2022 PARTICIPANTS
Mint Simon
Quebec
Mint Simon
Mint Simon is the debut solo project of the front person of indie-pop band Caveboy. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Mint is a theatre kid, turned band lead, turned pop star living somewhere on the gender spectrum between Cher and Prince. This debut solo project sees Mint’s new musical romance unfolding, and their soul spilling out. The new music is a sonic and lyrical exploration on love, missed opportunities, desire and sexual liberation. Mint has collaborated with & been a part of many different projects but has never fully explored their own personal musical journey in a public way until now. Leather, pleather, shimmer n glimmer – they are unapologetically queer – a pop prince tapping into their 80s and 90s influences with this new music. The time has come for Mint Simon to be unabashedly themselves and explore their own music and identify with zero restrictions.
Mez Mariyé
Ontario
Mez Mariyé
Mez Mariyé is a Canadian/Ethiopian rapper, singer, songwriter, & director. Growing up in Toronto’s east end, Mez found his way through music during his early high school years. His music first drew attention across social media and online sources in 2009, due in large part to his distinctly crafted and melodic sound, as well as his strong and mature presence as a songwriter. His biggest release ‘Alive’ (2020) was the first release to gain international attention from several countries around the world with over 276,000 views on YouTube and thousands of streams across digital platforms. Mez continues to use his music as a vessel to inspire hope, strength, and peace as he enjoys taking a conscious approach when writing music. His musical influences range from artists like Teddy Afro, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Nas, J-Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake & Frank Ocean. His diverse sounds and styles appeal to a wide audience and set the basis of a growing, young artist’s stake to claim in the current musical landscape.
Shades Lawrence
Quebec
Shades Lawrence
Shades Lawrence is a Montreal-born hip hop artist, of mixed British, Jamaican, Irish and Scottish heritage. Shades Lawrence’s music is about the emotion. To date, her sound has been compared to Drake, Doja Cat, and Mahalia. Shades Lawrence has performed at 40+ shows as a spoken word poet and hip hop artist. Shades has shared the stage with a variety of artists, including Big Freedia, Princess Nokia, and Cakes da Killa. Shades Lawrence’s performances include Festival POP Montreal, Fierté/Pride MTL, and Calgary’s Femme Wave Festival. Shades Lawrence counts among her current influences; Drake, Cardi B, and J. Cole. Currently, Shades Lawrence’s sound encompasses soul-infused productions, and trap beats, with Drake-type emotional delivery, lyrics, and flow. To find out more, subscribe to her mailing list at www.shadeslawrence.com.
X. ARI
Ontario
X. ARI
X. ARI is a queer Alt-Pop singer, writer, and mental health advocate, public speaker, & founder of non-profit WisdoMania Foundation. Her life motto is all about turning “Pain Into Power” through art and self-care. Having comorbid mental health challenges is not her identity, but her superpower. X. ARI’s visceral lyrics transmit messages of hope as often as they ponder tragedy. Her sound comes to life in the middle.
She is currently working on her 6th EP slated to be released in support of World Mental Health Day in October of 2022.
Newby
Ontario
Newby
Despite his name, Toronto-born artist, Newby is far from a newbie when it comes to music. With a skillful combination of youthful energy, playful rhymes and a signature visual aesthetic, Newby proves himself as a well-seasoned artist worthy of recognition. His modern take on Pop-Rap brings a well-needed refreshment to the local Hip-Hop scene and positions Newby to be an exciting, new favorite among music listeners worldwide.
Jerry Sereda
Manitoba
Jerry Sereda
Multi-award winning Canadian country singer Jerry Sereda who paid homage to his Indigenous heritage with the release of his fourth studio album, Classic Country Couple, on June 21, 2021 for National Indigenous Peoples Day, has now won “Best Country Album” at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards, and garnered several nominations for the “Manitoba Country Music Awards” including: “Country Album of the Year”, “Music Video of the Year”, and “Male Artist of the Year”. The all-Indigenous production team — Sereda, award winning producer/songwriter Troy Kokol, and Jamie Lillie — have recorded an album reflective of Sereda’s recent personal and musical evolution. Sereda’s inspirations include Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, Eric Church, and his Grandma Dottie. Dottie taught her grandson his first guitar chords and shared her love of country music with him. Sereda said she was one of his biggest supporters throughout his life.
Meghan Oak
Quebec
Meghan Oak
Meghan Oak is a young singer-songwriter from Montreal who started making her mark on social media in January 2018. The public was quickly touched by her sentimental voice and her words in her first single « Au revoir » which cumulated more than 1.3 million streams. Following the release of her debut EP “Étrangère” in fall 2020, Meghan joined Star Académie, a singing competition television show. After a year spent focusing on songwriting, Meghan Oak will release a French EP in fall 2022, followed by an English project in 2023.
Sam Krüger
Quebec
Sam Krüger
“In 2016, I had spent enough time working the over-night shift at McDonalds. I took a 4-day trip from my hometown of London, ON, to Montreal. The short trip was enough to convince me to move there the next month. With some clothes and an acoustic guitar, I quit my job and left – landing by chance, a literal spiral staircase away from my new musical neighbours in a locally famous band. It wasn’t long that I started to release some of those songs that I wrote over that filthy McDonalds grill.” Sam is a singer-songwriter based out of Montreal, Quebec. He’s played shows across Canada; in bars, street corners, markets, cafés, living rooms, forests, on top of busses and even in laundromats. When the pandemic started, he honed down on fingerpicking. Now, he’s sitting on a large collection of new folk songs that are ready for an audience.
Bukola
British Columbia
Bukola
Hailed by Exclaim! as one of their new favourite emerging artists in 2021, Bukola is a 20-year-old musician who blends the sounds of R&B and Jazz to create her own soulful sound. She’s influenced by artists such as India Arie and John Mayer, and has been pursuing her dreams of becoming a professional musician since she was 9. The grand prize winner of the Nimbus School of Recording Arts x Juno Host Committee provincial Battle of the Bands competition, Bukola has since performed at the Juno Awards pre-event Let’s Hear it! Live, the Honey Jam and at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Bukola has also been featured on eTalk, CBC the National, and MuchMusic. Bukola worked with award winning producers, Chin Injeti and Ben Kaplan on her debut EP “The Chronicles of A Teenage Mind”, which is out now on all streaming platforms.
Maggie Andrew aka JORIE
Nova Scotia
Maggie Andrew aka JORIE
Always pushing boundaries, you can expect the unexpected from alternative-pop artist JORIE. Meshing together dreamy, synth-laden melodies with edgy lyrics, “JORIE makes music with teeth.” – Pigeons & Planes. Having grown up in Halifax, NS, JORIE infuses her music with the struggles of personal life and past traumas. “When I write my music, it’s often a reflection of who I am and what I’ve been through. These new songs will introduce a whole different side to me as an artist, it’s next level, and it’s going to take the world by storm”. Having landed herself on the radar of pop superstar, blackbear, their collaboration “Sleep 4Ever” has amassed over 3M streams and recent projects garnered press on Billboard, Rolling Stone India and was featured on Apple Music’s Chart Show with Brooke Reece.
sahara
British Columbia
sahara
After stumbling into Toronto’s music scene back in 2018, sahara found herself in an entirely new and undiscovered world – and it was no doubt she was exactly where she was supposed to be. In 2019, she wrote and released her debut single, “LVOE” and weeks later found herself with tens of thousands of streams alongside significant praise for her lyricism. Her next release, “fallin fallin,” which she wrote and performed with Parisian artist, Fhin, was released under Délicieuse Records and earned her over a million streams within just a couple of months. To follow was the release of her sophomore single, “white noise,” as well as the euphoric and impressively honest song, “bad news.” Most recently, her latest song, “fire with fire,” earned sahara placements on major editorial DSP playlists such as Spotify’s “Fresh Finds” and “Fresh Finds Pop.” The proud LGBTQ+ artist is already well on her way to bringing a new and intriguing flavour to the chill pop genre as she continues to gain the attention of listeners globally with her picture-painting lyrics and intoxicating melodies.
Terez
Alberta
Terez
Terez is a fiercely creative artist whose talent knows no boundaries. Still, in her early twenties, the Métis singer-songwriter is also a creative director, women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ advocate, and ranks among the 2.1% of female music producers in the industry today. With nearly a lifetime of songwriting and performances under her belt, Terez has performed alongside Keith Urban, opened for Canadian artist Ria Mae, and was slated to perform alongside breakout Canadian artist RALPH in the spring of 2020. She has been commissioned to write songs for dozens of artists around the world, creative direct music videos and artist’s brands in Toronto and Calgary, and much more. With her ability to write and perform most genres of music, Terez’s own unique musical style blends pop and R&B with a punk edge and are complemented by her deep and meaningful lyrics and velvety yet powerful vocal tone.
Kylie V
British Columbia
Kylie V
Kylie V (they/them) is an 18-year-old singer songwriter based in Vancouver who creates evocative indie folk-rock-pop-etcetera. This up-and-coming teen’s lyrics paint vivid pictures and are wise beyond their years, earning them recognition and listeners from their local scene to across the globe. Kylie started their career in 2018 with a collection of completely self-made songs called “lotus eater” but made their proper debut with the album “Big Blue” in 2021. “Big Blue” came out to critical acclaim from outlets like KEXP, Exclaim!, and The Line of Best Fit, and over half a million streams in the first year. Kylie is currently hard at work on an EP before their sophomore album, set to release in 2023.
Mackenta
Ontario
Mackenta
Mackenta seamlessly dances her vocals between moody R&B melodies, and clever rap flows. Formerly known as Mack Davis, the Toronto-based recording artist hit the music scene with her singles, “Issues” and “No Finesse” which gained attention from The Source, Noisey, and OVO Sound Radio. Her EP’s “Over the Influence” and “When the Poison Drained” are dreamy-sounding conceptual projects, full of deep meanings and thoughtful lyricism. Mackenta allows listeners into her personal evolution as she journeys away from a drug and party-filled nocturnal lifestyle, into a path of healing and following her soul’s calling. She reflects on love, heartbreak, and her experience in the male-dominated underground Toronto entertainment scene. She has performed throughout Toronto at shows including Manifesto, 199Z, and Blockobana, and on CBC’s Emancipation Day Special. Mackenta’s new single, “Lately” was featured on Spotify’s “Mood Ring” playlist and is sure to create anticipation for a new chapter of storytelling.
Holly Santonato
Ontario
Holly Santonato
Holly Santonato is a R&B singer/songwriter from Toronto. At a young age, Holly was drawn to singing and poetry. Music became a sense of therapy for Holly, creating a safe haven to ease life circumstances. In 2016, Holly decided to build her music oasis into a career. Attending Seneca college’s IMP (Independent Music Production) Program, Holly absorbed information about the music business, production, song writing, photography, marketing and a lot more. That same year, Holly released 3 singles, which became a part of an E.P, totaling 8 songs that were released in 2017. Engulfed in creativity, and networking with producers, Holly has continued to release music in the years following 2017 and started 2022 with her latest release “You and I”. Catapulted in her art of deep sounds Holly is eager to continually develop and create stimulative, emotional music for everyone to hear.
The Moon & I
Quebec
The Moon & I
The Moon & I is a solo project from Montreal-based indie alternative artist Eric Nguyen, a singer-songwriter, producer, and classically trained pianist. His sound has been described as dreamlike and melancholic, drawing comparisons to artists like Thom Yorke and James Blake for its use of cinematic piano, synths, and electronic drum loops. His lyrics are introspective and touch on themes of mortality, love, and mental health. His music was included in Cult MTL Magazine’s top 100 Montreal songs of 2020 and made him one of the most blogged about artists on HypeMachine. His song “Day In, Day Out” was featured on Freeform/Hulu’s hit TV show “Good Trouble”. He is currently working on an album.
Kaili Kinnon
Ontario
Kaili Kinnon
Kaili Kinnon makes smoky alt-pop and meditative bops for late nights. With a “rare and splendid voice” (L’Express) that is “smoother than velvet” (Jazzkaar), she will move you and make you groove. Known for captivating performances and her emotional songwriting, her music has taken her on tours to Europe, gained her festival spots in Estonia and garnered radio play on CBC and Radio 2 in Estonia. In 2020, Kaili Kinnon started the year with a sold-out show at the Drake Underground in Toronto before heading to the Banff Centre for the esteemed Singer-Songwriter Residency. Later, in lockdown, Kinnon produced Zoom concerts, hosted a weekly livestream and composed The Evening Songs (due out July 2022). In late 2020, she released ‘Bone Alien’ written with and produced by Marcus Paquin. 2022 will see the release of The Evening Songs EP, a fall single and ‘Leave it at the door (New Year’s Day)’ a Christmas/New Year’s double single.
Jay Glavany
Ontario
Jay Glavany
Music holds a special place for most, but for Glavany it’s a way to free himself from his surroundings and let his mind and imagination wander. He’s able to create an alternative reality where he can make his own stories by listening to different sounds and rhythms. “I want my listeners to have the same experience that I feel when I listen to music. I aim to be as relatable as possible through my stories of personal growth, love, and life lessons. It’s important to connect with people through real-life experiences.”
The Toronto native has been producing and writing songs about his journey for years. As a Cameroonian-Canadian, Jay’s creative influences span the globe as he continues to draw inspiration from music past, present, and future. His elite production ability has also allowed him to work with talented musicians, including Devontée, Benita and K. Forest to name a few.
Salin
Quebec
Salin
Salin Cheewapansri, aka Salin, is a Thai-born, Canadian based drummer and producer. From playing on Dominique Fils-Aimé’s Juno award-winning-album ‘Stay Tuned’ to sharing the stage with Ariane Moffat, Madame Ghandi and Dabin to name a few, Salin introduced the world to her own debut album ‘Cosmic Island’ in 2021. “Cosmic Island” is a soul/funk album that combines infectious grooves, soulful harmonies and contemplative lyrics. It has been critically acclaimed by the CBC, Le Devoir and Earmilk, with songs being featured on several international radios and Spotify playlists. Salin, joined by a 10-piece live band, has had the privilege to perform at several festivals, including the POP Montreal Festival and Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU
Quebec
Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU
With their breathtaking vocals paired and stunningly vulnerable lyrics that cascade over listeners’ emotional terrains, singer-songwriter Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU is a notable force. This Montreal based, queer, non-binary, Indigenous artist originally from the Cree community of Mistissini, Quebec, first started through the formation of their early indie folk outfit, Simple Human Tribe. Their solo work gained momentum in 2014, when they were selected for feature on the #1 iTunes chart-topping N’we Jinan compilation album, Eeyou Istchee Volume 1. Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU’s six-track EP’s debut single Love Is Up The River quickly garnered more than 20,000+ streams on Spotify and hit Top 10 on the NCI FM Indigenous Music Countdown. Currently, Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU is casting their self-titled sophomore album to be released in 2022, which will be an introspective compilation of works as they step into their reclaimed identity. Siibii aka ANGEL BARIBEAU is a powerful changemaker, who unwaveringly upholds the responsibility they feel to pursue their talent while also pushing for more representation within the industry.
Kaiya Gamble
Alberta
Kaiya Gamble
15-year-old Kaiya Gamble’s dynamic and deeply emotional voice will leave you speechless. This soulful pop singer/songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist based in Calgary, Alberta has captivated large and small audiences since she was just 9. Her music can be described between Alessia Cara, Sara Bareilles and the legendary Lady Gaga. But it is Kaiya’s powerful message of inclusivity and hope that makes her growing fan base truly become ‘super fans’, proudly a part of her journey to reach bigger and bigger audiences worldwide.
Tracey Richard
New Brunswick
Tracey Richard
Tracey is an Acadian musician and multidisciplinary artist based on the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq peoples / Moncton, NB. Growing up in a small coastal village, the ocean has shaped her identity. It’s a theme often portrayed in her work, as a way of trying to protect it and understand its importance. It brings back peaceful moments of her childhood and also raises current social and environmental issues such as sustainability and community. After completing studies in classical music as a flutist, she pursued a creative practice as a media artist, exploring animation, audio-visual installations, and projections. While having an experimental approach gives her the space to manipulate different sounds and recordings, Tracey has released one EP and one full-length album with her psych-rock band Nebullama. She is now focusing on a solo project mixing 90s pop melodies, electronic sounds and Chiac lyrics (Acadian dialect).
Leah Marlene
Ontario
Leah Marlene
Leah Marlene is a songwriter, artist, and producer with a deeply rooted desire to create art unlike anything you’ve heard before. With a unique, engaging voice and a songwriting style that combines elements of pop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, Americana, and more, it’s hard to place her into a box. Leah grew up in a house full of music and guitars as her father, Derry Grehan, is a songwriter and lead guitarist with the Canadian band, Honeymoon Suite. He passed along his knowledge and passion for writing and performing. She began singing and writing her own songs at a very young age and never looked back! Leah has been performing professionally since the age of ten and releasing music since she was thirteen. Now twenty-one years old, Leah is most recently coming off an incredible run on season 20 of American Idol, where she ended in third place.
Jessica Spurrell
Ontario
Jessica Spurrell
Jessica Spurrell is a producer and songwriter from Ontario. Drawing inspirations from folk, indie, and rock styles, her music combines warm, eclectic sounds with lyrics full of poetic feeling. Jessica’s music tells a story, one that audiences can connect with. She has performed locally and beyond, in Collingwood, Penetanguishene, Wasaga Beach, Barrie, and even in her home province of Newfoundland. Jessica’s original song Bury Me is a recipient of the 2021 SOCAN Foundation’s Young Canadian Songwriters Award, sponsored by SiriusXM. The track competed nationally with several established emerging artists, and ultimately came out on top alongside four other incredible Canadian songs. Bury Me is available to listen to across all streaming services. Jessica has called many places home, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Germany. Her biggest inspirations include Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and a small east-coast band called The Once.
Siddartha
Ontario
Siddartha
Siddartha is an Indo-Canadian artist/producer from Brampton, ON. Pulling from his dance experience, Siddartha delivers expertly produced tracks and vibrant narratives depicted through his skilled lyricism. Striking a balance between making music that makes you move, think and feel. He was selected for Manifesto’s discovery series, awarded the winner for the R.I.S.E. and Flow competition, and opened for Koffee and Juno award-winning artist Tobi during Manifesto’s 2020 online festival. His first project: “Reflections of a Stranger,” was sponsored by Ryerson University and the Gladstone Hotel. His latest single, “6uddha,” has over 30 000 streams and has been featured in several publications, including Clash Magazine, F.M.S., and Musicis4Lovers. Siddartha currently has a catalog of new music ready to be released for 2022.