PHOTO AND QUOTE GALLERY BELOW

Alanis Morissette, Charlotte Cardin, Jessie Reyez, LU KALA, and Jully Black were the live-in-person honourees at the very first edition of the Billboard Canada Women in Music Awards, held Saturday, Sept. 7, at the DPRTMNT club in downtown Toronto.

Eleven artists and music industry executives were celebrated, as follows:

  • Icon Award – Alanis Morissette
  • Woman of the Year – Charlotte Cardin
  • Trailblazer Award – Jessie Reyez
  • Rising Star Award – LU KALA
  • Impact award – Jully Black
  • Group of the Year – The Beaches
  • Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Allison Russell
  • Executive of the Year – Kristen Burke, President, Warner Music Canada
  • Manager of the Year – Laurie Lee Boutet, Artist Manager, Wednesday Management
  • Manager of the Year – Laurie Chouinard, Artist Manager and Business Affairs, Cult Nation
  • Global Manager of the Year – Sonali Singh, CEO, Ripple Effect Studios

Jully Black received the Impact Award for uplifting Black and Indigenous voices, and performed a heartbreaking version of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Accepting the Rising Star Award, LU KALA said, “I want to thank all the women in music that have been rising for me: posting about me, playing my music on the radio, giving me grants, that have literally been empowering me.” Jessie Reyez earned the Trailblazer Award for calling out injustice in the music industry. Charlotte Cardin was named Billboard Canada’s Woman of the Year, and played a soaring version of “Next to You.” Cardin also presented Morissette with the Icon Award. “The definition of ‘icon’ is a representative symbol that is worthy of veneration of great respect and reverence, so that’s cool!,” she said. Haviah Mighty co-hosted the event, and she and her sister Omega closed the evening with a mini-set of Haviah’s “Trendsetter,” their collaboration “Zoom Zoom, and then Haviah’s new single “Double The Fun.”

SOCAN is also pleased and proud to congratulate our own Alex Golden, Manager, Creative Operations & Programming, and Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director, SOCAN Foundation, for being recognized in the parallel Billboard Canada Women in the Music Industry Spotlight list. The list honours professionals who drive the industry forward behind the scenes, addressing imbalances by highlighting the contributions of women and gender-diverse people.

“I’m incredibly proud of Alex and Charlie,” said SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown. “It’s a big deal to be recognized in this way in our industry. Their dedication and contributions are a testament to the talent and hard work that drive our support of SOCAN members, and highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in shaping the future of the music business.”

SOCAN was on the red carpet for the event, so please see the photos and quotes below.

PHOTO GALLERY WITH QUOTES