In honor of Black History Month, we’re creating content on our platforms throughout February 2023 to highlight historical contributions of Black Canadians in music — just as we recognize history-making Black music year-round at www.socanmagazine.ca.
Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie de Gala Dynastie
Nominees announced for 2023 edition of Gala Dynastie
Story by Eric Parazelli | Thursday February 2nd, 2023
The annual Gala Dynastie has thrived in Montréal since 2017, as it aims to reward members of Black communities who excel in the fields of music, arts and culture, and media, whose achievements and accomplishments deserve to be recognized.
This year marks the first edition of the Semaine Dynastie, culminating with two events, the Media and Culture galas. More than 100 cultural artisans and media representatives are nominated. There are two dates to save: March 30, 2023, at the Salon Urbain (media event), and April 1, 2023, at Théâtre Maisonneuve (culture event).
“Dynastie Week will be celebrated under the theme POWER, rooted in the celebration and affirmation of the legacy of great African-American thinkers, and the civil rights movement that still inspires us, to this day, to tap into our own power and recognize the unique talents and abilities we possess,” reads the event’s press release.
Nominations for awards in the 13 culture categories were announced on Feb. 2, and below are the music-related ones:
Music Video of the Year:
Mikezup — “G.O.A.T.” featuring Connaisseur Ticaso and Enima
Pierre Kwenders — “Heartbeat”
Sarahmée — “Quand la route est longue”
Jay Jay — “Bloc Boy”
Kelly Krow — “Papo”
“World Music” Artist or Group of the Year
Pierre Kwenders
Magdala
Afrikana Soul Sister
Wesli
Kelly Krow
Anglophone Artist or Group of the Year
Maky Lavender
Odreii
Zach Zoya
Yves Jarvis
Nate Husser
Francophone Artist or Group of the Year
Corneille
Leïla Lanova
KNLO
Sarahmée
Mikezup
Artist or Group Having Achieved Outstanding Success Internationally
Dee End
Ouri
Zach Zoya
Skiifall
Corneille
Musical Breakthrough of the Year
Modlee
Chung
Naomi
Hawa B
Magi Merlin
Visit Gala Dynastie’s website for the complete list of nominations.
The event will be hosted by stand-up comedian Preach, and will be available for live viewing on the Natyf TV app, and re-broadcast on the channel on April 8, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. ET for Bell subscribers.
Photo by Brad Ardley
The Weeknd, Tate McRae, Avril Lavigne lead 2023 JUNO Award nominations
Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday February 1st, 2023
The Weeknd is nominated for a leading six JUNO Awards in 2023, while Tate McRae and Avril Lavigne have earned five nominations each. All of them are running in four key categories: Single, Album, and Pop Album of The Year, as well as the Fan Choice Award. Both The Weeknd and McRae are also nominated for the Songwriter of the Year Award, presented by SOCAN, while The Weeknd and Lavigne earned nods as well for Artist of the Year.
Close behind with three nominations apiece are Preston Pablo, Rêve, The Reklaws, NAV, and Shawn Mendes – all of them earnking the nod for the Fan Choice Award – except NAV, the only one of this grouping who’s nominated for Album of the Year, and Banx & Ranx, nominated for Single, Breakthrough Group, and Producer of the Year.
The nominees for the Songwriter of the Year Award, presented by SOCAN, are:
- The Weeknd
- Faouzia
- Tate McRae
- Tenille Townes
- TOBi
Aysanabee, Alexisonfire, and Jessie Reyez will be joining the already-confirmed performers for the 2023 Gala JUNO Awards ceremony on Monday, March 13: Nickelback, Tate McRae, Tenille Townes, AP Dhillon, and Banx & Ranx with Preston Pablo and Rêve. The show will be broadcast live from Rogers Place in Edmonton, on CBC, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, the free CBC Gem streaming service in Canada, and globally at www.cbcmusic.ca/junos.
The nominations for Classical Composition of the Year are:
- Anthony Tan for An Overall Augmented Sense of Well-Being
- Bekah Simms for Bestiary I & II
- Keyan Emami for The Black Fish
- Nicole Lizée for Prayers for Ruins
- Vincent Ho for Supervillain Études
Francophone Album of the Year nominees are:
- Ariane Roy for medium plaisir
- Daniel Bélanger for Mercure en mai
- Hubert Lenoir for PICTURA DE IPSE : Musique directe
- Les Louanges for Crash
- Lisa LeBlanc for Chiac Disco
In addition to presenting the Songwriter of the Year Award, SOCAN is once again the co-presenting sponsor (with FACTOR) of the JUNO Songwriters’ Circle – widely known as “The Jewel of the JUNO Week” – with host and performers TBD. Past participants include Paul Brandt, Alex Cuba, Ria Mae, Randy Bachman, Shad, July Talk, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jann Arden, Joel Plaskett, Johnny Reid, Ron Sexsmith, and Dan Mangan.
For a complete list of award nominees, visit the JUNO Awards website.