The 17th annual SOCAN Songwriting Prize is rewarding excellence in song craft by emerging Canadian artists across genres.
This year's finalists include songs from Status/Non-Status, Dorothea Paas, Savannah Ré, Jon Vinyl and DijahSB, as well as recent Exclaim! New Faves Nemahsis and Laroie.
The SOCAN Songwriting Prize — and its Francophone equivalent, Prix de la chanson SOCAN — are the only major songwriting awards in the nation where results are determined by fan voting, which is open daily in both the English and French competitions from June 1 to June 8 at socansongwritingprize.ca.
Winners will be announced the week of June 13, with grand prize recipients each receiving $5,000, a Yamaha workstation and a $500 Long & McQuade gift card. All other finalists will be awarded $500 cash prizes and $50 Long & McQuade gift cards.
"Music creators across the country, including our SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominees, are putting out remarkable bodies of work. However, ensuring this work is not only recognized, but also compensated, is critical to keeping this thriving sector going," SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown said in a press release. "The SOCAN Songwriting Prize supports the next generation of songwriters, and by lobbying for the modern-era Online Streaming Act, SOCAN aims to strengthen their and all Canadian songwriters' place in a digital world."
She added: "It has been a pleasure to witness the genuine love and passion for music that these nominated artists and their colleagues in the industry have. They never fail to inspire, make Canada proud and put their love of the craft above anything else."
Each year, two independent panels of 15 music industry influencers nominate long lists of 30 songs in each language released by emerging Canadian songwriters in the previous year that they deem to be exceptional (and meet eligibility criteria). Panellists then vote on the long-listed songs to narrow the pool to 10 finalists in each category.
See the list of finalists below.
2022 SOCAN Songwriting Prize Finalists (English):
This year's finalists include songs from Status/Non-Status, Dorothea Paas, Savannah Ré, Jon Vinyl and DijahSB, as well as recent Exclaim! New Faves Nemahsis and Laroie.
The SOCAN Songwriting Prize — and its Francophone equivalent, Prix de la chanson SOCAN — are the only major songwriting awards in the nation where results are determined by fan voting, which is open daily in both the English and French competitions from June 1 to June 8 at socansongwritingprize.ca.
Winners will be announced the week of June 13, with grand prize recipients each receiving $5,000, a Yamaha workstation and a $500 Long & McQuade gift card. All other finalists will be awarded $500 cash prizes and $50 Long & McQuade gift cards.
"Music creators across the country, including our SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominees, are putting out remarkable bodies of work. However, ensuring this work is not only recognized, but also compensated, is critical to keeping this thriving sector going," SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown said in a press release. "The SOCAN Songwriting Prize supports the next generation of songwriters, and by lobbying for the modern-era Online Streaming Act, SOCAN aims to strengthen their and all Canadian songwriters' place in a digital world."
She added: "It has been a pleasure to witness the genuine love and passion for music that these nominated artists and their colleagues in the industry have. They never fail to inspire, make Canada proud and put their love of the craft above anything else."
Each year, two independent panels of 15 music industry influencers nominate long lists of 30 songs in each language released by emerging Canadian songwriters in the previous year that they deem to be exceptional (and meet eligibility criteria). Panellists then vote on the long-listed songs to narrow the pool to 10 finalists in each category.
See the list of finalists below.
2022 SOCAN Songwriting Prize Finalists (English):
- "24hrs" – written by Johann Deterville, Adam Pondang, Savannah Ré Simpson; performed by Savannah Ré; Savannah Ré and Johann Deterville published by Sony Music Publishing, Adam Pondang published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
- "By Myself" – written by Kahdijah Payne; performed by DijahSB and Harrison.
- "Can't Let Go" – written by Jeanne Gariépy, Gabrielle Godon; performed by Laroie; published by Arts & Crafts Music Publishing.
- "Container" – written by Liam Cole, Thomas Gill, Dorothea Paas, Paul Saulnier; performed by Dorothea Paas.
- "Find A Home" – written by Andrew Lennox, Eric Lourenco, Kirsten Kurvink Palm, Adam Sturgeon, Joe Thorner; performed by Status/Non-Status.
- "Paper Thin" – written by Brendan Grieve, Nemah Hasan, Stevie Solomon; performed by Nemahsis.
- "Stacy" – written by Kevin Ekofo, Jordon Manswell, Jonathan Martin, Evan Miles, Jon Vinyl, Corey Wong; Kevin Ekofo published by ST Music Circle, Jon Vinyl published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd; performed by Jon Vinyl.
- "Trust Issues" – written by Erik Fintelman, Robyn Ottolini, Mark Schroor; performed by Robyn Ottolini; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
- "want you more" – written by Amaka Queenette, Joshua Stanberry; performed by Amaka Queenette.
- "Welcome to the Garden" – written by Emily Steinwall; performed by Emily Steinwall.
- "Ce n'est pas de la chance" – written by Ariane Roy, Dominique Plante; performed by Ariane Roy.
- "Bouge ton thang" – written by Michael Mlakar, Adel Kazi-Aoual, Émile Désilets, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Pascal Boisseau; performed by Clay and Friends.
- "Normal de l'Est" – written by Steve Casimir, Marc Vincent, Alex Guay; performed Connaisseur Ticaso; published by Joy Ride Records.
- "Écoute" – written by Étienne Coppée; performed by Étienne Coppée; published by Simone Records.
- "Indigo" – written by Laurence-Anne; performed by Laurence-Anne.
- "Qu'est-ce que tu m'fais?" – written by Vincent Roberge, Félix Petit; performed by Les Louanges; published by Éditions Bonsound Inc.
- "Entre mes jambes" – written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel; performed by Lou-Adriane Cassidy; published by Éditions Bravo Musique.
- "J'aimerais d'avoir un John Deere" – written by Jonah Richard Guimond; performed by P'tit Belliveau; published by Éditions Bonsound Inc.
- "Les gens" – written by Arthur Gaumont-Marchand; performed by Robert Robert.
- "Secret" – written by Hubert Chiasson, Félix Petit, Julien Chiasson; performed by Hubert Lenoir; published by Leclerc Lenoir Inc.