tone that almost resembles a woodwind instrument. There is breath in it. Warmth. Texture. She navigates jazz, blues, and soul with an ease that feels unforced. Her phrasing bends notes in a way that recalls the lineage of great jazz vocalists without ever sounding derivative.
There are not many contemporary jazz singers who give me that sense of calm immersion. The last voice that struck me in a similar way was Cassandra Wilson. That ability to wrap complex emotion in a sound that feels grounding is rare.
My World Is The Sun reportedly opens with a classically informed guitar piece built from a cassette recording Dominique discovered of her mother singing in the 1970s. She closes the album by recording her own version of that opening song, completing a cycle. That framing speaks volumes. This is not an album designed around singles. It is a narrative arc. A spiritual journey. A return to self.
Stylistically, the album is said to weave jazz, soul, and blues into something fluid and contemporary. Based on these two tracks, I can hear what her press release expressed. Songs morph with emotional and musical shifts. There is space in her music. Space to breathe.
What makes this discovery bittersweet is realizing how much of her catalog I have yet to explore. She has already performed at major festivals including Jazz à Vienne, North Sea Jazz, and represented Canada at World Expo 2025 in Osaka. This is not an emerging voice. It is an established one. I am simply late to the conversation.
Still, there is something beautiful about arriving when you are meant to. With “Phoenix Rising” and “The River” as my introduction, I am not just intrigued. I am enamored. Dominique Fils-Aimé does not simply sing about rebirth and healing. She creates an atmosphere where those processes feel possible.
If My World Is The Sun continues in this vein, it will not just be an album. It will be an experience. And I will be revisiting her past work in the days and months to come, grateful that sometimes, even late discoveries feel perfectly timed.
Follow Dominique Fils-Aimé: Website | Facebook | TikTok | Instagram | Threads | YouTube | X
*********************
