Photo by courtesy / courtoisie. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Sarahmée, Shay Lia

Finalists Announced for 2021 Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award

Story by Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame / Panthéon des auteurs et compositeurs canadiens | Wednesday August 4th, 2021

The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased to announce the finalists of the 2021 Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award.  Established in 2017, the Award celebrates the current achievements and bright futures of Canadian songwriters on an upward trajectory in their career.  This year’s finalists are comprised of six Anglophone artists and five Francophone artists from across Canada, vying for the top cash prize and exclusive access to SOCAN songwriting camps, mentorship opportunities, and industry recognition at the 2021 and 2022 SOCAN Awards.

New this year, the CSHF is inviting the public to discover new music and vote for their favourite songwriter as the second round of voting gets underway by a juried panel.  Fans can vote daily at  www.cshf.ca/songwriter-award/ until Aug. 15, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to earn their nominee a bonus entry.  The winner in the Anglophone and Francophone categories will be announced in early September.

Past winners of the Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award include Charlotte Cardin, Jessie Reyez, Lowell and Les Louanges.

“This year’s class of finalists are among the most exciting and innovative artists in music today. Their songwriting craft is largely driven by self-reflection, authentic expression, and unwavering points of view that echo the experiences and stories of Canada’s diverse communities and musical landscape,” says Derrick Ross, President of Slaight Music.  “A big congratulations to all the finalists. We’re extremely excited for Canadians to discover their music and vote for any one of these talented and deserving songwriters – who one day may be a future inductee to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

This year’s Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter contest consisted of 40 outstanding candidates. The top finalists were determined after a first round of voting by a juried panel of music industry professionals.

The 2021 finalists in the Anglophone category are LU KALA, Mustafa, Savannah Ré, Shay Lia, TOBi, and William Prince. In the Francophone category, the finalists are Ariane Roy, Klô  Pelgag, Laurence-Anne, P’tit Belliveau, and Sarahmée.

For complete bios, music streaming, voting, and to learn more about the Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award, go to www.cshf.ca/songwriter-award/.

“Vivre dans la nuit” by Nuance to be inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Story by Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame / Panthéon des auteurs et compositeurs canadiens | Thursday August 5th, 2021

The song “Vivre dans la nuit” by Nuance will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on Tuesday, August 10th at 9:00 p.m. during the popular television show BONSOIR BONSOIR on ICI télé. For the occasion, the song will be performed by Fanny Bloom and Patsy Galant in the presence of original band member Sandra Dorion.

Written and composed by the band  – Sandra Dorion (vocals), Denis Lalonde (guitar), Mario Dubé (keyboards), Daniel King (drums), and Mario Laniel (bass) – “Vivre dans la nuit”, which spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the charts, is an anthem for night owls resigned to their fate, a rock lament full of disillusionment. When Nuance released “Vivre dans la nuit” in 1984, a whole segment of the working population identified with the lyrics: Security guards in empty office towers, bartenders who’ve had one too many shots with customers before closing time, strippers who had to deal with the worst in their booth, or cab drivers who have to mop up the spillover of a night of excessive drinking on their back seat – in other words, the people who poets don’t usually write about.

Selling 88,000 copies – a remarkable result, during a difficult period for the French music industry in La Belle Province – the single “Vivre dans la nuit” allowed the Gatinois band to stay on the charts for several weeks. Not bad for a song written under pressure. “In 1983, we went into the studio quickly because our song ‘Amour sans romance’ had been successful on the charts,” recalls Dorion. “We were asked to write another hit as quickly as possible.”

The album Vivre dans la nuit was released later in 1984, including the additional hits “Libre” and “Sans être aimée.” While the masses adored the song, and sang along when it was played live, the intelligentsia of the time mocked its prose – the price of fame, no doubt. Sandra Dorion, now a primary school teacher, remembers the harsh criticism of Nathalie Petrowski, and other columnists, with a twinge of sadness. “We were judged on our language,” she says. “I’m an Anglophone at heart. I come from Aylmer, I taught English… I was asked to sing and write in French with a group that was, after all, Francophone… Obviously, there’s some clumsiness in the writing. I admit it today, I recognize it.” Clumsiness or not, their words resonated strongly. The genuine and lively interpretation leaves a lasting impression.

Rather than being undermined by the bad press, the members of Nuance held on to their two JUNO nominations and three ADISQ awards: Breakthrough of the Year in 1986, Best Selling Single and Francophone Group of the Year in 1987. Nuance launched the album Journal intime, a final effort released in 1988, that  sounded the death knell for everyone’s musical career. Or almost.

Only Mario Dubé will continued to work in the entertainment industry, notably as a tour manager. Dorion allowed herself a brief return with the album Sandra telle quelle in 2011, before definitively calling it a day. Mario Laniel is now a computer scientist for the government, Denis Lalonde now sells insurance, and Daniel King has opened a daycare centre. No one, to this day, lives in the night. The members of Nuance work for their livelihoods; they have jobs like everyone else.

Billy Raffoul soars with “Western Skies,” 2021 SOCAN Songwriting Prize winner

Story by SOCAN | Wednesday July 28th, 2021

Music fans have spoken! “Western Skies,” written and performed by Billy Raffoul of Leamington, Ontario, is the winner of the 16th annual SOCAN Songwriting Prize.

Music fans from across Canada voted from June 17 to July 1, 2021, for the 10 exceptional finalist songs written by emerging songwriters. The nominees were selected by a panel of 15 music industry experts for each of the prizes.

An emotional call to action, “Western Skies” delivers a timely message about the importance of fighting for common good in difficult times.

In addition to the prestige of winning, Billy Raffoul receives $5,000, a Yamaha Keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.

“Songwriting has been a part of my life since the very beginning, and I’m so fortunate to have grown up in a family full of artistic expression,” said Raffoul. “‘Western Skies’ is a song about the imminent threat of climate change and our responsibility to future generations. To be recognized for a song that means so much to me is an incredible honour. Thank you to SOCAN, thank you to the nominating panel, and thank you to everyone who voted for ‘Western Skies’ amongst an exceptional group of songs.”

As music creators continue to be particularly hard hit by the effects of the pandemic, for a second straight year, SOCAN presented cash prizes of $500 to the writers of each of the remaining nine nominated songs, providing timely relief for several of Canada’s most talented emerging songwriters.

“‘Western Skies’ is such an important song as we all come to terms with our past, our present, and our collective desire to create a better future for generations to come,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN. “The invaluable power of music to tell stories, to teach, to evoke heartfelt emotion, is never more evident than in the 2021 SOCAN Songwriting Prize winner.”

Karen Bliss, eminent music and arts journalist, and a SOCAN Songwriting Prize panelist, said this about the song: “I chose Billy Raffoul’s ‘Western Skies’ because it’s a powerful message delivered in an understated, logical manner. While I can’t guess at what inspired Billy, my interpretation – and of course I could be way off – is that we’re passing on the world to the next generation, so no matter on what side your politics lie, think about the kind of world they’ll be inheriting.”

The SOCAN Songwriting Prize is the only major songwriting award in Canada where fans vote to determine the winner. Ten outstanding songs created by Canadian songwriters over the past year are nominated by a panel of 15 esteemed music industry experts. The public is then invited to vote once a day for their favourite song, for two weeks, to determine the winner.

SOCAN plays no role in determining the nominees or winners, apart from ensuring that they meet eligibility criteria.

The winner of the Prix de la chanson SOCAN, the competition conducted separately for songs in French, was “Les amants de pompéi,” written and performed by Thierry Larose, and published by Les éditions Bravo musique inc.

The English category also included the following extraordinary songs:

  • “Black Woman” – written by Emanuel Assefa, Ryan Bakalarczyk, John Fellner, Kardinal Offishall; performed by Emanuel; Kardinal Offishall published by BMG Rights Management Canada.
  • “Dancing In My Room” – written by Carter Britz, Aidan Fuller; performed by 347aidan; published by Kobalt Music Publishing Canada.
  • “delicate” – written by Jonah Yano, Schott Zhang; performed by Jonah Yano.
  • “Dream” – written by Clairmont Humphrey II; performed by Clairmont The Second.
  • “Frontin’ Like Pharrell” – written by Kahdijah Payne; performed by DijahSB.
  • “homebody” – written by Michael Brandolino, Alexander DiMauro, Karah McGillivray, Tom Peyton, Robert Sowinski; performed by Valley.
  • “No Smoke” – written by Vanessa Kalala, David Charles Fischer, Christopher Larocca, Hrag Sanbalian; performed by LU KALA.
  • “Purple Carousel” – written by Sydanie Nichol, Casey Manierka; performed by Sydanie.
  • “Solid” – written by Savannah Ré Simpson, Johann Deterville, Akeel Henry; performed by Savannah Ré; Savannah Ré published by Sony Music Publishing.

The 2020 winner of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize was “The Spark,” written and performed by William Prince. Previous winners are available to view here.