TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2022 /CNW/ – For the fifth consecutive year, the SOCAN Foundation has announced the winners of the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Canadian Songwriters, sponsored by SiriusXM Canada. Five cash prizes of $5,000 are awarded to young creators from across the country in recognition of their exceptional work and potential. Again, this year, 5 additional songwriters will be recognized in the honourable mention category, each receiving a $1,000 prize for their notable submissions.
“We are pleased to be able to acknowledge and celebrate the next generation of Canadian songwriters and provide them with financial support at a critical time in their careers,” says Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director of the SOCAN Foundation. “We thank the committed and generous support of the Young Canadian Songwriter Awards founding partner, Sirius XM Canada, as our partnership allows us to celebrate the most prominent emerging songwriters across Canada.
We are pleased to announce the grand prize winners:
Anna Johnson (Alberta) for “Boys on Bikes”, Pop;
17-year-old Anna Johnson has been working on songwriting during the pandemic. Her most recent original songs have been described as haunting, and she continues to define her own unique style as a songwriter. She has performed as a guest vocalist with the Edmonton Pops Orchestra, at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, was the Youth Grand Winner of the 2018 K-Days Talent Search, performed at “Crescendo with the John Cameron Changing Lives Foundation, and has performed in many stage musicals. Anna is working towards a body of work for a future release.
AVIV (Ontario) for “Drowning in the Culture”, Indie Pop;
Music was always an inevitability for the young Toronto singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist AVIV, who pens D.I.Y. pop that feels universally relatable. She started learning piano at age six and guitar at age twelve, and, after being gifted a keyboard for her 14th birthday, taught herself how to write songs. When the pandemic hit, AVIV found herself trapped at home, bored, quickly realizing that her life-long love of music could become something more than a hobby.
Avril Jensen (Quebec) for “van gogh”, Pop;
Initially trained on the violin, the eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter now sings and accompanies herself, switching between the guitar, the piano and the ukulele. Following an indie approach, the artist’s pop signature unfolds in French and English, and sits in a surprising place, at the intersection of acoustic and trap music. Comfortable in the studio and already autonomous behind the console, she sees her art as a playground to tell plenty of narratives. The young woman loves to learn… about almost everything and at all time. Often falling into the maze of the Internet like into some sort of vortex, she draws a large part of her inspiration from her spontaneous research on many topics. Passionate about astronomy, sci-fi and an avid TV series fan, she also names Van Gogh’s paintings and Billie Eilish, Tsar B, Dean and Klô Pelgag’s music as influences that fuel her songwriting. Every single song of hers stands as a short story.
Danie (Ontario) for “Summer”, Soul/Jazz;
Danie is a 20 year old Singer/Songwriter. She likes to think of her music as genre-less and boundless with sprinkles of soul, color, and intimacy. Danie grew up in the Kennebecasis Valley, New Brunswick and now calls Toronto home. You can hear more of Danie’s originals on Season 4 of Kim’s Convenience and can also see her in the original Netflix series, Grand Army. She has many more works in the making, with an official YouTube Artist Channel coming soon.
“Summer” is about the repetition of life, the inevitability of change, and the bittersweetness that comes with accepting that. She released “Summer” in March of this year and had the privilege of being interviewed by Larry McClain from Two Story Melody, so this song is still fresh and holds a special place in her heart.
Velours Velours, (Quebec) for “Tournesol”, Country-Rock;
Velours Velours is Raphaël Pépin-Tanguay’s artistic outlet. Active on the local circuit since 2022, the project has quickly carved out a place for itself among Québec’s music lovers. After performing with Étienne Coppée, Velours Velours recently released its first EP coproduced with Philippe Brach. Velours Velours’ youthful and flavourful pop music offers a colourful and comforting universe with infinite possibilities. His enchanting grooves tell tales of our daily lives and contemplate his surroundings, from the backstreets of the city to the salt waters of the Gaspé Peninsula.
Congratulations to the honourable mention prize winners: DeeDee Austin (Nova Scotia) for “Buried Truth” – Pop, Brighid Fry (Ontario) for “In the Grass” – Singer-Songwriter, Allegra Jordyn (Ontario) for “Technicolour” – Pop, Fin McDowell (Alberta) for “Losing Game” – Folk, Mia Kelly (Québec) for “Garden Through The War” – Alternative indie-folk.
Once again, this year, the jury included renowned and diverse songwriters in a wide variety of musical styles (Melissa MacMaster, Daniel Seligman, Gabrielle Godon, Bryan Webb, and Alissa Faratro) sifted through the hundreds of entries to find the candidates whose writing and composition stood out the most. This year, the diversity of musical styles was better than ever.
“This was my first experience as a juror and I am still amazed at the talent of the young songwriters who submitted their work. It’s very impressive to see the next generation so invested in their art, having gone through it myself when I was younger” — Laroie, aka Gabrielle Godon.
For more information on SOCAN Foundation award winners, please visit: https://www.socanfoundation.ca/2022-songwriters/
The registration deadlines for the 2023 SOCAN Foundation awards will be posted on the organization’s website in the early months of 2023.
SOURCE SOCAN Foundation
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