The five winners of the 2019 edition of the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Canadian Songwriters – created in partnership with Sirius XM Canada Inc. – gathered on Oct. 24, 2019, at the SOCAN offices in Toronto, where they each played their winning song to assembled SOCAN staff in the Harmony Lounge.

The talented, emerging songwriters – each under 21 years of age, and each of whom won $5,000, performed powerful, moving versions of their songs, as follows:

  • Mahmoud Ismail, “Sigada”
  • Lou-Adriane Cassidy, “Poussière”
  • Arianna Ohlsson, “Heaven”
  • Emily Gifford (a.k.a. GRAE), “Your Hands”
  • Kasia Thorlakson (a.k.a. Kasia Leigh), “Love Song #1”

After these short but powerful performances, the quintet enjoyed a catered lunch with SOCAN Foundation Executive Director Charlie Andrews and Administrator of Programs Julien Boumard Coallier.

Then they spent the early afternoon in an educational workshop with Andrews and Coallier, as well as SOCAN A&R Representatives, including the Director, A&R, Rodney Murphy.

SOCAN congratulates these strong young songwriters on their SOCAN Foundation Awards!