Photo by The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame/Le Panthéon des auteurs et compositeurs canadiens

Lowell, Les Louanges win 2019 Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday October 9th, 2019

Self-aware singer-songwriter Lowell, and genre-blending artist and multi-instrumentalist Les Louanges have been announced as winners of the 2019 Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award, presented by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Established in 2017, the Award celebrates the current achievements and future potential of Canadian songwriters on an upward trajectory in their career.

“To be considered part of Canada’s incredible roster of growing talent is an absolute honour,” said Lowell.  “I’m quickly learning that songwriting, while rewarding, can also be a relentless pursuit, and it’s support like this back home that keeps me going. Thank you.”

Travelling back and forth between L.A. and Toronto, Lowell co-wrote two EPs with JUNO Award-winning artist Bülow, spawning the hit “Not A Love Song” and the Halsey-approved “You and Jennifer.” The Calgary-born pop writer and artist also collaborates with Jason Evigan, J Kash, T-Minus, John Ryan, and more. She co-wrote Madison Beer’s debut LP and the first single, “Dear Society,” which has quickly garnered more than 30 million streams. Lowell crafted her own recent Arts & Crafts-released LP, which earned song placements on Grey’s Anatomy and The Bold Type, and her single “War Face” charted on alternative radio. She recently signed to TAP Management (Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Hailee Steinfeld), and is currently working alongside Steinfeld on her upcoming EP.

Last week, Lowell and fellow winner in the Francophone category, Les Louanges, were honoured at the SOCAN Gala in Montreal.  In addition to receiving a cash prize, and access to songwriting camps, the winners will attend the SOCAN Awards in Toronto in the spring of 2020.

“As a Francophone songwriter, I’m really happy to be honored in the rest of Canada, and I hope this prize will help my music cross the language border and be exported across Canada,” said Les Louanges.

Les Louanges is Vincent Roberge. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Les Louanges creates a jazz-infused, undeniably groovy pop sound, boasting poetic yet easy-to-relate-to lyrics. With music born in the streets of Lévis, Québec, Les Louanges was first heard at the Francouvertes, and today is saluted as one of the most important new artists out of the province. After releasing his first EP, Le Mercure, an indie-rock gem, Les Louanges came back strong with his first album, La nuit est une panthère, released in September 2018, via Bonsound.

In Montréal in the Spring of 2019, Les Louanges was awarded the Rapsat-Lelièvre Prize, presented by a partnership between Québec and Belgium, thereby asserting his growing buzz overseas. Locally, Radio-Canada then named Les Louanges as Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Soon after, he kicked off the summer season at Les Francos de Montréal. In the span of a few days, Les Louanges was granted the prestigious Félix-Leclerc Award, and played his biggest show ever in front of a sold-out Club Soda. As he’s finishing up his upcoming EP Expansion Pack, he welcomed a nomination on the Polaris Music Prize Short List, for his very first album.

The 2017 winners of the Slaight Music Emerging Songwriter Award were Jessie Reyez (Anglophone) and Charlotte Cardin (Francophone). For more information on the award, visit the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame website.

Apply now in final stretch for Francouvertes 2020

Story by Marie-Michèle Bouchard | Wednesday October 9th, 2019

Artists and bands are invited to apply now for the 2019 edition of the music competition Les Francouvertes can do so until Oct. 23, 2019. They can submit application packages directly on the Francouvertes website for a chance to be one of the 21 contestants in this 24th edition.

SOCAN is proud to once again collaborate in the presentation of this prestigious competition, which runs from Feb. 17 to May 4, 2020.

What is Les FRANCOUVERTES?
Each year, the event offers an exceptional showcase of Francophone artists and bands. It offers unprecedented visibility to its participants, and awards several impactful prizes. The grand prize is a $10,000, offered by Sirius XM, and all 21 participants can win several other prizes. Those are intended to promote their professional development with cash, studio time, paid shows during major events, as well as professional and promotional support. The participants will experience rich artistic and professional encounters. Moreover, each participant will walk away with a professionally shot video of their performance at Montréal’s Lion d’Or. Click here to see videos from previous editions.

The Francouvertes is composed of a preliminary round, semi-finals and the final round, for a total of 11 evenings presenting three or more artists per night. To find out more about this competition, visit www.francouvertes.com.

Laurence Nerbonne and Émile Bilodeau are the spokespersons of the 2020 edition of the event, whose mission will be to promote diversity, musical open-mindedness, and quality, the three cornerstones of this year’s competition.

Photo by SOCAN

SOCAN presents launch party at VIFF AMP Summit 2019

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from/avec la collaboration de Sara Pavilionis | Tuesday October 8th, 2019

SOCAN and the SCGC (Screen Composers Guild of Canada) co-sponsored the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) AMP Summit launch party and industry mixer on Oct. 3, 2019, at the Colony bar in Vancouver.

Conference delegates, local industry representatives, and members of both SOCAN and the SCGC attended. Among the notables present were Valerie Biggin (music supervisor, The Song Rep), Red Heartbreaker (SOCAN screen composer member), Jessica Hoefsloot (Tonic Records), Tonya Dedrick (SCGC),  Kristina Lao (Nimbus), Tony Scudellari (Sony Pictures Television), Rob Calder (Secret Study), Patrick Zulinov (Hyvetown), Jimmy Leitch (Music BC), Ed Henderson (SOCAN Board of Directors, SCGC), PIOTR (SOCAN member), Adrian Ellis (SOCAN member and SCGC First Vice President), Michael Averill (SOCAN member), Chin Injeti (SOCAN member), Ari Wise (Core Music Agency), and Matthew Safran (Core Music Agency).

Attending for SOCAN were CEO Eric Baptiste; Director, A&R, Rodney Murphy; Account Executive, Radio, Coralie Hummel; and Team Lead, Member Accounts, Sara Pavilionis.

On Oct. 4, Baptiste participated in a Summit panel, “Where is the Money? Global Rights and the Way Income is Improving for Creatives.” He discussed how it’s the creative side of music that supports the business side;  how SOCAN is working hard to improve the fortunes of our members; and and how the Music Modernization Act in the U.S., and other rights-management victories around the world, could benefit songwriters, artists, and music publishers.

VIFF, AMP, 2019, Composers Creating Change, Red Heartbreaker, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Starr Parodi

Left to right: Red Heartbreaker, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Starr Parodi

The “Composers Creating Change” panel was a highlight of the Summit, moderated by SOCAN member screen composer Red Heartbreaker, and featuring Starr Parodi (President, Alliance of Woman Film Composers), and Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (composers, Wendy & Lisa). They talked about the gender gap in the screen music industry, taking leaps of faith,  and leaving the rubber on the road. The entire theatre was inspired by this powerful conversation.

Other VIFF AMP highlights included “Reel Voices – Behind the Music in Red Snow,” an in-depth look at music in Indigenous filmmaking; “A Closer Examination: The Music of The Good Doctor,” in which the producers, composer, and music supervisor of the popular show explored their work in music and TV; and “A Bad Rap: The Current State of Hip Hop on Screen,” a thorough discussion of rap’s rise to popularity in film and TV.