Billboard Canada hosted its second annual Power Players celebration at Toronto’s Illuminarium on June 11, and the occasion introduced out most of the most influential executives in Canadian music.
All three Canadian heads of the foremost labels have been current, together with Common Music Canada’s Julie Adam, Sony Music Canada’s Shane Carter and Warner Music Canada’s Kristen Burke. Reside Nation Canada’s Erik Hoffman and Melissa Bubb-Clarke — who, together with Riley O’Connor, have been this 12 months’s Power Players of the Year — have been additionally on the occasion.
Derrick Ross of Slaight Music took to the stage to current the Impression Award. The respect was offered to Remix Challenge co-founder and October’s Very Personal CEO Derek “Drex” Jancar, who was promoted to the position final 12 months and continues to make an enduring affect within the enterprise world, knowledgeable by his neighborhood affect.
Along with the award, the Slaight Basis and Billboard Canada additionally offered Drex with a cheque for $10,000, representing a proud donation to the Remix Challenge.
Sony Music Canada’s Carter took to the stage to current the Worldwide Administration Award to Courtney Stewart, Khalid’s supervisor and the founding father of Proper Hand Co. He recalled first assembly Stewart at considered one of Khalid’s exhibits and being immediately impressed by his drive and work ethic.
“Courtney has all of the qualities that it takes to be not only a good supervisor, however an excellent supervisor and an excellent mum or dad — two roles which might be truly fairly related. For these of you who’re managers, it’s important to be affected person, sort, protecting and unselfish,” Carter stated.
“I’m really grateful for being acknowledged tonight, and I wish to thank Billboard for all the nice work that they do within the lives of artists,” Stewart stated. “I’m profitable an award tonight, however the actual win is what we’re doing for others. Uplifting different individuals, being a blessing to different individuals, uplifting different communities — that’s the actual win. This win is not only about recognizing me, it’s about recognizing my right-hand workforce that’s so wonderful and all of you out right here as a result of now we have to return collectively to win — not for ourselves, however for different individuals.”
Hoffman and Bubb-Clarke have been current to simply accept the Energy Gamers of the 12 months Award, which additionally went to O’Connor, Reside Nation Canada’s chairman.
“This can be a loopy enterprise we work in,” Hoffman stated. “Quite a bit has modified on the earth of reside music, however the one factor that’s remained constant is that it’s in the end all in regards to the artists and their followers. If we proceed to work in the direction of collective objectives with that in thoughts, I feel the world of reside music will simply proceed to develop.”
Earlier that day, in the identical venue, Billboard Canada hosted its first Managers to Watch event.
Billboard Canada nationwide editor Richard Trapunski launched the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year Award, which is given to a supervisor who exemplifies the important work of the career. “It’s a really particular award,” he stated. “It honours a supervisor who actually takes issues to a brand new degree.”
Trapunski launched The Seashores to current the award to their supervisor, Laurie Lee Boutet. This was prefaced by a speech from band member Jordan Miller, who mirrored on how Boutet helped the group navigate the foremost impediment of being dropped from its label and provided a unique paradigm by not telling the band the identical issues each label did.
“She highlighted our strengths as 4 sturdy wild girls, as a result of that’s what she is just too,” Miller stated. “You might be a lot greater than a supervisor. You might be our sister and the fifth Seaside.”
Boutet was moved by the speech and walked up teary-eyed to simply accept the award, first giving a nod to her friends within the room. “It’s an honour to be in entrance of all these those that I always textual content for recommendation,” she stated. She described her expertise managing the Seashores because the honour of her life, including that they constructed one thing “female, real and actually cool as f–okay.”
Discover all of the Billboard Canada Energy Gamers highlights here and Managers to Watch highlights here.
Daniel Caesar, Khalid and The Seashores Stun at Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE
NXNE’s thirtieth version was one for the ages. The long-running Toronto pageant hosted the primary version of the Billboard Summit that includes A-list expertise like deadmau5 and Punjabi celebrity Diljit Dosanjh, in addition to Billboard Canada’s first version of THE STAGE.
Daniel Caesar performed his first main headlining present at Mod Membership in 2016. Returning to the identical legendary venue after having reached enviornment headliner standing, he handled the intimate present like a real homecoming. The Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE present was by far the most popular ticket on the town on Saturday night time (June 14), and the fortunate 500-plus followers in attendance have been handled to one thing really particular from the hometown R&B star, who now lives in New York. It felt like one thing that would solely occur as soon as, at this specific time and this specific place, at this specific pageant.
As an alternative of his full arena-style live performance, Caesar opted for an acoustic set, typically with simply him and his guitar and typically with accompaniment on keyboards or keys and drums. There was a spontaneity and looseness that linked him deeply to the viewers, who knew each phrase to each music. It was harking back to Neil Younger at Massey Corridor in 1971, showcasing an artist who’s reached the heights of their profession reconnecting with the true spirit of their early days with only a guitar, their stunning aching vocals and the followers who’d been with them from day one. Although Caesar had labored out a big setlist (traded round on Reddit after the present), the singer-songwriter was clearly deciding which songs to play on the fly. He took requests from the viewers, together with rarities he hasn’t performed in years.
Caesar even debuted a brand new music, “Moon,” which ached with the identical tender vulnerability as his finest music. When he first performed the venue, he was in his early 20s. Now he’s 30: “Not younger anymore,” he stated however glad to see all of the younger followers in attendance. He was frightened he was going to sob on stage, however as an alternative acquired all of it out of his system on the way in which to the venue, he admitted, passing all of the pivotal spots of his youth.
Khalid crammed up Sankofa Sq. on June 12 for a live performance throughout which his followers confirmed up in droves to sing alongside loudly to a number of of his largest hits. With 4 dancers in tow and a set stuffed with plain bangers, Khalid placed on a real standout efficiency within the coronary heart of downtown Toronto at Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE, which doubled because the pageant’s thirtieth birthday.
From “Location” to “Younger Dumb & Broke,” Khalid excited the packed sq. with songs from all through his profession. He even swiftly caught a friendship bracelet that was tossed to him by a fan and proceeded to make a coronary heart gesture again at them.
Khalid was all smiles all through his efficiency and acquired a roaring response upon asking if there have been any day one followers within the crowd who’ve been following him since his breakthrough debut album, American Teen.
The Seashores are about to graduate to enviornment standing, taking part in their hometown Scotiabank Enviornment this fall. However first, that they had a particular live performance to play for greater than 500 individuals on the Mod Membership. It was a real hometown present for the band; as Eliza Enman-McDaniel put it, “I reside a seven-minute stroll away.” It additionally served as a full circle second for Leandra Earl, who first noticed the group’s earlier incarnation, Executed With Dolls, on the venue properly over a decade in the past earlier than becoming a member of the band herself.
The viral success of The Seashores’ 2023 hit “Blame Brett” was not a one-off. The Toronto band has used it to propel themselves in the direction of main rock stardom, and you possibly can inform at this present. Taking activates a platform onstage, they flexed their enviornment strikes and propelled their songs with a selected new wave rhythm. The band’s Sunday night time (June 15) present was one of many final of the pageant, and its single “Final Women on the Celebration” off the upcoming album No Exhausting Emotions felt significantly becoming. Because the followers chanted together with the countdown within the lyrics, it felt like a catharsis to the entire week of NXNE.
Discover the entire NXNE 2025 highlights here.