Photo by Dishita Shah. SOCAN staff and industry friends out in full force at 2025 Billboard Canada Women in Music. Left to right: Kristen Antunes, Britt Ralph, Katrina Ferrari, SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown, Sandhya Khanna, Holly Hudson, and Mary Ditta from Live Nation.

ICYMI: Beaches, Lights, more honoured at 2025 Billboard Canada Women in Music gala

Story by Howard Druckman | October 6, 2025

RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY BELOW

Bryan Adams and deadmau5 presented Lights with the Visionary Award, and a videotaped Elton John and Kid Cudi honoured The Beaches as they became the first group to earn the Women of the Year Award, at the Billboard Canada Women in Music gala, held Oct 1, 2025, at the Rebel nightclub on Toronto’s downtown waterfront.

Hosted by Keshia Chanté, with support from Billboard Canada CCO Elizabeth Crisante, the evening featured captivating live performances from Ruby Waters; Aqyila; Breakthrough Award winner Noeline Hoffmann; Trailblazer Award winner Cœur de pirate (accompanied on piano by Alexandra Stréliski); and fast-rising star Baby Nova, who performed a showstopping rendition of “Too Pretty for Buffalo.”

The award presenters were effusive in their praise for the winners. Boi-1da called Producer of the Year Award winner WondaGurl “the greatest female producer in the world.” Elton John said, “The Beaches are fantastic… I’m so happy for you guys, because you know how much I love you.” Said Bryan Adams of Lights, “I worked with Lights recently, and I was completely blown away with her arrangements and her singing.” Added deadmau5, “It’s been a pleasure, and a privilege, and an honour, working with such an incredible human. So much talent, and so much drive.”

The full list of award winners is:

  • Noeline Hoffmann – Breakthrough Award
  • Julia Wolf – Global Rising Star Award
  • Julie Adam – Executive of the Year Award
  • Cœur de Pirate – Trailblazer Award
  • Charlotte Day Wilson – Innovator Award
  • Meg Symsyk – Champion Award
  • WondaGurl – Producer of the Year Award
  • Lights – Visionary Award
  • The Beaches – Women of the Year Award

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Billboard Canada also unveiled its prestigious Women in Music Canada list for 2025, and SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown and SOCAN Foundation Executive Director Charlie Wall-Andrews once again received this national recognition. These honours come on the heels of their inclusion in the Billboard 2025 Canada Power Players list , highlighting their consistent impact and leadership in the Canadian music industry.

On the red carpet, SOCAN Words & Music asked, “What’s the significance of the Billboard Women in Music Gala to you?” Here are the answers:

Tanika Charles: “It’s a moment for women in music to be recognized and represented, to share their artistry, and I’m absolutely honoured to be here.”Noeline Hoffmann: “It’s really important and meaningful for me to be here tonight. I’m so proud to be  a part of it.”

Hill Kourkoutis: “It’s a beautiful opportunity for women in the industry to get together and support each other, celebrate each other. Any opportunity to do that, I think, is a beautiful thing.”

Lights: “Historically, we’ve been held back, so it’s nice to have opportunities to just thrive, and show that we’ve got everything that it takes, and more… We’ve actually had to push a little harder to make up for the lost time, and make up for lost opportunities. Having nights like this is really important.”

Chxrry: “We’ve come such a long way. We were such a small city, and for a long time, a lot of the boys ran it. But I feel like now, the girls, it’s really our time, with artists like Sadboi, Jessie Reyez, Savannah Ré… It’s really our time to take over.”

Jully Black: “It’s like a relay team, to me, like the Olympics. Who’s running the anchor? Who’s running the first leg, second leg, third leg? But it’s a lifelong race. There’s a scripture that my mom used to say: ‘The race is to the swift.’ But the race isn’t to the swift, it’s to those who endure. So, tonight celebrates endurance.”