Shawn Desman is just not again. He’s nonetheless right here.
“It’s not a comeback, it’s a continuation,” he tells Billboard Canada.
Up to now 12 months, the Canadian pop singer has performed sold-out exhibits throughout the nation, signed a lucrative songwriting deal with Anthem Leisure and popped up throughout NXNE with unique performances for his most devoted followers. “Physique,” his collaborative monitor with Jamie Effective, is climbing the Billboard Canadian Sizzling 100 chart, sitting at No. 87 after 5 weeks on the chart. It’s successful on radio too, now within the high 10 of the Canada Hot AC Airplay chart.
Not dangerous for a singer who’s been performing for properly over 20 years.
Desman was the soundtrack to the childhood and adolescent years of many Millennial and Gen Z-aged Canadians. With bona fide hits like “Shook” and “Electrical,” he was a pop radio and MuchMusic mainstay within the early 2000s with the entire package deal — catchy, upbeat songs, hypnotic dance strikes and beauty.
He’s had a number of hits, however has been dropped by labels twice, most just lately in 2015.
“It was laborious and devastating, and made me hate the enterprise,” he remembers. “Success has many dad and mom, however failure is an orphan. Whenever you’re scorching, all people’s on you and needs to be part of it, however as quickly as one thing goes unsuitable and also you’re not scorching, all people forgets your quantity.”
In 2022, after a seven-year break, Desman’s life would change. He obtained a name from Drake, asking him to carry out on the All Canadian North Stars live performance at OVO Fest.
The gang went wild for Desman’s nostalgic hits. Afterwards got here a heartfelt second with Drake that subconsciously prompted his return to music.
“He thanked me and mentioned he grew up watching me carry out, and I used to be an enormous a part of his profession, which felt loopy. Whenever you’re younger, you’re not enthusiastic about making a legacy and provoking folks,” he remembers. “He instructed me the group cherished me and I wanted to start out making music once more.”
Learn extra about his distinctive comeback here. – Heather Taylor-Singh
Spotify Experiences Francophone Music Is One of many Prime Genres On The Platform
Francophone music is prospering on Spotify — and Quebec is enjoying a key position.
Spotify has shared new information that highlights French-language music and content material as one of many top-performing genres on the platform. 100 million international customers are listening to French content material, in keeping with the report, whereas French music streams are up 192% since 2019.
The information follows the discharge of Spotify’s Loud & Clear streaming report earlier this month. Whereas Francophone music’s attain is international — a staggering 100 million customers reside exterior of historically French-speaking international locations, it reported — Quebec is a serious amplifier. Almost half of Quebec Spotify customers usually take heed to media content material in French, Spotify says.
In Could 2025 alone, Quebecers listened to almost 10 million hours of Francophone music — and the quantity solely continues to go up. The consumption of Francophone content material on Spotify has grown nearly 20% 12 months over 12 months amongst native customers, boasting 130% progress since 2019.
The province’s Francophone listeners are getting youthful, too. Almost 40% of Quebec-based Spotify customers who interact with Francophone content material are below the age of 29, which is seen as a strong sign that the French language continues to resonate deeply with the following era of music listeners.
That information is translating into {dollars}. In accordance with Spotify, French music royalties generated globally are up 15% from 2023. This contains many Quebecois artists, whose musical richness appeals nationwide and internationally. Final 12 months, indie artist Patrick Watson’s “Je te laisserai des mots” was the most popular Francophone track on Spotify — and the primary French monitor to surpass a billion streams. The Montreal native’s monitor was added to over 6.6 million playlists final 12 months, showcasing its international attraction.
Final 12 months, nearly the whole top 10 list of the preferred Francophone songs amongst Quebec’s customers on Spotify was carried out by Franco-Quebecois acts. Beloved artists like rock band Les Cowboys Fringants, singer-songwriters Watson and Charlotte Cardin and rapper Enima are mainstays on the Spotify charts of their dwelling province.
Learn extra here. – HTS
Oak View Group Publicizes New Identify for Hamilton, Ontario Area: TD Coliseum
Hamilton’s splashy new area venture has a brand new identify: TD Coliseum.
When the previous FirstOntario Centre was taken over by venue big Oak View Group (OVG), it was referred to by the generic identify of Hamilton Area.
The courtship of sponsors is over with the announcement on Wednesday (June 25) that TD Financial institution Group (TD) has entered right into a multi-year naming rights settlement with OVG.
The identify TD Coliseum hearkens again to the constructing’s authentic incarnation as Copps Coliseum. Inbuilt 1985 for $42 million, the 18,000-capacity area hosted a number of Juno Awards, main nationwide and worldwide sporting occasions and concert events from A-list Canadian and worldwide musical stars. It turned FirstOntario Centre in 2014 when the credit score union of that identify paid for naming rights.
The sector is at the moment present process a major transformation below the management of OVG, one budgeted initially at $290 million. Building started in Could 2024 and the work is anticipated to be accomplished by the tip of 2025. The primary exhibits are already booked: Andrea Bocelli (Dec. 9) and Brad Paisley (Dec. 12). TD Coliseum may also host the fifty fifth annual Juno Awards subsequent 12 months, on March 29.
Along with the naming rights announcement, Tom Pistore, president of OVG Canada and a 2025 Billboard Power Player alongside OVG chairman/CEO Tim Leiweke, led a tour of the venue following the announcement this morning.
“Naming rights is all the time the longest course of,” Pistore mentioned. “Sponsorship and discovering the precise accomplice is all the time a problem, however we all know we’ve an ideal accomplice in TD. They’re the sixth largest financial institution in North America and so they share our imaginative and prescient for what this venue is for Hamilton and the Golden Horseshoe.”
Pistore didn’t give specifics as to the size of this partnership and the greenback figures concerned, apart from noting “it’s commensurate with a $300 million funding” and that the determine exceeds the $350,000 per 12 months paid by FirstOntario over a decade in the past. “It’s a multi-year vital funding by the financial institution,” he mentioned.
Learn extra here. – Kerry Doole