On the eve of SOCAN’s 100th Anniversary, a who’s who of the Canadian music industry gathered at HISTORY in downtown Toronto on Sept. 24, 2024, to honour Canada’s most successful songwriters, composers, and music publishers at the 34th SOCAN Awards — the country’s largest celebration dedicated to creators of music.
Drake continued to dominate, being named SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – Performer, and also taking home four SOCAN Rap Music Awards for “Jimmy Cooks,” “Rich Flex,” “Spin Bout U” with 21 Savage, and “Wait For U” with Future and Tems.
K’naan was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for “Wavin’ Flag.” The audience joined in for the finale, a soulful performance of the hit by AHI, with Strings From Paris. The string section also opened the show with a captivating medley featuring winning songs and film score cues being honoured during the evening, including “Jimmy Cooks,” “Die For You,” “Whitney,” “Blame Brett,” and theme music from “Mayor of Kingstown,” “The Rookie,” and “Murdoch Mysteries.”
Hosted by Amanda Parris of CBC and TV on-air personality Tyrone Edwards, the gala also featured unforgettable performances, including Jade Eagleson & Noeline Hofmann performing the country hits “Purple Gas” and “Rodeo Queen.” LU KALA wowed the crowd with a medley that included her global smash hit “Pretty Girl Era”; emerging rapper Skip Waiters performed “Last Words”; and winner of the Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award, Sebastian Gaskin, performed his hit song “Medicine.”
Arkells were celebrated with the SOCAN National Achievement Award for the tremendous success and impact they’ve made in Canada, while Tobias Jesso Jr. took home the SOCAN International Achievement Award, alongside a Dance Music Award for “Houdini,” and an R&B Music Award for “Always.” Evan Blair’s global hit “Boyfriend” won International Song, while The Weeknd secured three SOCAN Awards, for “Sacrifice,” “Out of Time,” and “Die For You (Remix).”
“The SOCAN Awards continue to be a testament to the power of Canadian storytelling, and we’re proud to recognize the brilliance of this community,” said SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown. “Congratulations to all the winners for pushing the boundaries of music creation. Every songwriter, composer, and music publisher honoured has inspired the world with their effort and dedication to their craft.”
The evening also saw Keith Power take home his sixth SOCAN Screen Composer of the Year Award, and brothers Brian and Caleb Chan earn the SOCAN Breakout Composer Award, while the team of James Chapple, Graeme Cornies, David Kelly, and Brian Pickett secured four SOCAN awards, including Most Streamed Production.
The Breakout Songwriter Award was awarded to Lauren Spencer-Smith, who also took home a Viral Song Award for “Fingers Crossed.” A Viral Song Award was also presented to PartyNextDoor, while deadmau5 won the Dance Music Award.
The Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award went to Dinuk Wijeratne, and the Hagood Hardy Award for excellence in global music went to producer, musician and songwriter Ikky.
Fallsview Casino received the prestigious SOCAN Licensed To Play Award for their commitment to providing a platform for both renowned and emerging artists, and their diligent adherence to legal and ethical music licensing.
SOCAN Achievement Award winners receive “The SOCAN” – the world’s first and only music industry trophy that is also a musical instrument, incorporating five custom bronze crotales, tuned this year with notes from “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan.
For a complete list of 2024 SOCAN Award winners visit: www.socanawards.com
Sponsors of the 2024 SOCAN Awards are Gowling WLG and Long & McQuade. Official charity partners are SOCAN Foundation and the Unison Benevolent Fund.