Fourteen awards were presented at the sixth annual edition of the Gala Dynastie, held March 5, 2022, at Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve in Montréal. The annual event marks the end of Black History Month festivities, and celebrates outstanding members of Québec’s Black communities who’ve distinguished themselves in the fields of music, arts, and culture, and whose achievements and accomplishments deserve to be recognized.

Stand-up comedian and online personality Preach kicked off the show, whose theme was Noir Culture, and during which several renowned artists were invited to play. Performances by DJ Sweet La Rock, Kelly Krow, Alan Prater, Lost, Djely Tapa, Yama Laurent, and Zach Zoya heated up the room, to the delight of the audience – which included Sara Dendane, SOCAN Creative and Partnerships Manager.

The ceremony also featured several emotional moments, as tributes were paid to the late Don Harley Fils-Aimé, a social entrepreneur, artist, and pillar of the Black community, and Karim Ouellet, a Francophone singer-songwriter. The crowd recognized and celebrated the  richness of their artistic output and heritage.

Finally, Lamine Touré, founding president of Club Balatou and the festival Nuits d’Afrique, received the Grand Prix Dynastie 2022. This award honours an individual recognized as a pioneer in their field of activity, and whose commitment and career as a whole have contributed to the development of the industry.

Among the award winners, several SOCAN members were recognized in the music categories:

Music Video of the Year:
Maky Lavender, for “Bloom”

World Music Artist or Group of the Year
Pierre Kwenders

Anglophone Artist or Group of the Year
Dominique Fils-Aimé

Francophone Artist or Group of the Year
Imposs

Artist or Group Having Achieved Outstanding Success Internationally
Kaytranada

Musical Breakthrough of the Year
Gayance

Homage – Grand Prix Dynastie
Lamine Touré

Visit the Gala Dynastie website for a complete list of nominations and winners.

 



Étienne Coppée, winner of the 2021 Francouvertes contest, kicked off the 2022 edition of the event with a mellow, intimate performance. While this year marks the long-awaited return to in-person shows, the online experience continues through the integrated lepointdevente.com online viewing and voting platform.

Last fall, the Francouvertes also made a change to the rules, and First Nations artists can now sing entirely in their own language, or in French and a First Nation language. Two acts in the 2022 roster fall into this new category.

SOCAN will once again be on hand to offer the $1,000 Paroles & Musique cash prize to the winner of the semi-finals; they’ll also receive a songwriting residency at SOCAN House in Nashville or Los Angeles, and be the presenter of the “J’aime mes ex” performance series.

To open the preliminary rounds and semi-finals, 10 ex-contestants will be invited to perform a few songs in a more intimate format. They’re also invited to perform a new song or a new version of an older song from their repertoire. In addition, some of the artists in the series who’ve won the SOCAN Paroles & Musique Award in a previous edition are invited to perform their winning compositions. This year’s exes are: Thierry Larose (March 14), Fanny Bloom (March 15), Ariane Roy (March 21), Valence (March 22), Émilie Proulx (March 28), FUUDGE – as a duo (March 29), Chloé Lacasse (March 30), Gab Bouchard (April 18), Mathieu Bérubé (April 19) and Alex Burger (April 20).

The Paroles & Musique cash prize is part of a plethora of other prizes, grants, and concert opportunities that will be awarded this year.

There will be seven preliminary evenings held at the Lion d’Or every Monday from March 14 to 30.

The contestants of the preliminary round are

  • Vidjay Rangaya, FAÇADES, and NINAN (March 14)
  • Pataugeoire, hôte, and Zach Boileau (March 15)
  • Rau Ze, BéLi, and YUYU (March 21)
  • Madame Autruche, Émile Bourgault, and Allô Fantôme (March 22)
  • Charlotte Brousseau, Antoine Aspirine, and Tamara Weber (March 28)
  • Xela Edna & Eius Echo, Andy Jon, and David Lagacé (March 29)
  • Michaëlle Richer, Gawbé, and Dan-George McKenzie (March 30)

The semi-finals will be held April 18-20 and April 26–28, still at the Lion d’Or, and the final round will be held at Club Soda on May 16.

To find out more about the 26th edition of the Francouvertes, visit francouvertes.com (French only).



Nathan Wiley won both the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and the Album of the Year honours (the latter for Modern Magic) on Mar. 6, 2022, at this year’s Music PEI Awards, held online.

Sarah Hagen was also presented with two awards, for both Instrumental Recording and Album Art of the Year, and Noah Malcolm won both Digital Achievement and New Artist of the Year, the latter of which comes with a prize of $1,000. Dylan Menzie won Song of the Year, for “A Heart that Doesn’t Want Mine.”

The virtual Awards Party was hosted by Julie Pellissier-Lush and Tanya Davis, two incredible artists in their own right and each honoured with the title of Poet Laurate: Pellissier-Lush was named PEI’s Poet Laureate in 2018, and Davis served as Halifax’s Poet Laureate from 2011-2013.

For a complete list of winners, click here.