SOCAN Foundation Announces Winners of Fourth SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards
The SOCAN Foundation is excited to unveil the recipients of the fourth SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards, honouring the artistic achievements of DVBLM, Liza, Myles Castello, NAIIM, and Savannah Ré.
The Black Canadian Music Awards were created to recognize and celebrate the artistic merit demonstrated by Black music creators of any genre. With SiriusXM Canada’s generous support of the award, the five selected winners each receive a prize of $10,000 to bolster their career development.
“I’m happy to be part of this amazing award that highlights black artists in Canada – thank you to the SOCAN Foundation for creating and championing it. There were so many great submissions that truly show the raw talent we have in this country,” said Kentya Kurban, Jury Chair and Community Engagement Coordinator at Music BC. “The winners from this year showed diversity in sound, genres, and talent. The jury is made up of many professionals across Canada that work in the industry and it’s important for artists to submit to these awards because you never know who’s listening to you. Trust me, I added many songs to my playlist!”
Artists from across Canada representing a wide spectrum of musical styles and genres submitted their applications for the Awards. The recipients were selected by a jury and advisory council of prominent Black artists and industry leaders. Jury members include Kentya Kurban, Keziah Myers, Lord Quest, Marissa Groguhé, Owen Lee, and Victor Bibby.
“We are committed to amplifying Black artists of every genre through our North American-wide platform and contributions,” said Michelle Mearns, VP, Programming & Operations, SiriusXM Canada. “The SOCAN Foundation’s Black Canadian Music Awards continue to be an important pillar of our support and showcasing a new group of deserving recipients each year, and we want to congratulate this year’s winners.”
Additional information on the Black Canadian Music Award recipients is below. Press photos for the five recipients are available here.
Honourable mention awards of $1,000 are also being made to Eleanor, Kirk Diamond & FINN, Mah Moud, Ryan Ofei, and Tona. Press photos for the honourable mention recipients are available here.
For additional information on the SOCAN Foundation and its programs, please visit socanfoundation.ca.
Black Canadian Music Award Recipient Biographies:
DVBLM (pronounced “Double M”), was born and raised in Toronto. Being raised in a Caribbean household, a lot of her musical inspiration draws from her upbringing. Growing up she was musically influenced by artists like Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, Monica, Ciara, Missy Elliott & Timbaland. Predominantly known for her presence in rap, she is no stranger to a variety of other genres. With a winning personality she has managed to make great strides in the Canadian music industry developing an organic fan base. She has performed at numerous events, most notably at Manifesto where she captivated an audience of 16,000 people. Her undeniable talent has caught the attention of popular media outlets, further solidifying her presence in the industry. Artists such as Shenseea and Chinese Kitty have recognized DVBLM’s talent and asked her to share the stage. DVBLM resonates and is poised to leave a lasting impression with her music.
Liza exudes confidence in its purest and most unfiltered form. The Ethiopian-Canadian singer/songwriter brings dynamic range to R&B/neo-soul, alternating between moments of hushed intimacy, delicate introspection, and climactic catharsis. Hailed by Atwood Magazine “as a voice for the R&B sound today,” she has quietly attracted praise from Billboard, Refinery29, WONDERLAND, TheFADER and Complex, in addition to amassing millions of streams independently.
In between holding down a career as a registered nurse and clinical researcher, she assembled DONE IS DONE with producers Akeel Henry and Kofo. The centerpiece “LANSDOWNE” pairs airy guitar with a glitchy beat as her voice flutters between an anxious exhale and empowered high register. With “LANSDOWNE” surpassing 1 million streams on Spotify within three months of its release, Liza continues to grow her audience through viscerally relatable music.
Over the past few years, Liza lent her voice to “COMPLEXITIES” from Daniel Caesar’s critically acclaimed CASE STUDY 01 and landed on Michelle Obama’s official Spotify playlist, in BET’s Twenties, Amazon Prime’s Harlem, ABC’s Grown-ish, and Netflix’s Raising Dion, among others. Liza was one of 30 artists worldwide, and one of the first ever Canadians, to be selected as part of the YouTube Music Class of 2022. Most recently, Liza was selected as the only artist and Canadian to be in the inaugural Snapchat Creator Class of 2023, and has been named Amazon Music’s Breakthrough artist. Liza continues to propel her existing momentum while listeners anxiously await for her new project out in 2024.
Myles Castello is a soulful R&B singer from Scarborough, Toronto’s thriving easterly area, who feels as comfortable in one genre as he does the next, and showcases his new style with his moody yet catchy cadence.
Myles first got into music midway through high school, starting out producing beats and experimenting with different sonic palettes only to find out he wanted to expand on his musical knowledge and learn an instrument. Once he picked up the guitar, the natural flow of songwriting was quickly tapped into.
His debut single “What A Mess” produced by Mike Wise was released in 2018, followed closely by “Bad Company” which many fans and critics view as a distinct artwork that the Myles was built into his catalogue in collaboration with the Canadian production duo, The Uccis. His song “Make You Famous ” dropped in August and highlights the alt-R&B singer’s vocal prowess, next to modern, rock sensibilities. An infectious self-assuredness permeates the track with a glint towards his lifestyle and relationship.
NAIIM is a Montreal-born artist who blends rap, pop and R&B while embracing his Somaliland and Canadian roots. NAIIM has been supporting artists like Anders, Zach Zoya, and Frvrfriday, adding clout to his rise. He recently teamed up with 4Korners, the Toronto Raptors’ official DJ, for “Mali Star” – a track that’s turning heads. TikTok went wild for “Mali Star,” hitting 1.8 million views before its release, and it received over 70k views/streams within just a few days of dropping. NAIIM is all about connecting cultures and emotions through his music, and he’s just getting warmed up in the hip-hop scene.
You can listen to his songs on Spotify’s “NMF Canada,” “Crxss Current,” “Fresh Finds,” and Apple Music’s “New Music Daily” and “The Wave,” “Summer Waves,” “New in R&B,” “Breaking R&B,” “Northern Vibes.”
Savannah Ré is a three-time consecutive JUNO Award winner for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year and has become the one to watch in Canadian R&B. By making music with the unyielding intention to craft songs that forfeit polished stories for authentic ones, the Toronto artist has become the go-to collaborator for R&B’s upper echelon having written with artists like Babyface, Jessie Reyez, Normani, Wondagurl and her mentor, Grammy Award-winning producer Boi-1da.
Savannah Ré’s critically-lauded debut EP Opia earned her shoutouts from the likes of SZA and Timbaland, and multiple award nominations including a place in music history as the first artist to ever be nominated for both the Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year and the Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year JUNO Awards, the first artist to ever receive the Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year JUNO Award and, after winning it for a second time in 2022, the only artist to receive the Award to date. On her second body of work, No Weapons, Savannah holds firm in her commitment to expressing vulnerability through potent songwriting with a newfound understanding of herself. From the perspective of an ever-evolving woman brimming with confidence, clarity and drive, Savannah Ré continues to establish herself as an impactful voice in R&B.
About SOCAN Foundation
Founded in 1992, the SOCAN Foundation is dedicated to fostering musical creativity and promoting a better understanding of the role of music creators in today’s society. The SOCAN Foundation is part of the SOCAN group of organizations, and guided by its own Board of Directors, which consists of composers, songwriters and music publishers, and reflects the variety of concert music and popular music genres as well as the geographic and linguistic regions of Canada.
