Jessica Domingo spiritually metamorphoses in "Butterfly Paradise"

by Storm Nguyen

Filipina Seattle native Jessica Domingo first rose to recognition with her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You” at 15 years old which garnered over 1.3 million views on YouTube. The now LA-Based R&B soul musician explores art in all mediums, paralleling music with artistic forms of creative direction, poetry, songwriting, and freestyling. She describes the experience of tapping into into music as one that allows her to immerse into all of her creative powers and energies. 

Domingo’s venture into music began when her father asked if she wanted to take singing lessons at the age of 10. From that point forward, she developed her voice until she decided to make the executive decision to seriously pursue music at the age of 15. Much of Domingo’s adolescence was spent in and out of the studio; she recalls never wanting to go to parties in high school and being a homebody to write and record original music. Additionally, Domingo feels blessed to have a strong support system in her family, highlighting her parents' avid encouragement in fulfilling her dreams at a young age. 

In the very beginning stages of Domingo's musical journey, she had a song written for her that she did not resonate with. As a result, it created hesitation in regard to her sound and identity. After meeting her first producer, Dylan Fant, who pushed her to trust in her own songwriting despite having zero self-written songs, she still gave it a try. After a few months back and forth at the studio, Domingo wrote and recorded her first full-length album titled “Just Vibe.” 

Song after song, Domingo’s deep passion for music ignited and her discography began to widely expand causing growth in her confidence as a songwriter.   

While the singer has fully immersed herself in her craft as a singer, writer, and producer, Domingo’s first love and connection before music was with filmmaking. She recalls her start on YouTube in middle school where she would create a range of videos from small skits and short films with friends. The love for the cinema arts was amplified once music became a more prominent art form in Domingo’s creative realm as she gained a natural ability to instantaneously visualize all her concepts, music videos, and cover art. Music and visuals quickly intertwined as important art forms that naturally assisted her songwriting process. 

As such, her interdisciplinary approach strengthens her artistic identity. Domingo describes butterflies as a significant motif throughout her body of work. At a dark time in her life, when she went through a difficult breakup and loss of friendships, these adversities planted the seeds of what grew to become her debut album, “Butterfly Paradise.” The album presents ongoing themes of spirituality, love, transformation, and the evolution of a caterpillar blossoming into a butterfly. “We are meant to ride the ebbs and flows of life - to experience it non-linear is a big part of our growth,” she says. 

Before the birth of “Butterfly Paradise,” Domingo explored thoughts and feelings of her soul through her EP “Floral Mind.” With a strong belief that words are spells and vibrations that you radiate into the universe, she wanted to use her music as a gateway to let others feel the vibrations of peace and healing. 

“Floral Mind” introduced her new sound after the release of the first 2 singles “Honey Skies” and “Outline." She expresses that the practice of creating the EP helped identify who she is as an artist and the intentions she wanted to represent musically. 

While Domingo continues to emerge as an upcoming artist, she recognizes the lack of Asian artists within the entertainment industry. “As a young girl watching TV and listening to the radio, it was a bit disheartening that I never saw anyone in the media that looked like me.” She remembers that throughout her youth, she did not have many artists that shared her racial or ethnic identity. It was uncommon to see them in mainstream media but it later inspired her to become that for herself. She is excited to be a part of the current wave of Asian artists that are overtaking the Western music scene. 

Domingo feels very lucky to be a part of a culture enriched by the love and support for music. She recalls growing up surrounded by instruments in the basement and late-night karaoke during family events. She started singing lessons operated in a Filipino-owned coffee shop at age 12 where she practiced performances with other kids. Because of her community-based upbringing, a huge part of Domingo’s spiritual experience was her sense of “home.” “Seattle will always be home to me. I will forever represent my hometown but I knew I needed a change of scenery and a challenge in my artistic capabilities,” she said. 

The singer expressed how her native city of Seattle felt limited in opportunities in the music scene and that there was a large stigma around the concept of being an artist, given that Seattle is dominantly corporate and technology-oriented. In her song “Letter to Self,” she speaks about trusting in her creativity and fully expressing her artistic essence while she moves to Los Angeles. 

Despite moving away from home, Domingo creates a sense of community and connection that is un-constrained by locale. She described her experience of her recently concluded “Butterfly Paradise Tour” which ended with her first headline festival in San Francisco on July 9. Domingo has many memories from the festival including the crowd singing the lyrics to her song “Keep On Loving You” (track 5 on Butterfly Paradise) and towards the end of Island (track 3), a swarm of people in the crowd trickled on to the stage and danced along for the instrumental outro. “The feeling of people coming to my shows to connect on a soul level is unmatched. There’s nothing that compares,” she says. 

She mentions that every show is a reminder that her voice and vulnerability have the power to uplift, heal, and connect with others through music. 

Recently, Domingo released “Sounds of JDOM Vol.1”, a sample pack for producers to use which she dubs one of her most significant accomplishments of 2022. The package can be found on the platform “Splice.” She also launched her first candle collection to represent a multi-sensory experience from her debut album Butterfly Paradise which she handcrafted herself.

As she looks towards the future, Domingo has lined up projects that will involve exploration into other genres of music mentioning that “I want people to dance to my music” as a hint to what we can expect from future releases by the songstress. The new era will stay consistent with her musical stamp and will contain remnants of previous projects including “Floral Mind” and “Butterfly Paradise.”

Domingo concluded the conversation by stating that if she had the opportunity to fulfill anything, it would be the chance to go on a world tour and to one day bring her family with her to travel around the world while doing what she loves most: performing.

October 8, 2022, marked the first anniversary of Domingo’s debut album “Butterfly Paradise” and Rice & Spice is ecstatic to see what is in store for this brilliant force of light as she continues to break into the music industry.

Written and Photographed by: Storm Nguyen

Singer: Jessica Domingo

Makeup and Creative Direction: Halle Banks

Hair Stylist: Powder Room Seattle

Fashion Stylist: Jorden Jakobs

Shot in The Butterfly Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington