Aqyila Is Merging Worlds to Become Canada's Next R&B Sensation

Blending R&B with a "Caribbean foundation" has helped lift the Toronto singer to consecutive JUNO wins

Photo: Evaan Kheraj / CARAS / FUZE Reps

BY Kyle MullinPublished May 30, 2025

What could be even better than winning a JUNO Award for your new song? Why, singing it on that award show's nationally televised stage of course. That's what happened when Toronto R&B rising star Aqyila took home the award for Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year at the 2025 JUNOS for "Bloom."

This happened days after the March release of her debut LP, Falling into Place (out today on vinyl), from which the sonically epic yet lyrically intimate "Bloom" is a single. The smouldering-voiced singer graced that Canadian Grammys equivalent's stage flanked by elaborately choreographed ballerinas, before rose petals rained down as Aqyila sang "Bloom's" equally romantic closing verses. 

Aqyila tells Exclaim! all about this during a recent video call while taking a break at a Toronto recording studio. The studio booth's soundproof window and some speakers are partially visible in the background, and the lighting is just right to make her tasteful, minimalist metallic jewelry glint as she discusses her promising career with similar brightness and elegance. 

Aqyila recalls 2025 JUNOS host Michael Bublé introducing her as she waited in the wings and did her best to stop shaking from stage fright. She reminded herself to have fun, thinking back on being swept up when she first heard "Bloom's" demo. And when the flowers fell and she looked out at the audience, Aqyila thought, "'I'm just going to dance, and enjoy the kick of the drum.'"

She adds, beaming at the memory, "It felt even better seeing my Mom standing up, screaming, and my Dad and brother cheering heavily."


Long before her family watched her at the JUNOS, Aqyila learned to sing by ear from her Dad's dancehall collection and her Mom's Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys records. In that sense, we have Aqyila's parents to thank for Falling into Place cuts like "Wolf" and "Most Wanted." On "Wolf," she sounds as if Whitney was backed by a peppy '80s pop band like a-ha. And her Dad's tastes are all over "Most Wanted." Both its bouncing percussion and booming backup singers are readymade for dancehall-goers eager to writhe to the riddims, with Aqyila fully embracing her Jamaican background with her chorus delivery.

"I wanted to merge the two worlds — have the R&B harmonies in there, and that Caribbean foundation. And oh my gosh, my Dad was like: 'This is a fire track,'" Aqyila says of her Jamaican father validating "Most Wanted."

Such sure-footed genre-hopping is bound to further Aqyila's already impressive momentum. After consecutive JUNO wins (last year, she won Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for "Hello"), and earning strong buzz for Falling into Place, Aqyila will perform at major Canadian music festival Osheaga this summer. 


But her true impact became apparent during a post-concert meet-and-greet earlier this year while opening for Pennsylvania pop/R&B singer Pink Sweat$. Many fans were excited to meet her, while others were shy. Some cried. Above all, she says she was moved to hear how fans "loved 'Hello' because it's very introspective, like a journal entry. And some said 'Bloom' taught them self-love, that they'd sing it to themselves. And that's cute! The song is about love, so however you choose to express it is completely up to you."

She hopes to connect with more fans on upcoming tours, especially with her new Falling into Place songs. In the meantime, Aqyila is eager to return to the UK for the Great Escape festival this month. She was in England last year as the only non-British act invited to perform by curator and headliner Mahalia at her Mahalia Presents showcase. 

"It was a sick lineup of girls who could just sing their butts off," Aqyila says of the showcase, before praising Mahalia herself for being "hilarious up there, cussing out the crowd for being too loud. Then she shone a spotlight on her dad and sang 'Happy Birthday.' She has a way of making the crowd feel like they're a family."

Aqyila continues, "That's a really good note I want to take with me for when I'm on tour. I want to make the crowd feel like they're part of it."

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