2015 SOCAN Awards

Toronto Show

The Canadian music industry gathered at the Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto on June 22, 2015, to honour its members at the 25^th anniversary edition of the SOCAN Awards. The gala was hosted by CMT Canada’s Paul McGuire and sponsored by Gowlings, KPMG, RBC and HMV.

Recipients of SOCAN’s major achievement awards this year – celebrated with “The SOCAN,” a trophy that doubles as a musical instrument -- were Randy Bachman, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award; Dallas Green (a.k.a. City and Colour), who earned the National Achievement Award; MAGIC!, who received the International Achievement Award, and whose song “Rude” also won a Pop/Rock Music Award; Bernie Finkelstein, who won the Special Achievement Award; and Mars Bonfire, who won SOCAN’s first-ever Cultural Impact Award, for writing “Born to be Wild.”

SOCAN members such as R&B phenomenon The Weeknd, rising country stars Brett Kissel and Tim Hicks, and film and TV composers Keith Power and Andrew Lockington, among many others, were also on hand to receive their awards.

Performers at the show included soulful young sensation Francesco Yates, who sang “Better to be Loved”; heavy metal rockers Anvil, who honoured Mars Bonfire with a thundering rendition of “Born to be Wild”; “doom soul” singer-songwriter Cold Specks, who re-defined Warren Pash’s SOCAN Classic Award-winning song “Private Eyes”; and Randy Bachman, backed by Toronto rockers Big Sugar and a who’s who of Canadian music, who closed the show with “Takin’ Care of Business” – accompanied by the audience of approximately 600 guests playing cowbells.

SOCAN members receiving songwriting honours included: Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard for co-writing “Heaven in Our Headlights” and “Crazy for You,” both in the Pop/Rock category; Kiesza for co-writing "Hideaway," in the Dance category; and Jason Blaine for co-writing "Friends of Mine" in the Country category; and The Weeknd, for co-writing “Wanderlust,” in the Urban Music category. Derry Greehan of Honeymoon Suite received four SOCAN Classic Awards for writing “Burning in Love,” “New Girl Now,” “Wave Babies” and “What Does it Take?,” each of which has earned more than 100,000 radio airplays. Similarly, Rich Dodson of The Stampeders won two Classics, for “Monday Morning Choo Choo” and “Wild Eyes.”

Montreal Show

Likeable singer-songwriter Dumas was the host of this event held for the first time at Montréal Métropolis. Throughout this colourful evening with several exclusive live appearances, 48 awards were distributed in 21 categories, including five special prizes, namely the Cultural Impact Award, the Songwriter of the Year Award, the International Achievement Award, the Special Achievement Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

SOCAN’s inaugural Cultural Impact Award was given to a monument of Francophone music, a highly respected poet and songwriter here and abroad, Gilles Vigneault. This award celebrates the major cultural contribution of a music work created by a SOCAN member, in this case the immortal “Gens du pays”.

Recognizing the massive contribution that film and television composers make to the genre and economy, no fewer than seven SOCAN Awards were presented to the most successful writers in several categories. Christian Clermont alone took home two awards.

Now an undeniable stalwart of Québec “New Pop” scene, Alex Nevsky was presented with the prestigious Songwriter of the Year award and two Popular Song (Francophone) Awards for “Les coloriés” and “Notre amour”, sung by Valérie Carpentier.

Donald Tarlton, founder of Donald K. Donald and cofounder of Tacca Musique was presented with the Special Achievement Award saluting the prodigious amount of work he’s accomplished since the 1960s. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Pierre Létourneau, a 2011 Canadian Songwriter Hall of Famer and, without a doubt, one of the most important songwriters in Québec.

Five SOCAN Classic Awards were also presented to Kevin Parent, who de facto became the most awarded songwriter of the award ceremony; the 15th SOCAN Classic Award presented to Michel Rivard for his song “Le Privé”; as well as the 31st and 32nd SOCAN Classic Award presented to Luc Plamondon, who thusly became the most awarded songwriter at SOCAN’s Montréal Awards Gala. “The SOCAN” award for International Achievement as well as the International Song award were given to Arcade Fire for their song “Reflektor”, as well as two Popular Song (Anglophone) awards for “Afterlife” and “Reflektor”, all celebrating their extraordinary international career.

Among the other laureates of this 26th SOCAN Awards Gala evening were, notably, Milk & Bone, who snagged the Breakout Award; Eman & Vlooper, who won the Urban Music Award; Kaytranada, winning the first ever Electronic Music Award; Vincent Vallières, with two Popular Song Awards (Francophone) (“Loin” and “L’amour, c’est pas pour les peureux”); Chromeo, who earned a Popular Song Award (Anglophone) as well as the On-line Streaming Award for “Jealous (I Ain't With It)”; Denis Gougeon, who earned the Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award; Christine Jensen, who was presented with the Hagood Hardy Award (jazz); and the Montreal International Jazz Festival which was rewarded with the Licensed to Play Award.

Several artists regaled the crowd with signature performances that have contributed to the reputation of this gala. Alexandre Désilets, La Bronze, Les Sœurs Boulay, Marie-Mai and the host, Dumas, all sang together in the opening number to pay homage to many of the 2015 SOCAN Classics. Also graced the stage at Metropolis that night: Sass Jordan, Lulu Hughes, Shash’U, Antoine Corriveau, and, last but not least, Karl Tremblay and Jessica Vigneault, Gilles Vigneault’s daughter, closed the evening’s festivities with a touching rendition of “Gens du pays”.