On May 16, 2022, the SiriusXM Grand Finale of the Francouvertes took place in a sold-out Club Soda, in front of an audience eager to finally be there after two years of pandemic. Competing were young Émile Bourgault and his anthemic pop-rock, Rau Ze and its unabashed soul music, and Hôte’s exploratory rock.

In the end, Rau Ze walked away with the top prize, and an impressive list of awards, including the $10,000 SiriusXM cash prize. Rau Ze also won the Paroles & Musique Award presented by SOCAN during the semi-final round.

The second prize went to Hôte, while Émile Bourgault finished third and walked away with a $5,000 Andréanne-Sasseville cash prize awarded by SiriusXM, which was determined by a round of online voting among the nine semi-finalists.

The evening began with electrifying performances by contest spokespersons Lydia Képinski and Les Louanges, to get the ball rolling, before giving way to the three finalists of the 26^th annual edition of the contest.

For the complete list of the prizes given out to the 2022 finalists, visit the Francouvertes website.

The finals were broadcast live online, but you can hear the entire evening in a special broadcast on Influence Franco—SiriusXM 174—on Wednesday, May 25, at 12 noon ET and Friday, May 27, at 6:00 p.m. ET

SOCAN warmly congratulates Rau Ze on this victory, which will certainly propel the band to a promising start in its career

SOCAN members Jordan Janzen, James Shiels, and Jeff Pardo, of the band The Color, have won the International Songwriting Competition’s inaugural Spotlight Award, for the song “Bigger.” The new award was presented this year by ISC and SOCAN, and will be given annually to a song and its songwriter(s) from a country other than the U.S.

The Spotlight Award prize package consists of studio recording time at the renowned Dark Horse Recording Studio in Franklin, Tennessee (just outside Nashville), with one week of lodging at SOCAN Nashville House, and a travel grant from the SOCAN Foundation.

The Color also earned a second-place ISC prize in the Christian Music category, for the same song, and also won a 2022 JUNO Award on May 14, in the Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album category, for No Greater Love.

Out of more than 18,000 entries from 140 countries, four other SOCAN members earned first-prize wins in the  2021 ISC awards, in separate musical categories:

• Electronic Dance Music – Ryan Shepherd, Robert Wauchope, Georgi Kay, and Richard X, for “Never Give Up On You” (performed by Ryan Shepherd)
• Lyrics Only – Scot Robinson, for “A Man Should Oewn Land” (performed by Scot Free Sessions)
• Performance – Emily Fennel, for “Three Words” (performed by Miss Emily)
• R&B/Hip-Hop – Idman Abdulkadir, Ritchie Acheampong (aka Rich Kidd), Dwanye King, for “Down For It”  (performed by IDMAN)

Now in its 21^st year, the ISC was created to recognize great songwriters and to provide a valuable platform for them to be heard by the music industry and public alike. The competition is open to both professional and amateur songwriters. A total of 71 winners in 23 genre categories share more than $225,000 USD in cash and prizes, including an overall Grand Prize consisting of $25,000 USD cash, and more. Previous winners have included Jane Siberry, Vance Joy, Faouzia, Sam Roberts, Tenille Townes, The Trews, and many more.

For a complete list of 2021 ISC winners and honourable mentions, and to hear the winning songs, visit the ISC website. SOCAN congratulates all of our winning members on their achievements!