2020 ALUMNI
Scott Spicker
British Columbia
Scott Spicker
Music has always been a family affair for Scott Jacobs. At the age of 11, his grandfather gave him the best gift anyone could ask for: A 1941 “National” Archtop Electric Guitar. The guitar was played endlessly by Jacobsʼ grandfather. Decades later, upon seeing his grandchildʼs curiosity and love for music, he knew the guitar wouldn’t go unplayed any longer. From the second Jacobs plugged in that guitar and strummed his first chord, he was hooked.
When Jacobs left his hometown at the age of 18, there was no doubt in anyoneʼs mind that music is what he was born to do. A week after his 19th birthday, he was on the other side of the world, and working as a musician for a cruise line. He would go on to perform for various cruise lines for a few years. Although these early gigs would wet his appetite for performing, he quickly realized this is not what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to return to his first love: Songwriting.
Jacobs would return to Vancouver Island and begin his career as a solo original folk musician, all while completing a diploma in Jazz performance at VIU. In the winter of 2018, Jacobs recorded his first Studio Album entitled “All of Your Everything”. Jacobs released it in 2019 and performed throughout NSW, Australia for 8 months as part of the albumʼs promotion. Jacobs has now begun recording his second studio album “Blue Electric Lights” which he plans to release in February 2020.
Muhammad Mneina
Manitoba
Muhammad Mneina
Muhammad Mneina, recognized as Kensho, is an accomplished Canadian songwriter and vocalist hailing from Winnipeg Manitoba. At 23 years of age, he’s amassed over 2.1 million streams on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube. His hit record, Breathe and Receive has also been used on the Quebec based tv show RÉVOLUTION that aired on TV, VOD, and internet streaming platforms, whilst also being used on large Youtube Channels such as World of Dance, and Majestic Casual.
Charles Lowe
Quebec
Charles Lowe
Originaire de Montréal, Dolly Blonde est un artiste indie pop qui crée de la musique pour les laissés pour compte qui sommeillent en chacun de nous. Après avoir obtenu son diplôme en chant jazz à l’université McGill University, Dolly Blonde a commencé à combiner de main de maître des éléments jazz, new wave et pop pour créer un hybride « queer » scintillant. Chanteur depuis la plus tendre enfance, Dolly a appris le piano et la guitare « à l’oreille » et il écrit des chansons entraînantes, mais aigres-douces depuis l’âge de 16 ans. Dès ses tout débuts, l’énoncé de mission de Dolly était l’amour de soi et l’amour de sa communauté. Année après année, Dolly est bénévole et donne des prestations dans le cadre d’événements organisés par Sida Bénévoles Montréal (Aids Community Care Montréal) afin de redonner et de demeurer fidèle à ses racines dans la communauté « queer ». La musique de Dolly aborde des thèmes comme la solitude, l’amour de soi et le pouvoir des femmes toujours sur un « groove » qui vous fera bouger le popotin. Ses influences sont notamment Lady Gaga, Rufus Wainwright et Elton John et ses prestations, tout comme ses prouesses vocales, vous éblouiront. « Une prestation de Dolly Blonde est toujours l’évènement de l’année, darling ! »
Prisca Pange
Alberta
Prisca Pange
Hello!
Born in Montreal, Prisca Bieni Pange-Ibinimion 22, known as “Priscila Bieni” is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
She gained interest in music when only 3 after receiving a piano as a birthday gift. Writing her first song at the young age of 8, she has never stopped since and today her songwriting skills reflect years of experience; a perfect union of striking messages, catchy melodies and intellectual wordplay. It wasn’t however until she was 19 that Priscila recorded her first songs, which she only released on Soundcloud: “Blackout” and “Want You to Know” which both invoked comparison to the likes of Rihanna due to the voice similarity. Priscila’s singing style however remains unique, and her sound a fresh combination of R&B, Dancehall-fusion, and Kizomba.
In March 2019, Priscila released her first R&B song “Excuses”.
Priscila often mixes her songs herself. She released “Right Now”, in April 2019, a song that she wrote, co-produced and mixed.
Later that year, she released “Summer Resolution”, a catchy summer-vibe song and released her Vevo debut video which was well received, making her reach the indie artists goal of over 5k streams and views on Spotify and Youtube in 3 months. All which she released and promoted alone.
To date, Priscila has performed in numerous shows, including the renowned TheIscream’s “Toronto R&B Sounds”.
Priscila’s music is inspired by her multicultural life experience, having lived in different countries, she fluently speaks French, Portuguese besides English, which she takes advantage of in her songwriting.
Lara Rawadi
Quebec
Lara Rawadi
Laraw ( Lara Rawadi) is a Montreal-born singer-songwriter of Moroccan and Lebanese origin. Initially on track for a career in the video game industry, she elected to pursue her musical aspiration after studying music production and sound design. Laraw’s words are as genuine and honest as it gets. They blend perfectly with the Indie Trap, Pop, and RnB concoctions of producer and collaborator Tim Buron, who took her under his wings late 2018. Not afraid to share her struggles, she released her first single “ I Should Call The Cops ” in 2019, discussing her encounter with a drug dealer at a party. She later released “ Pretty Necklace ”, a glimpse into her life as a young girl with immigrant parents. The singer took this opportunity to promote her dad’s garage in the music video.
Ending 2019 with her debut EP “ Mood AF ” and headline show in Montreal (le ministère), Laraw is starting 2020 with a feature in the January issue of ELLE Quebec Magazine, mentioning her as one of the artist to keep an eye on this year.
Michael Simard
Quebec
Michael Simard
Montreal-based singer-songwriter Miko produces songs that are poetically gritty, a blend of sleek pop and 90’s rugged vibes. His first single, “Crushes”, produced in collaboration with Connor Seidel (Charlotte Cardin, Matt Holubowski), is an ode to the fear of catching feelings.
A self-taught musician, Miko got into songwriting at the age of 18, after dropping out of college. He now regularly writes with rising Montreal artists such as Soran, Mike Clay (Clay & Friends), and Geoffroy. The charming artist has been compared to Dominic Fike, Omar Apollo, and Alexander 23, while always challenging rules and genres but just a little bit. Miko is a singer who has a way of instantly connecting with the public, taking pleasure in seducing his crowd and offering a striking musical performance.
Mikey Jose
British Columbia
Mikey Jose
Mikey Jose is a singer/songwriter from Vancouver, BC. Music has always been a driving force in Mikey’s life, who began piano lessons at the age of 6 and collected several awards through the Royal Conservatory of Music program. Over the years, Mikey picked up a passion for writing music; he composed, arranged, and orchestrated his first original musical, entitled “Right Here, Write Now!” at 15. The non-profit project, which was performed across five cities and two countries, raised over $250,000 for local and global charities. One of his compositions for the musical was selected as the recipient of a composition scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where Mikey was admitted in 2015. Currently pursuing a BSc at the University of British Columbia, Mikey has continued to create music of diverse genres (musical, RnB, soul, pop), and recently released his debut single on streaming services, which has racked over 180,000 streams since July 2019.
Nicholas Ramsahoye
Ontario
Nicholas Ramsahoye
Nicholas “Txpski” Ramsahoye is a rising urban pop producer from the east end of the Greater Toronto Area. He started producing and writing songs in Ajax, Ontario at the age of 15, drawing inspiration from local legends such as Boi-1da. In 2015 he began to turn heads in the R&B world after producing a single called “I Do” for Grammy nominated, Multi-platinum songwriter / producer Prince Chrishan. Txpski is most notable for his work on Chris Brown’s Heartbreak On A Full Moon – “Sip” & “Summer Breeze”. As an artist Txpski continues to push the boundaries in music simultaneously collobrating with songwriters, producers, and also developing a growing number of talent in Toronto. In 2018 Txpski attended Socan’s Kenekt Song Camp hosted by Melissa Cameron-Passley and Racquel Villagante on Pender Island, BC. What makes Txpski stand out from other producer’s is his ability to not only produce songs but contribute as a distinctive writer.
Babette Hayward
New Brunswick
Babette Hayward
Babette spent her youth in Saint John, New Brunswick, surrounded by Eastern pine forests, watching summer sunsets over the Belleisle Bay and writing songs about then, now, and how she feels now about then.
From Saint John she moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she co-founded the group Vogue Dots, an electronic duo that toured North America and Europe. With Vogue Dots Babette has written and released two EPs and a handful of singles.
After crossing the Atlantic Ocean in search of something new, she began writing from a bedroom in London – a far cry from the space and silence of the Maritimes. Babette has since returned to Canada, equipped with a new batch of songs about making up your mind and moving on.
Mariah Wheeler
Ontario
Mariah Wheeler
Mighloe is a Toronto Based RnB singer/ songwriter. She recently graduated from “The Remix Project” a music development program that has given rise to stars such as Jessie Reyes, DVSN and more. She has since been performing all over the city on major platforms including Manifesto at Nathan Philips Square and Toronto’s City Hall and, has opened up stages for some major label artists including Ari Lennox and Grammy Award winning PJ Morton. Mighloe often engages in all aspects of her works from creative direction to styling and acting. An all around artist, Mighloe is on her way to a promising career in the entertainment industry.
Claire Ridgely
Quebec
Claire Ridgley
Claire Ridgely is a Montreal-based singer/song-writer originally hailing from Northern Virginia. She had a quick stint in Switzerland on her way to Montreal, where she picked up French allowing her to connect more deeply to a Canadian audience. Claire has worked as a featured artist in the electronic music scene for several years doing vocals for Said the Sky, Robotaki and Pat Lok, among others. She has since turned her energy towards her solo career and has released five singles since September 2018, which have been enthusiastically received by the likes of Billboard and Spotify. Her solo sound sits somewhere between soulful and sweet, standing apart from bubblegum pop and expressing a more authentic and personal experience. Claire has a very unique, very Montreal, living situation in the southwest corner of the city, where she lives and makes music in the same space. She resides amongst a crew of talented musicians and artists. Claire is working hard from her collaborative home studio to complete her first EP, which will be released in April 2020. She’s excited to continue to build her solo career, bringing her alternative pop sound and engaging live show to larger audiences.
Caitlin Canning
British Columbia
Caitlin Canning
Cate kicked off her career writing and performing her original songs all around the greater Vancouver area. Her hypnotic lyrics and fear of growing up capture the innocence of a child’s mentality and gravitate an audience of young adults.
Her ability to bring an audience along on a parade of nostalgia has provided her with opportunities to tour throughout Canada and at showcases and events throughout North America, like NAMM in 2017. The singer-songwriter also took the stage at the 2018 Juno awards as a backup vocalist for fellow Canadian artist Daniel Caesar. This past year, Cate has been working on rebranding her image, taking everything she has learned thus far and turning it up a notch.
In addition to her recent rebranding, Cate has also been making waves with her new single release “Sad Song”. The single is a total revamp on your traditional break-up song, providing us with the ultimate soundtrack for summer. Her first release quickly gained momentum on Spotify with over 190,000 streams and has been featured on playlists such as “Indie Pop” and “Fresh Finds”. Cate has been working alongside producer’s from LA and London, and will be releasing more music this upcoming year.
T. Thomason
Nova Scotia
T. Thomason
T. Thomason is a pop artist living between Halifax and Toronto. T. has impressed fans with his emotional and highly energetic live performances throughout his 11 year music career at festivals like The Great Escape, FOCUS Wales, Parliament Hill’s Canada Day, POP Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion, Pride Toronto, Canadian Music Week, Milwaukee Summerfest, and more.
The lead up to the release of T.’s self-titled album in September 2019 was a roller coaster. He was a winner on season 2 of CTV’s The Launch, which landed his launched single “Hope” on top 40 radio, Spotify Editorial playlists like New Music Friday Canada, and put T. on stage at the Bell Centre with Quebec’s reigning pop queen and his mentor, Marie-Mai.
T.’s recent album was described by Halifax’s The Coast as “equal parts scar tissue and sparkles”. Deeply vulnerable and honest, it is a must-hear for anyone who’s wondered who they are and what’s to come.
Charmie Deller
Ontario
Charmie Deller
Discover one of Toronto’s musical gems through the passionate R&B and pop-soul of 24 year old singer/songwriter Charmie. Born in Haiti, Charmie began exploring her musical talents at the young age of nine. As a self taught musician, she excels at playing guitar, piano, bass, drums and even beatboxing. Charmie was featured in the documentary Busk and has performed in front of audiences at City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, Harbourfront Centre and other venues around Toronto. Currently working on her debut album ” In the Making” , her contemporary style of music is a unique fusion of Rhythm & Blues and Pop Soul. Known for fostering a deep connection with her audiences, Charmie’s words go straight from her heart to yours.
Idman Abdulkadir
Ontario
Idman Abdulkadir
Idman is a Somali-Canadian artist who hopes to create pockets of joy for an audience she sees herself in and of. Her art honours and explores her experiences in life, love and all that exists in-between, as a Black Muslim 1st gen kid. From her run-ins with the law to her relationship with the kind self-doubt only being in your 20’s can provide. She’s this decade’s answer to the girl-next-door.
While attending college Idman studied for a Degree in Communications with a Double Minor in Business Marketing & Africana Studies. Although her decision to discontinue her studies a semester before she delivered her thesis, a decision that could have caused friction within her family, it strongly shaped the songwriter she is today. As the eldest daughter of Somali refugee parents, Idman was expected to set an example for her younger siblings and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree. Idman models what it is like to pursue your passion and defy expectations.
Idman is a REMIX Project 14.0 graduate, a competitive Toronto arts incubator. She received the Make It Happen award for her Round.
Idman, as an independent artist, is working toward the release of her very first EP set for 2020.
Emily Gifford
Ontario
Emily Gifford
GRAE is a 21 year old singer/songwriter currently living in Toronto, ON. After having experienced her first heartbreak in high school, GRAE dropped out and travelled to Australia, where she then performed a number of gigs across Melbourne. It was during this time she connected via socials with UK producer KYAN, and the two made plans to create her EP ‘New Girl’. Since then, GRAE has accumulated over 2 million streams across all platforms, won the SOCAN ‘Young Canadian Songwriters Award’, and has been sync’ed on major US TV show, such as ‘Nancy Drew’, ‘Queen Sugar’ and The Real World Atlanta’. The small town Elora, Ontario native saw a very impressive 2019 following the release of her EP ‘New Girl’ and has made quite the splash onto the music scene
Elsa Gebremichael
Saskatchewan
Elsa Gebremichael
Wild Black is a fully independent and self-managed creative entity and the solo-collaborative project of Ethiopian- Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and budding producer, Elsa Gebremichael. Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, she grew up playing in bands that toured North American and Europe, opened for Janelle Monae, Tegan & Sara, and Metric, was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award and has written, recorded and performed in various genres that range from psych rock to electro pop to Motown. All of these experiences allowed her to sharpen her teeth and explore many sides of the music industry and her creativity, bringing her to this culminating moment in her musical career as Wild Black. Her genre fluid style is accessible while eclectic and incorporates live instrumentation combined with electronic elements to create a dreamy yet upbeat and engaging soundscape that will surely make your body move. Currently based in Toronto, Wild Black is writing and recording songs for her debut album release due later this year. Stay close for new music and tour dates!
Madison Olds
Colombie-Britannique
Madison Olds
Madison Olds is a singer songwriter with strong vibrant vocals, breathy accents and an emotive delivery often compared to Ellie Goulding. Her single, “Moments in the Mountains”, played to a crowd of 5000, and was written for the Kamloops’ 2018 BC Winter Games and is the soundtrack to the Pacific Rim Life with the Fairmont Pacific (Vancouver). “Thank You”, launched to Canadian radio 2018, landed her on Hot AC charts and placed her in the CBC Searchlight2019 top 10. Awarded first place with Unsigned Only 2019 in the AC category, other career highlights include opening for Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Shaw, Scott Helman and performing in the 2019 Music Matters festival in Singapore. With cumulatively more than 1 million streams on Spotify, her 2019 debut album, BLUE, highlights her acoustic roots. Madison is currently working on her EP for 2020 and fans can expect an edgier pop sound to connect them with her artistry.
Manuela Wuthrich
Alberta
Wuthrich Manuela
2x JUNO-Award nominated Nuela Charles is an alternative/soul singer-songwriter known for her soulful vocals and captivating stage presence. With the release of her latestEPs“Distant Danger”and “Melt”–Nuelaissolidifying herself as a Canadian music staple. Her singles “Do it Right”“Danger” and “Known Better”maintained steady ground on the CBC Radio Music charts, collectively spending over 14 weeks in the Top 20, and had “Do it Right” named as one of 2018’s Top 100 Canadian songs.Nuela has brought her distinct voice to various stages over the last several years and recently performed at Reeperbahn Festival in Germany, and made her UK debut in London this last September. With a nod from uber-coveted tastemaker FADER, a placement on the hit show “Jane the Virgin”and some comfortable real estate on the CBC Music (Radio 2) charts, Charles is ready to release more of her fiery brand of cinematic soul.
2019 ALUMNI
Julie Austin
“jaycouldneverdie”
Ontario
Laura Babin Rioux
“Laura Babin”
Québec
James Bailey
Ontario
Justin Boissonault
“BOISSINOVA”
Ontario
Marvin Chan
“Samurai Champs”
Saskatchewan
Kassandra Clack
British Columbia
Desiree Dawson
British Columbia
Domanique Grant
Ontario
Aliah Guerra
Québec
Madmoud Ismail
“Mah Moud”
Ontario
Bella Krys
Ontario
Dante Leon
Ontario
Madeline Ritter
“MADDEE”
Ontario
Jon Saldanha
British Columbia
Dave Sampson
Nova Scotia
Connor Seidel
Québec
Linnea Siggelkow
“Ellis”
Ontario
Annie Sumi
Ontario
Vincent Turcotte
Québec
Joanna Worthington
“Jo Jo Worthington”
Ontario