It has been a monumental year of accolades, new music, performances, and powerful initiatives for Toronto soul-pop singer, songwriter, producer and director, Domanique Grant. Now, she’s celebrating with a song perfect for the season. Today, Domanique shares You’re My Holiday – a song for anyone sending joy to a loved-one over the season and beyond – as a timeless, sonic expression of love.
On the song, Domanique says: “You’re My Holiday is about spreading the gift of love during a holiday season, when it may be needed most. For many who can’t be with their loved ones, You’re My Holiday celebrates the entire season as a dedication to those separated by space and time.”
You’re My Holiday is meant to be shared. Domanique launched a campaign on Instagram and TikTok, inviting fans to nominate someone special to receive a live performance telegram to cherish the cheer. Check out Domanique’s announcement for more info here.
Last month, Domanique shared an acoustic rendition of her powerful song, Airbrush, with reimagined flair to inspire self love in the whirlwind of internet culture. Domanique’s prose amplifies the importance of authenticity on and offline, while encouraging people to think of new inclusive frameworks for all – especially for those who don’t see themselves reflected within these spaces. Take a listen to the acoustic rendition, with revitalized lyrics here and watch Domanique’s performance here.
The Airbrush campaign featured a Cosplay series on Instagram, showcasing Domanique’s re-creations of Marvel and DC superheroes, in collaboration with Toronto body paint artist, Alchemy Center. As the song champions every shade and gender, Domanique launched the series to inspire new perspectives around gender and beauty norms online. Get a glimpse of Domanique’s take on X-Men’s Mystique here, and her latest reimagination of Wonder Woman here.
The original version of Airbrush arrived on August 27, and is a bold, tell-it-like-it-is multi-layered take on how colourism, shadeism, gender norms, narcissism, and self-esteem unfold and impact digital culture. Listen to Airbrushhere and watch the video here. Domanique partnered withEnsemble and RBCxMusic for the project and launched an intimate in-studio preview of the track you can check out here.
“The song was written after I experienced being trolled online for my body being too curvy, my hair being too bright and my skin being too dark. I had people who were accusing me of photo shopping my photos because they thought my body was too ‘curvy’, and then on the other side, I had people telling me that I wasn’t enough,” Domanique says.
Co-produced with Jarrel The Young, one-half of Young Wolf Hatchlings (who has worked with The Weeknd and METZ), Domanique flows with a catchy percussive beat singing “they want to edit, edit me,” challenging and unpacking notions of online ideals around beauty. A vibrant video brings these themes to the forefront with a fun, creative twist. The video was co-directed by Domanique Grant and Alim Z Sabir, with choreography by Leon Blackwood (Arianna Grande, Britney Spears), featuring an all BIPOC cast and set of creatives, in partnership with RBC.
“Airbrush is a song that explores finding the courage to be yourself online despite what Instagram, TikTok and YouTube culture, dictates,” Domanique adds. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t wear wigs or makeup, what I’m saying is that you need to focus on fitting into your own boxes. I want the song to remind people to be authentic.”
Domanique hasn’t slowed down amidst a time of worldwide change. Last year, Domanique’s craft made global headlines through Till We See The Sun, her stunning, uplifting track that spread joy at the height of the first pandemic lockdown. Since then, she has cultivated a partnership with RBCxMusic, as featured in their Grammy Awards campaign, Fuelling Firsts, which aired during the 2021 awards ceremony broadcast. She delivered presentations, performances and numerous public speaking engagements. Most recently, Domanique performed at the Humber River Heroes benefit concert by the Humber River Hospital Foundation, the Canadian Nurses Foundation Maskerade Gala hosted by etalk’s Traci Melchor, and Toronto International Film Festival, opening the screening of the documentary, Listening To Kenny G.
In addition, Domanique produced RBC’s The Imagine Summit, supporting artist-entrepreneurs in imagining beyond the limitations of the current global climate, by offering exclusive access to industry leaders, mindfulness training and financial resources.
Stay tuned for more sonic self-love from Domanique as we head into 2022 and learn about Domanique’s incredible career to date below.
