The SOCAN Foundation today announced the recipients of the inaugural SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards, created to recognize and celebrate the artistic merit demonstrated by Black music creators. The five winners will each receive $5,000, made possible by SiriusXM Canada.
The five winners are TOBi, Naya Ali, RAAHiiM, Hunnah, and Dylan Sinclair. To learn more about the 2020 winners and jury, click here.
More than 300 applications from artists across Canada, covering a wide variety of musical genres, were submitted for the 2020 Awards.
“Congratulations to all the winners for their extraordinary talent in music creation,” says Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director of the SOCAN Foundation. “The musical pieces submitted are indicative of the extent of the contributions made by the Canadian Black music community, that are enriching Canadian culture while contributing in a significant way to social and economic inclusion.”
Winners were selected by a jury and advisory council of prominent Black artists and industry leaders, including jury Chair DJ Agile. Furthermore, four of the five winners of the SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards are first-generation Canadians.
“SiriusXM would like to congratulate the five winners of the inaugural SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards,” said Paul Cunningham, Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, SiriusXM Canada. “We were blown away by the outstanding talent and submissions from Black music creators from across the country.”
The SOCAN Foundation, in partnership with Sirius XM Canada, will virtually celebrate the winners of the 2020 SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards with a series of short videos on its Instagram page from January 12 to 14, 2021.
Launched in September of 2020, the Black Canadian Music Awards aim to recognize and celebrate Black songwriters and composers. The Awards support the SOCAN Foundation’s objective to develop equitable and inclusive programming as diverse as the communities in which we live.
For more information about the SOCAN Foundation, please visit www.socanfoundation.ca.