Today, the 17th annual SOCAN Songwriting Prize celebrates emerging Canadian creators whose songs were declared the best of 2021.
The 10 English and 10 French finalists for the 2022 SOCAN Songwriting Prize continue to show the world that Canada is home to tremendous talent and diverse sounds. The next generation of great Canadian songwriters deliver exceptional songs in a wide range of genres, including rap, rock, dance, folk/roots, alternative, R&B, and instrumental.
The SOCAN Songwriting Prize, and the equivalent Prix de la chanson SOCAN for Francophone songwriters, are the only major songwriting awards in Canada where fans determine the results with online voting, at socansongwritingprize.ca.
“Music creators across the country, including our SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominees, are putting out remarkable bodies of work. However, ensuring this work is not only recognized, but also compensated, is critical to keeping this thriving sector going,” said Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO. “The SOCAN Songwriting Prize supports the next generation of songwriters, and by lobbying for the modern-era Online Streaming Act, SOCAN aims to strengthen their and all Canadian songwriters’ place in a digital world.”
The English and French Grand Prize winners receive $5,000 each, a Yamaha workstation and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade. Each of the other nominated songs will be awarded a $500 cash prize and $50 gift card from Long & McQuade.
The 10 finalists for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize (English):
- “24hrs” – written by Johann Deterville, Adam Pondang, Savannah Ré Simpson; performed by Savannah Ré; Savannah Ré and Johann Deterville published by Sony Music Publishing, Adam Pondang published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
- “By Myself” – written by Kahdijah Payne; performed by DijahSB and Harrison.
- “Can’t Let Go” – written by Jeanne Gariépy, Gabrielle Godon; performed by Laroie; published by Arts & Crafts Music Publishing.
- “Container” – written by Liam Cole, Thomas Gill, Dorothea Paas, Paul Saulnier; performed by Dorothea Paas.
- “Find A Home” – written by Andrew Lennox, Eric Lourenco, Kirsten Kurvink Palm, Adam Sturgeon, Joe Thorner; performed by Status/Non-Status.
- “Paper Thin” – written by Brendan Grieve, Nemah Hasan, Stevie Solomon; performed by Nemahsis.
- “Stacy” – written by Kevin Ekofo, Jordon Manswell, Jonathan Martin, Evan Miles, Jon Vinyl, Corey Wong; Kevin Ekofo published by ST Music Circle, Jon Vinyl published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd; performed by Jon Vinyl.
- “Trust Issues” – written by Erik Fintelman, Robyn Ottolini, Mark Schroor; performed by Robyn Ottolini; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
- “want you more” – written by Amaka Queenette, Joshua Stanberry; performed by Amaka Queenette.
- “Welcome to the Garden” – written by Emily Steinwall; performed by Emily Steinwall.
Fans can vote daily in both the English and French competitions from June 1 to June 8, 2022, for their favourite song by the nominees, by visiting socansongwritingprize.ca.
The winning songs are scheduled to be announced the week of June 13, 2022.
Every year, two independent panels, each comprising 15 music industry influencers, nominate long lists of 30 English and 30 French songs by emerging Canadian songwriters and composers, released in the previous year, that they feel were artistically superior and meet eligibility criteria. All long-listed songs are then voted on by the panels to determine each list of 10 finalists in English and French.
SOCAN does not have a role in determining nominees or winners.
The 10 song finalists for the 2022 Prix de la chanson SOCAN, the Francophone counterpart to the SOCAN Songwriting Prize:
- “Ce n’est pas de la chance” – written by Ariane Roy, Dominique Plante; performed by Ariane Roy.
- “Bouge ton thang” – written by Michael Mlakar, Adel Kazi-Aoual, Émile Désilets, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Pascal Boisseau; performed by Clay and Friends.
- “Normal de l’Est” – written by Steve Casimir, Marc Vincent, Alex Guay; performed Connaisseur Ticaso; published by Joy Ride Records.
- “Écoute” – written by Étienne Coppée; performed by Étienne Coppée; published by Simone Records
- “Indigo” – written by Laurence-Anne; performed by Laurence-Anne.
- “Qu’est-ce que tu m’fais?” – written by Vincent Roberge, Félix Petit; performed by Les Louanges; published by Éditions Bonsound Inc.
- “Entre mes jambes” – written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel; performed by Lou-Adriane Cassidy; published by Éditions Bravo Musique.
- “J’aimerais d’avoir un John Deere” – written by Jonah Richard Guimond; performed by P’tit Belliveau; published by Éditions Bonsound Inc.
- “Les gens” – written by Arthur Gaumont-Marchand; performed by Robert Robert.
- “Secret” – written by Hubert Chiasson, Félix Petit, Julien Chiasson; performed by Hubert Lenoir; published by Leclerc Lenoir Inc.
Jennifer Brown commented, “It’s been a pleasure to witness the genuine love and passion for music that these nominated artists and their colleagues in the industry have. They never fail to inspire, make Canada proud, and put their love of the craft above anything else.”