WOMEN DOMINATE 2018 SOCAN SONGWRITING PRIZE FINALISTS

Toronto – SOCAN today announced the finalists for the 2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize, presented by YouTube Music, the most prestigious competition that celebrates the extraordinary talent of emerging Canadian songwriters over the past year.

This year women from across the country make up the large majority of the writers of the 10 nominated songs in English. The SOCAN Songwriting Prize is the only major music creation award in Canada that allows music fans to decide the winners of $10,000, a Yamaha PSR-S970 keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.

The 10 English finalists for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize presented by YouTube Music are:

• “Dreams Tonite” – written by Alec O’Hanley, Molly Rankin; performed by Alvvays; published by Rough Trade Publishing Canada
• “Money” – written by Leandra Earl, Eliza Enman-McDaniel, Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Garrett Lee; performed by The Beaches; published by Done with Dolls Inc., Besme, administered by Kobalt Music Group Ltd.
• “Main Girl” – written by Charlotte Cardin; performed by Charlotte Cardin; published by Red Brick c/o Corico Arts.
• “Cotton Candy” – written by Jessie Reyez; performed by Jessie Reyez; published by BMG Rights Management Canada.
• “Chills” – written by James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood, Donovan Woods; performed by James Barker Band; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada, Ole Media Management LP II.
• “Play the Field” – written by Josée Caron, Lucy Niles; performed by Partner; published by Partner Mus.
• “Walkaway” – written by Jasmyn Burke, Morgan Waters; performed by Weaves.
• “Magic”– written by Eoin Killeen, Timothy Law, Patrisha Sanna Campbell; performed by Birthday Boy and Trish.
• “Healers” – written by Benjamin McCarthy, Iskwé, Ryan Somerville; performed by Iskwé.
• “Lingua Franca” – written by Neil Bednis, Christopher Laurignano, Fraser McClean, Melanie St. Pierre; performed by Casper Skulls.

From May 24 to June 7, 2018, music fans are encouraged to listen to and vote for their favourite song from the nominees by visiting www.socansongwritingprize.ca or through social media, on Twitter using the hashtag #mySSPvote and identifying the performer’s name in the tweet. Fans can vote once daily through each platform for each of the English and French prize competitions.

The winning songs are scheduled to be announced the week of June 11, 2018.

“The finalists for the 2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize reflect the diversity of Canada and the unique perspectives of music creators,” said Mike McCarty, Chief Membership & Business Development Officer at SOCAN. “SOCAN is privileged to support and encourage Canadian songwriters and composers throughout the year, and the SOCAN Songwriting Prize is truly special because it allows music creators to receive recognition for their work directly from their fans. This is a great opportunity to showcase these emerging music creators and their remarkable talent.”

The French and English finalists are determined by respective independent panels of 15 music-industry influencers who nominate two songs that they feel were artistically superior by emerging Canadian songwriters and composers, within the eligibility period (see Rules for complete criteria). All long-listed songs are then compiled, reviewed and voted on by each panel to determine the final 10 short-listed finalists in each category.

SOCAN has no role in determining nominees or winners.

The 10 song finalists for the 2018 Prix de la chanson SOCAN, the Francophone counterpart to the SOCAN Songwriting Prize, exemplifies a wide variety of musical genres:

• “56k” – written by Simon Trudeau Cliche, Jeff Martinez, Marc Vincent; performed by LOUD; published by Productions Silence D’Or.
• “La fin du monde” – written by Philippe Bouchard, Gabriel Desjardins; performed by Philippe Brach; published by Éditions Équispec.
• “Ça va ça va” – written by Philémon Cimon; performed by Lou-Adriane Cassidy
• “Fou” – written by Andréanne A. Malette, Manuel Gasse; performed by Andréanne A. Malette; published by Productions Nia Inc., David Murphy et cie.
• “Gallaway Road” – written by Maude Audet; performed by Maude Audet; published by Éditions Dare to Care.
• “Au-delà des mots” – written by Amelie Beyries, Maxime Cote; performed by Beyries; published by Beyries Mu Inc., White Turtle Pubg (David Murphy et cie).
• “Primitif” – written by Emerik St-Cyr Labbé; arranged by Etienne Dupre, Eliott Bundock Durocher, David Marchand, Mandela Dalgeish Coupal; performed by Mon Doux Saigneur; published by Éditions Dare to Care.
• “Petite valise” – written by Émile Proulx-Cloutier; performed by Émile Proulx-Cloutier; published by Éditions de La Tribu.
• “Tout ce vacarme” – written by Simon Beaudoin, Christian David, Antoine Dumoulin Drolet, Sebastien Jean Houle, David Lagace, Christian Renaud; performed by La Famille Ouellette; published by 9338-4642 Québec inc (Disques St-Laurent).
• “Je cours” – written by Felix Dyotte; performed by Félix Dyotte and Évelyne Brochu; published by Coyote Records.

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

About SOCAN
SOCAN connects more than four-million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. More than 150,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers are its direct members, and more than 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 music rights, with wholly-owned companies Audiam and MediaNet, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music has value and music creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work.

Media contacts
Proof Inc. (for SOCAN): Lorna Freeman, (416) 969-2711, lfreeman@getproof.com
SOCAN: Nicole Van Severen, (416) 445-8700 x 3460, nicole.vanseveren@socan.com

Appendix
Previous winners of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize: 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: 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 Machines, “Parasites” (2010); Bernard Adamus, “La question à 100 piasses” (2009); Karkwa, “Oublie pas” (2008); Tricot Machine, “L’Ours” (2007); Éve Cournoyer, “Tout arrive” (2006).