Dominique Fils-Aimé is on a journey. The Montreal based, Juno award winning artist, Dominique Fils-Aimé, is in the midst of an ambitious trilogy that examines Black music and culture through her songwriting and unique vocal style. The third and final record of the trilogy, Three Little Words, is set for release February 2021. Over the course of the three records; Nameless, Stay Tuned!, and Three Little Words, Dominique takes the listener along on a journey to hear her perspective on the Black experience. During the show, we present three songs from each record of the trilogy – “Birds (1:08),” “Joy River (15:52),” and the first single off the upcoming Three Little Words record, “Love Take Over (33:36).” Follow Dominique @sing.with.mi. This episode co-sponsored by Music Connection www.musicconnection.com.
Episode 69: Dominique Fils-Aimé
[Transcript generated by voice recognition technology.Please excuse grammar.]
Hello and welcome to Joy Sounds Music You Need to Know featuring the brightest independent artists. I'm your host Chris Sampson. My thanks to Music Connection for the generous support of this episode. For more info visit music connection.com. Today we feature Montreal-based Juno Award winning artist, Dominique Fils-Aimé. Dominique is in the midst of releasing an ambitious three record trilogy that surveys her unique perspective of Black music and culture.
The third and final installment of the trilogy titled Three Little Words is set for release this February of 2021 during this episode we'll hear the first single from three little words titled “Love Takeover” along with songs taken from the previous two albums.We'll hear her song “Birds” from the first record titled Nameless and we'll hear the song, “Joy River” from Dominique's second record, Stay Tuned!
My conversation with Dominique really reveals the amazing creative process of a true artist. I think you'll really enjoy it. Let's begin the show with the song, “Birds” by Dominique Fils-Aimé on Joy Sounds.
“Birds” plays
Chris Sampson: And that was “Birds” by Dominique Fils-Aimé and it is my pleasure to welcome to Joy Sounds, Dominique Fils-Aimé. Hi Dominique.
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Hi, thanks for having me.
CS: You're calling in from Canada.
DFA: Yes from the cold winter of Montreal.
CS: What a great song. I love how that is just stripped back to its absolute essentials with the upright bass and the vocal it's got such an immediacy to it.
DFA: That was exactly the goal to have this song and this album the first of the trilogy you really be stripped and have silence be one of the instruments because I feel like silent. Can be so meaningful and so many ways it can be the absence of people speaking up for justice.
It can be the need to go within ourselves, it can be about the just the process of thinking. So this song specifically had a story behind it. It comes from a trip I took in Asia and waking up in the morning with birds that were taking off from the AC that was connected to my window and the sound was extremely scary and then through the day I kept thinking about how scary it was.
It was from that sound and how really beautiful it was to have those birds leaving and the fear that freedom for some people will induce in others. So someone looking for their freedom will feel like a threat to some but really it's their right to seek that freedom and to take off to use their wings and fly.
So it was a metaphor that stayed with me and that I wanted to put in a song that would represent the energy and the emotion that I'm looking for in the first album.
CS: I absolutely love how evocative you were to create that personal experience. And turn it into this sort of larger image with the chorus “the sounds of the birds taking off scared you last night.”
DFA: thank you. I feel like there's metaphors everywhere in the world and it's so nice to be able to use them so that the message can be delivered in a softer way or more delicate way without people feeling attacked, but really understanding where it comes from because I I have this dream of always delivering my messages from a place of love, so it's not about confrontation, it's really about wanting the best for all of us united.
CS: I appreciate that because in this time when we do want to really say something and have a message with our music, it's a very fine line for songwriters who can end up sounding preachy or pointing a finger or you know, alienating an audience in that way, but you handle this much more artfully. So, I just appreciate sort of how you go about that. Did that take some time to develop? My guess is that that didn't come overnight.
DFA: The whole concept of the trilogy itself took about six months and then it implied some research every step of the way to make sure that not only historically speaking but emotionally speaking. I was always coming from the right place or at least the place that I'm looking to deliver the message from so it's a lot of mixed research that is involved in it.
CS: And “Birds” comes from the first record in the trilogy Nameless and this is really ambitious project that's really takes a listener through a very deep understanding and survey of African-American music and styles and culture. What inspired you to take on such a project for your first records? I mean, it's unusual to dive into a complete trilogy like this.
DFA: I have to admit, I love being in this studio so there was a part of me that just wanted to spend as much time as I could recording and creating because it's the part I like the most but there was also this acknowledgment when I realized that the history I knew from school, I knew very little about black history. But I realized that I knew more than I thought through music and it really inspired me to see how there is this collective memory that stays within music so we hear the stories of the winners, we hear what the history's history books have to say, but we also get to know how people felt and how they lived through those times through music and it's such a magical thing. It's an underestimated tool.
I find to developing empathy and understanding of certain issues, so I wanted to take the time to really explore the emotions. And, the mind frames that were present in these musical styles and what created them really because art comes from emotion and develop upon it of how those emotions are universal how some of these situations are still present today and that some people are still going through these events and these feelings and make sure that it was underlined that we can all solve this through united and through art, through empathy, through love, so it was part of the the journey I wanted to take people.
CS: I know that these records and you're writing and you're recording started before we had the reckoning that we had this past summer with racial injustice.And, the timing of your writing and your message seemed to coincide right when we needed it most.
DFA: It shocked me a lot I have to admit. When it comes for example to the second album that speaks of social justice movement and jazz and the freedom of creating and the freedom people were seeking in and out of their artistic lives. There's a song specifically called “Smoke” that is linked to another one - where there is smoke and the other one is there is probably fire - and it was inspired by the fires in LA in the 90s and seeing fires again in the same place for the same reasons was quite shocking, you know? It felt like okay, we are in this kind of circle. We do live through these cycles and although we might feel like we're standing still we're not because things are moving forward and I think it's important to look into that as well that we're not stagnant we are definitely moving all those…we would hope we are moving forward and we need to feed those movements so that we we are united and the more people are helping that wheel to turn and move forward the faster it will go.
CS: I appreciate that reminder as somebody who was here in Los Angeles in the 90s during that period and that was what was so difficult for me this summer is getting my head wrapped around that it seemed like we hadn't made any progress. And so I appreciate that reminder that maybe even if it's small maybe if it's incremental. And maybe it comes in different forms that there has been some degree of movement and I think that you're filling a very important role as an artist - to remind us of these things and to comment on these things and to have us be able to take an assessment.
DFA: I really try to look at the positive of everything although we need to look at problems straight on and the solutions. It's about the positive aspects that are coming out of things and for example when it comes to all the movements that happened this summer around George Floyd and the people standing up, it was the single event that made the most people go march through streets and that's because of social media. We've never had a worldwide movement that big and so many people seeing and being outraged and wanting to support the cause and to help it disappear. To help this inequality be from the past really, so to me, that is a positive. That is painful, but it's a growing pains. I keep calling these times, you know, it hurts but it helps us grow so this is where I feel we're at right now.
CS: Let's now turn to a song off of the second record in the trilogy Stay Tuned! and the song that you want to present to us today is “Joy River.” And, this without question digs into your gospel knowledge.
DFA: I did listen to a lot of gospel. was looking at jazz etc and a lot of the jazz musicians started the piano, for example, many of them were playing at church where it was the place they had access to a piano at first. And It also has a little a little “hi” to my grandma because she took me to church along when I was young and I kept telling myself this is probably her favorite song of the album - the only one she would have liked since it was you know along her lines. And I felt it was important for me to end the second album which talks about the civil right movement and, all the fighting that came from every aspect mentally and physically to end on a positive note. Although there are still challenges coming there are still things to take care of, we can take the time to rejoice and to unite our strength to take some hope out of it all. Take some time to really look at the progress we've done. And I was leading into the third album which has a more positive tone - there's more light in the third one, so the second one had to be transitioning as well. So I wanted to show the joy within the struggle.
CS: So you've got this showing of a transition over the arc of three records, but there's also a transition just in this song “Joy River” alone because it's almost like two songs, it begins very stripped and acapella with this “can you hear me, Lord?” - sort of this pleading of please don't forget me, are you answering me, is there a connection there? And then in the same song we get to “joy like a river in my soul” where you have that comfort. It really has a transition within this song as well.
DFA: I wanted the songs to especially in the second album to reflect on the freedom that we have as artists to create different structures because I felt somewhat alienated by what a song is supposed to be when it comes to verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus. And jazz and the notion of jazz, or my understanding of it, really helped me break free from that and remember that as an artist we have every freedom that we want to take. We're allowed to change things up. We’re even required to create the structures that feel right to us at that moment for the emotion to go through as much as possible so there's a bit of that in “Joy River” as well.
CS: This is “Joy River” by Dominique on joy sounds.
“Joy River” plays.
CS: That was Joy River by Dominique Fils-Aimé. Let me take a sec to tell you about our co-sponsor, Music Connection… Through its daily website, weekly newsletter and monthly print magazine, Music Connection caters to artists, musicians, industry pros, and support services. For years, Music Connection has been known for discovering new talent by reviewing unsigned artists––both through its live performance reviews and critiques of recordings. Music Connection never charges a fee for its reviews. Known for years as “the musicians bible,” Music Connection bridges the gap between “the street and the elite.” It exists to serve artists and music-makers of all genres, offering connections to the unconnected and to provide expert, cutting-edge information that can help you take your music to the next level. Whether offering tips on raw survival or exclusive contact lists of industry pros like managers and label representatives, Music Connection is an acclaimed, proven resource for the professional and semi-pro musician. Check it out at musicconnection.com.
Now, let's get back to our conversation with Dominique Fils-Aimé.
CS: And that was Joy River by Dominique Fils-Aimé off of her record Stay Tuned! and as I understand it this record Stay Tuned! won a 2020 Juno Award, is that correct?
DFA: It did!
CS: Congratulations! That's fantastic to receive that kind of recognition. That must be really motivating - it must be gratifying to have that kind of recognition.
DFA: Recognition of this type to me is really a testament to my team. I've always felt like it just proves how amazing they are, how hard working they are and I really I know it sounds cliché but I really do share it with them all because there's no way you can get something like that without an amazing team supporting you. And allowing even for the record to be heard at all. So it just brought me more gratitude and I felt like it was a way to prove to them “look I told you you're the best team! I'll have proof!”
CS: Absolutely, all of your records sound beautiful, absolutely immaculately produced, recorded and arranged. So take us through that process- who is involved? Who is part of your team that sort of brought this to life because it's really an excellent piece of work.
DFA: I have such a great team. I will forget people but there are key players who really allow this to come to life. The first one has to be my manager Kevin who took the risk to create a label and support me through this challenge of three albums. I mean, it's the first time he works in the field and he really dived in it like, you know, no fear - he's like “let's do it.”
Just he just wanted me to be able to create in the best possible conditions.And, that brought great people around from the studio that we recorded in that is called Studio Opus. It's one of the rare HD studios who record in high quality audio. So that on its own it allows every frequency and every motion that you're trying to put in to be recorded to the maximum of capacities right now.
So, I feel that's really important. Even though it's tiny frequencies, we don't really pick up on that - we feel them. I think they go through us and we really feel it more than we hear it. The person who's helping me with the arrangements and help me produce the album itself is called Jacque and he's been with me since the beginning of the trilogy.
I really presented the whole trilogy from the start and he was totally ready and he has so much experience but he also has this child way about him. I don't know how to say this - those “wide eyes” when he's in a studio even though he's been there for 30 years.
There's an excitement about music and about creating that fed me too and that made me feel really comfortable to create with him. Although he has so much experience there was nothing intimidating about it because he would really put himself at my level in a way when it comes to the way I communicate music since I don't write music and I don't read it either. He found a way to speak my language and to translate it physically into the music that it is now.
So, I feel really like I got a team that was so understanding and so they were there to make sure this was the best it could be when it comes to quality of the sound. And the environment that I got to work in - the studio is by the waters. Like there's just a big wall that is a window and all you see is nature and water. And since a lot of the metaphors in the albums are linked to elements, because each album has their color and their element that is tied to them, it felt like it was just that dream place to be so a lot of gratitude.
CS: Yes, absolutely and it's so important to have that environment that keeps you nourished. It’s because you're in the studio for hours and if it's without a window and your closed out, it's a challenge. So that sounds like an ideal environment for what you created really.
DFA: And I feel like since it's all frequencies and it's all emotion that you're putting into sounds and especially for me who I use only my voice as every instrument, I felt like the vibes of the place and all the love and the support I was present within that studio was gonna be a leaked into the sound and the music. So, that felt really nice you know? I felt like everything was authentic from the way I felt it to the way I actually felt within the place I was recording in. So it matters a lot and they really took their time. We took so much time for each album, so it's really beyond hours - it's days and months sometimes within the same place so you need to feel comfortable and that comfort really helped me a lot.
CS: The Juno Award is very well deserved for you and your team. It really is a beautiful record and I want to make sure all of our Joy Sounds listeners go out and check this out. Put on the headphones and really sink into it because these are beautiful sounding records. You have the concept for the trilogy, how did you go about the writing? Did you do this on an on a record by record basis, or did you write with the concept entirely? Had all the songs been written or is this sort of kind of still flowing out of you?
DFA: Everything was written from the start. But then it was just for me to have a global idea of where I wanted to go for each album and to make sure that I always had some kind of place to go back to if I felt like I was kind of offline or off target, rather for each album. I would dive deeper in the album itself and rewrite or create new songs based on what I have learned from my experience, so although I had written all three albums in one shot, when it came time for the second album, I took the time to sit down and figure out what did I learn since the first album that can feed the this one and allow the person that is listening to also go through my evolution because we evolved through time not only musically but emotionally. And even, the vocabulary we use and the metaphors we use. So I wanted to make sure that it was always about where am I now and how do I feel now that I've learned a little bit to each time and included within the album.
CS: That's beautiful for us to know that you were open to that change depending on how you felt, how you responded at the time, and your writing was just a really organic, living process.
DFA: And that's a great thing when you already have a plan that is kind of set up. It allows you more freedom, really. Like structure once it's stable and you know exactly what's the end goal. The way you go about it and the fact that you evolve through it you feel free to express that evolution since you know where you're going already. So I I'm really grateful that I had those six months to really think about it and put down the whole plan for the three albums because that's part of what gave me that freedom to share my evolution with the listener.
CS: if I understand it correctly, the third album is forthcoming correct?
DFA: Yes!
CS: Do you have a title for it?
DFA: I do! It's called Three Little Words. Okay yes and every album for example, the first one is one word, the second one is two words, and a third one is three words, so there's always little details that I try to hide or to include within the process underwriting of it all. It's coming out on February the 12th 2021
CS: Very exciting! That is just fantastic and again as I understand it, you do have a single out in advance of Three Little Words, yes?
DFA: I do! Yeah, it came out in September, it's called “Love Take Over” and it was really the first one coming out because to me, it's one of the main messages of the album. Since in the second one I speak of revolution and through the process of figuring out historically what came around, there was this duality and this kind of fight between the way Martin Luther King and Malcolm X looked at the concept of revolution. And I feel like a real revolution has to come from a place of love in the sense. That it has to benefit everyone. It's not about revenge, it's never been about revenge. It's always been about equality. Which sometimes someone who has a privilege and gets it taken away it feels like they're being disadvantaged - but they're not. It’s just the world is being leveled out in a way. I wanted the idea of love being the key element to change and to unite everyone into the way they look at change was the great way to start the third album and to bring some hope.
CS: That's fantastic and we are going to get a chance to hear “Love Take Over” at the conclusion of our show. So, thank you very much for sharing that with us. There's also a determination to it, you know, when I hear the hook line “ain't no stopping now because we know what we got to do” - yeah it's about love, about hope - but we're also determined to make this change, right? So there's an undercurrent of significant determination there.
DFA: It’s definitely determination and there's also the idea that I feel like once we know, we can't unknow. And, there’s this waking up in society and within people themselves that I really believe that not only can we be better, but that once we realize that things are right, it becomes harder to go back - to closing your eyes and accepting certain things. So this is a big part of the change - it's beyond actions, it’s within mentalities and that's what's happening now.
I believe it's the the way people go about things that is going to make it real difference not just legislation because that's not how it goes. It's people first asking for change and believe in it deeply and to that will translate later into the world having to adjust to those new mentalities. And, that's what's happening and that's what I wanted to underline and to encourage well.
CS: Dominique, you have earned a fan in me! And I cannot wait for Three Little Words to come out in February 2021 and I know our joy sounds listeners also can't wait. What's in your future? What do you see ahead for Dominique?
DFA: I see some sleep! Some resting. It went so fast. I can't believe it's already done. I spent so much time working on that trilogy and not having to think about what's next or what comes after and now that it's done, I feel not only excited but also there's somewhat of a void in a way that I think meditation and taking the time to just process everything that happened -figure out where I am now and what do I want, where do I want to go next is gonna take a little time. So I'm gonna take that time to just absorb it all and dream again. Until I can ask Kevin to turn it into a reality!
CS: Kevin all right, she'll let you know, when she’s ready, okay!? I want to let you know that you have an open invitation when we are on the other side of this pandemic to join me in the studio here in Los Angeles so that we can talk some more. But I want to congratulate you on the significant achievement of seeing this trilogy all the way through - congratulations, it's really an impressive piece of work.
DFA: Thank you so much and I can't wait to take that invitation and come to LA in the warmth when it's all over!
CS: Come on down! Absolutely! We are going to finish today's show with Dominique and her new single “Love Take Over” off the forthcoming record, and the final in the trilogy, Three Little Words, that'll be out in February 2021. Thank you so much Dominique!
DFA: Thank you!
“Love Takeover” plays