2021 SOCAN Songwriting Prize Finalists: Brilliant Canadian Music Creation Didn’t Miss a Beat Last Year

Toronto, June 17, 2021 – Today, the 16th annual SOCAN Songwriting Prize celebrates the exceptional talent of the next generation of great Canadian music creators with 20 sensational songs.

As songwriting becomes increasingly collaborative, 2020 challenged music creators in ways never experienced. For some, it meant more time to focus on their personal craft development and, for others, it meant collaborating in new savvy ways. But for all, it meant continuing to create the music that played an invaluable part in carrying us through a difficult year.

The 20 finalists for 2021 SOCAN Songwriting Prize embraced the challenge and delivered emotionally poignant, fun-loving, and inspired work, rich in musical and cultural diversity.

The SOCAN Songwriting Prize, and the equivalent Prix de la chanson SOCAN for Francophone songwriters, is the only major songwriting award in Canada where fans determine the results with online voting at socansongwritingprize.ca.

As financial stresses continue to disproportionately impact music creators, the SOCAN Songwriting Prize will, for the second year, award cash prizes to all 20 nominees. Each grand prize winner receives $5,000, a Yamaha keyboard and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade. Each nominated song not receiving the grand prize will be awarded a $500 cash prize.

The 10 finalists for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize (English):

• “Black Woman” – written by Emanuel Assefa, Ryan Bakalarczyk, John Fellner, Kardinal Offishall; performed by Emanuel; Kardinal Offishall published by BMG Rights Management Canada.
• “Dancing In My Room” – written by Carter Britz, Aidan Fuller; performed by 347aidan; published by Kobalt Music Publishing Canada.
• “delicate” – written by Jonah Yano, Schott Zhang; performed by Jonah Yano.
• “Dream” – written by Clairmont Humphrey II; performed by Clairmont The Second.
• “Frontin’ Like Pharrell” – written by Kahdijah Payne; performed by DijahSB.
• “homebody” – written by Michael Brandolino, Alexander DiMauro, Karah McGillivray, Tom Peyton, Robert Sowinski; performed by Valley.
• “No Smoke” – written by Vanessa Kalala, David Charles Fischer, Christopher Larocca, Hrag Sanbalian; performed by LU KALA.
• “Purple Carousel” – written by Sydanie Nichol, Casey Manierka; performed by Sydanie.
• “Solid” – written by Savannah Ré Simpson, Johann Deterville, Akeel Henry; performed by Savannah Ré; Savannah Ré published by Sony Music Publishing.
• “Western Skies” – written by Billy Raffoul; performed by Billy Raffoul; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.

From June 17 to July 1, 2021, music fans can listen to and vote for their favourite song by the nominees by visiting socansongwritingprize.ca. Fans can vote once daily in each of the English and French prize competitions.

The winning songs are scheduled to be announced the week of July 5, 2021.

“In a very challenging year, the 2021 SOCAN Songwriting prize finalists showed that great works of art can emerge from hard times,” said Jennifer Brown, SOCAN interim CEO. “As the pandemic continues to impact music creators disproportionately, we are pleased to maintain a prize structure that supports as many SOCAN members as possible.”

Every year two independent panels, each comprising 15 music industry influencers, nominate long lists of 30 English and 30 French songs by emerging Canadian songwriters and composers released in the previous year that they feel were artistically superior and meet eligibility criteria. All long-listed songs are then voted on by the panels to determine each list of 10 finalists in English and French.

SOCAN does not have a role in determining nominees or winners.

The 10 song finalists for the 2021 Prix de la chanson SOCAN, the Francophone counterpart to the SOCAN Songwriting Prize:

• “Accident” – written by Laurence-Anne Gagné-Charest; performed by Laurence-Anne.
• “Demande-moi” – written by Maude Audet; performed by Maude Audet; published by Les éditions Bravo musique inc.
• “Income Tax” – written by Jonah Richard Guimond; performed by P’tit Belliveau; published by Édition Bonsound.
• “Le cœur a ses raisons” – written by Gary Derussy, Sarahmée Nicole Ouellet, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Thomas Lapointe, Diego Montenegro; performed by Sarahmée.
• “Les amants de Pompéi” – written by Thierry Larose, Alexandre Martel, Charles-Antoine Olivier; performed by Thierry Larose; published by Les éditions Bravo musique inc.
• “OK” – written by Micheal Christopher Mlakar, Adel Aoual Kazi, Émile Desilet, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Sébastien Pascal Boisseau; performed by Clay and Friends.
• “Oui Toi” – written by Léo Fougères, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Tom St-Laurent, Adel Aoual Kazi; performed by FouKi; published by FouKi.
• “Ta main” – written by Ariane Roy, Pierre Emmanuel Beaudoin, Vincent Gagnon, Dominique Plante, Cédric Martel, Roxane Azzaria; performed by Ariane Roy.
• “Tempérance” – written by Emerik St-Cyr Labbe; performed by Mon Doux Saigneur.
• “Tu m’connais trop bien” – written by Gabriel Bouchard; performed by Gab Bouchard; published by Les éditions Bravo musique inc.

For the latest updates, follow the SOCAN Songwriting Prize on social media at @SOCANmusic and on Twitter via the #SOCANprize hashtag.

About SOCAN
SOCAN is a rights management organization that connects more than four-million music creators, music publishers and visual artists worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. More than 175,000 songwriters, composers, music publishers and visual artists are its direct members, and over 100,000 organizations are Licensed To Play music across Canada. With a concerted use of progressive technology and unique data as well as a commitment to lead the global transformation of rights management, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music and visual arts have value and creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work. For more information: www.socan.com

Media contacts:
Proof Inc. (for SOCAN): sbasdeo@getproof.com
SOCAN: Nicole Van Severen, nicole.vanseveren@socan.com

Previous winners of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize: William Prince, “The Spark” (2020); grandson, “Blood // Water” (2019); Partner, “Play The Field” (2018); PUP, “DVP” (2017); Fast Romantics, “Julia” (2016); Dear Rouge, “I Heard I Had” (2015); Alejandra Ribera, “I Want” (2014); Mo Kenney, “Sucker” (2013); Kathleen Edwards, “A Soft Place to Land” (2012); Katie Moore, “Wake Up Like This” (2011); Brasstronaut, “Hearts Trompet” (2010); D-Sisive, “Nobody With a Notepad” (2009); The Weakerthans, “Night Windows” (2008); Abdominal, “Pedal Pusher” (2007); Propagandi, “A Speculative Fiction” (2006).

Previous winners of the Prix de la chanson SOCAN: Félix Dyotte, “Maintenant ou jamais” (2020); Tizzo, “On fouette” (2019); Loud, “56k” (2018); Klô Pelgag and Karl Gagnon,”Les ferrofluides-fleurs” (2017); Laurence Nerbonne, “Rêves d’été” (2016); Antoine Corriveau, “Le Nouveau vocabulaire” (2015); Patrice Michaud, “Mécaniques générales” (2014); Keith Kouna, “Batiscan” (2013); Koriass, “St-Eustache” (2012); Galaxie, “Piste 1” (2011); Vulgaires Machins, “Parasites” (2010); Bernard Adamus, “La question à 100 piasses” (2009); Karkwa, “Oublie pas” (2008); Tricot Machine, “L’Ours” (2007); Ève Cournoyer, “Tout arrive” (2006).