Photo by Brad Ardley. Left to right/De gauche à droite : James Disalvio of/de Bran Van 3000; Dream Warriors (Capital Q, King Lou); Mark Gane of/de Martha & The Muffins; Snow

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inducts four ‘80s, ‘90s hit songs at “Legends” event

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday November 7th, 2023

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Four hit songs from the 1980s and 1990s were inducted to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) on Nov. 1, 2023, in a celebratory show at the CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in downtown Toronto, as part of the Legends Series, supported by the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists.

The four honoured songs are generational, culture-defining, internationally influential hits co-written by Canadians, and recorded by Canadians:

  • “Informer,” the biggest selling reggae-rap recording in the ‘90s, recorded by Snow (Darrin O’Brien), and co-written by Snow with American rapper/producer MC Shan (Shawn Moltke), Terri Moltke, and Edmond Leary;
  • “Drinking in L.A.,” a global club anthem recorded by alt-rock/hip-hop/folk collective Bran Van 3000, co-written by James Di Salvio, Haig Vartzbedian and U.S.-based Duane Larson;
  • “My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style,” a Canadian hip-hop trailblazer, recorded by duo Dream Warriors, and written by one of its two members, King Lou (Louie Robinson), along with Richard Rodwell; and
  • “Echo Beach,” the enduring new-wave classic written by Mark Gane, co-founder of the Toronto band Martha and the Muffins.

At the show, onstage interviews with Snow; King Lou and Richard Rodwell; James DiSalvio and Haig Vartzbedian; and Mark Gane – along with new honourees Marc Jordan and John Capek, who were inducted for their entire catalogues, including co-writing Rod Stewart’s “Rhythm of My Heart” – were conducted by host Sonia Benezra, who delved into the stories behind the songs.

The evening included video tributes to the songs, including one from Rod Stewart for “Rhythm of My Heart,” and standout performances of “Drinking in L.A.” by Luna Elle and Cameron Phillip; “My Definition” by TOBi and Dream Warriors themselves; “Echo Beach” by Sam Casey; and “Informer” by Snow himself.

“The four songs that were inducted are vastly different from each other, but they all pushed the boundaries of convention, celebrated individuality, and influenced popular culture,” said Stan Meissner, CSHF Board Chairman.

Photo by Addi B

Music industry players share valuable experience at “Halloween in Hollywood” mic drop mixer

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from/avec la participation de Racquel Villagante | Thursday November 9th, 2023

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Thirteen knowledgeable music ecosystem representatives shared their valuable insights and advice about making it in Los Angeles, with a crowd of about 100 L.A.-based SOCAN members who are new to the city, as we hosted a “Halloween in Hollywood” mic drop mixer at the historic Sound Factory studios, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.

Each of these 13 key players in the LA music industry spoke briefly to the members:

  • Jarret Mckenzie – Feels Right Management
  • Livy Rodriguez-Behar – Dreamboat Music Supervision
  • Danny Berkeley-Scott – Hallwood Media
  • Doug Deluca – Lineage Music Group
  • Andre Galuban – Canadian Consulate in L.A. (Head of Music)
  • Max Espinosa – SalxCo
  • Mauricio Ruiz – 8tilfaint
  • Chukwudi Obi and Laura Johnson – Red Bull Records
  • Adrienne Reeves – Versa Music Group
  • Allyson Aranez – Aspect Agency
  • Nat Yaeger – Vnclm_ x Atlantic
  • Gabi Kochlani – The Grey Administration

In addition to providing an educational and networking opportunity for members, we also presented a No. 1 Song Award to Scott Helman, who scaled the peak of the CBC Music Top 20 Countdown Chart on July 2, 2023, with his song “Drive.” Our Creative Executives Racquel Villagante (Los Angeles) and Liam Russell (Los Angeles & Nashville) bestowed the trophy to Helman during the festivities.

Among the SOCAN members attending the event were Zach Zoya, Nathalie Bonin, JESSIA, Jamie Fine, Danny Del, Kareem James, Alicia Creti, Marc Majore, Jude Connors, Kalli Lang, Andrea Wasse, VIBI, Noah  Barer, and Taylor Kernohan.

In addition to the key music ecosystem players listed above, among the industry representatives in attendance were Arian Tehranian and Max Espinosa, of SalxCo (artist managers for The Weeknd, NAV, and Belly); Mya Hansen and Adam Ikner, of Sony Music Publishing; Izzy Elefante, of APG; Dougie Bohay, of YMU Group; Twiggy and Sam Pringle, of Project Gold; Cameell Hanna, of Sound Factory Records; and Bret Disend, of Ozone Entertainment.

In addition to Racquel Villagante and Liam Russell, attending for SOCAN were Alex Golden, Manager, Creative Operations and Programming, and Ayden Pelle, SOCAN Los Angeles  intern, from the University of Southern California (USC).

We also gave a prize away for the best costumes – and you can see the winners in the final photo of the gallery below!

Access a complete set of photos from the event.

Photo by Eric Myre. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Kanen, Alexandra Stréliski, Daniel Bélanger

ADISQ 2023: Three Félix Awards each for Daniel Bélanger, Alexandra Stréliski and Kanen

Story by Eric Parazelli | Monday November 6th, 2023

The televised ADISQ Gala was presented on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, and the host, Louis-José Houde, announced that he was retiring, after his 18th consecutive year at the helm of the event. Daniel Bélanger won two more trophies during the evening, making him the overall “winningest” artist this year, with a total of five Félix Awards. Winning Male Artist of the Year and the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy at this 45th edition placed him at the top of the podium. Alongside him were Alexandra Stréliski – who won both Female Artist and Artist of the Year, and Artist of the Year – International Outreach – and Kanen, who won Indigenous Artist of the Year and Revelation of the Year, becoming the first-ever Indigenous artist to win in the latter category.

SOCAN, Interview, Salebarbes, ADISQ Gala, 2023

Select the image to play the SOCAN YouTube interview video with Salebarbes

In the Song of the Year category, decided by a mixed vote from industry representatives and the general public, fans of the supergroup Salebarbes certainly played a role in selecting “Gin à l’eau salée” as the winning song. Visibly delighted by this accolade, the artists spoke with Paroles & Musique for a few minutes in the press room to share their pride.

The Félix for Show of the Year went to the tireless and perennially relevant Michel Rivard, for his show “Le tour du bloc,” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of his career. While receiving his honour, Rivard invited 11 musicians to accompany him onstage.

Ginette Reno, who was part of a surprising opening number that found her singing with the rapper FouKi, among others, unsurprisingly walked away with the Félix for Album of the Year – Popular Success. Undoubtedly one of Québec’s favourite bands, Les Cowboys Fringants, won for Group of the Year. Louis-José Houde dedicated the gala to the band’s singer, Karl Tremblay, currently battling cancer. The rest of the band members, in attendance on Sunday evening, said they were touched by all the affection they’ve received throughout the past year from their fellow members of the Québec music industry, but above all, by their army of fans. “We’ve always said there are 20 Cowboys when you include our musicians and crew. This year, we found out there are eight million Cowboys,” said bassist Jérôme Dupras.

Gala ADISQ 2023, Loud, Raccoon, MuzionThe gala also featured several outstanding performances from SOCAN members Patrick Norman and Martine St-Clair, as well as Revelation of the Year nominees Bibi Club, Calamine, Francis Degrandpré, Kanen, and Jeanick Fournier, as well as Alexandra Stréliski and Daniel Bélanger, Clay and Friends, and Pierre Kwenders, Maten and Black Bear, and Salebarbes. The evening concluded with a nod to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring Loud and Raccoon, who were joined by very special guests Muzion, to deliver their 1999 unifying anthem “La vi ti nèg.”

Eric Parazelli and Marie-Michèle Bouchard of SOCAN’s Communications & Marketing team were on the red carpet and in the press room to gather impressions from the nominees and winners, while CEO Jennifer Brown, Chairman of the Board Marc Ouellet, Chief Membership Officer Jean-Christian Céré, Chief Legal Officer Andrea Kokonis, Executive Director of Québec Affairs Alexandre Alonso and Creative & Partnership Executive Sara Dendane also attended the gala, demonstrating their unwavering support for members of the SOCAN family.

For a complete list of winners, visit the ADISQ website. Stay tuned for our backstage interviews from the Premier Gala and the ADISQ Gala.