Unforgettable surprise performances in honour of Diane Juster and Muzion.
Richard Séguin inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The creative excellence of screen composers and the essential work of music publishers were also celebrated.
MONTRÉAL, May 4, 2025 /CNW/ – TOHU rocked to the beat of the SOCAN 2025 Gala, marking the organization’s 100th anniversary with more than 100 trophies awarded in 25 categories to honour the creativity and excellence of songwriters, screen composers and music publishers from Québec and French-speaking Canada. The event, hosted by Rebecca Makonnen and under the musical direction of Chloé Lacasse, brilliantly alternated between award presentations, tributes and surprise performances.
The event opened with a bang as La Zarra performed a vibrant rendition of “Évidemment” (International Song Award) after which SOCAN’s CEO Jennifer Brown welcomed the audience by reminding everyone of the historical importance of this centennial. “On this special occasion, I am filled with gratitude for the pioneers of copyright in Québec. Diane Juster, Luc Plamondon, Gilles Valiquette, Lise Aubut… and many others,” said Brown. “It is thanks to their determination that we have become such a strong group. Their legacy lives on, and we continue to follow in their footsteps today.”
The 34th SOCAN Gala kicked off in style, rolling out several Special Achievement Awards. The Cultural Impact Award went to iconic hip-hop group Muzion for “La Vi Ti-Neg“, a powerful anthem of unity, history, and urban identity. Diane Juster was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding contributions to Francophone music and copyright, while Charlotte Cardin and Jason Brando took home top honours as Songwriter of the Year and Non-Performing Songwriter of the Year, respectively. Banx & Ranx earned the Songwriter of the Year – Producer award and Cristobal Tapia de Veer, was once again, awarded the Screen Composer of the Year Award. The International Award went to none other than the trailblazing Kaytranada, whose influence reaches far beyond Canada’s borders. The Publisher of the Year Award, recognizing a SOCAN publisher member’s outstanding contribution to the music industry and creative community, was presented to Face Trois Musique/Third Side Music, represented by publisher Patrick Curley.
Honouring Popular Songs and Screen Composers
A total of twelve Popular Song Awards were handed out throughout the evening to the songwriters and music publishers of the most played Francophone songs in 2023 and 2024. Songs awarded were “Partout,” “Le blanc des yeux,” “Une bouteille à la mer,” “80’s,” “Vol à l’étalage,” “Printemps,” “Ensemble,” “Rien d’autre que toi,” “Night in Paris V. F.,” “Fake Friends,” “La fin du show” et “Feel Good.”
Two Anglophone Popular Song Awards were also handed out to “Confetti,” sung by Charlotte Cardin, and “Take Me Away (My Love)“, sung by Mike Demero & Zagata.
To highlight the vital work of screen composers and their publishers, the Orchestre Filmharmonique delivered a powerful, emotional performance featuring musical themes from this year’s award-winning film and television scores. The Breakthrough Screen Composer of the Year award went to Olivier Bibeau, while composers Kim Gaboury (Wong and Winchester), Miklos Simpson (STAT), Guy Kaye (Indéfendable), Gaétan Essiambre (Salut Bonjour) and Rémy Tremblay (L’île Kilucru) all distinguished themselves in the Music for Television – National category. Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Smile, The White Lotus) and Ramachandra Borcar (Kings of Coke) were celebrated in the Television and Film Music – International categories.
The inaugural Herbert Ruff Award for Audiovisual Post-Synchronization, shining a spotlight on the growing importance of post-synchronization and the vital contributions of creators and publishers in the field, was awarded to Éditions Backstage Passes for its contribution to the growth and reach of local screen compositions.
Special Awards
In the specialized music categories, rappers Souldia and Lost each won a Hip-Hop Music Award, Zeina won the R&B Music Award, Priori won the Electronic Music Award, Dominique Fils-Aimé received the Hagood Hardy Award for Jazz music, and Caroline Lizotte won the Jan V. Matejcek Award for New Classical Music. The Country Music Award went to Salebarbes, and the Global Music Award, presented by Gowling WLG, went to Waahli.
Breakthrough Artist of the Year award was presented to the phenomenal Fredz, who is rapidly building a promising career here at home and in Europe. He also offered the audience a rendition of his hit song “Le stade.” Finally, the essential role of SOCAN-licensed companies and organizations in ensuring the fair and ethical use of music was recognized with the Partner in Music Award, presented this year to TRAM7, an invaluable partner in ensuring music gets its rightful place across a wide range of audiovisual productions.
Mind-blowing Performances, Moving Anecdotes and a Memorable Induction
Several musical performances marked the gala with unique and moving moments. Among them was the performance by Marie-Denise Pelletier, who paid homage to Diane Juster with a remarkable interpretation of her song “Ce matin” before receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award from the hands of Yvon Deschamps and Rosaire Archambault.
Richard Séguin, whose induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame was one of the highlights of the Gala, was deeply moved by the musical tribute paid to him by Simon Godin, Luce Dufault, Jorane, Vincent Vallières, Ivan Boivin-Flamand, and Jeanne Coté, who brilliantly adapted some of Séguin’s greatest hits. His friend Patrice Michaud added a heartfelt and humorous tribute before Richard took the stage to share his pride, but with all the sincere humility for which he’s become known.
Cultural Impact Award winner “La Vi Ti-Neg” by Muzion was powerfully delivered by Shah Frank, Waahli, and Barnev, gifting the audience with a moment that was both festive and deeply emotional.
Finally, as the 2025 SOCAN Gala marked the centennial celebration of the organization, the evening featured video tributes from members expressing their pride in being part of the talented family of local songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Pioneers in copyright advocacy, Diane Juster and Gilles Valiquette, took the stage to deliver a message of gratitude for the progress made, while urging the next generation of creators to stay vigilant, ensuring SOCAN remains a pillar of cultural sovereignty for at least another century.
For all the details about the 34th edition of the Gala SOCAN, visit galasocan.com.
SOCAN wishes to convey its heartfelt thanks to its sponsors, Gowling WLG and ABP.
About SOCAN
For 100 years, SOCAN has been Canada’s largest member-owned music rights organization, resolutely upholding the fundamental truth that music has value. SOCAN collects license fees for the public performance and reproduction of music, matches them to rights holders, and distributes them as royalties to music creators and publishers in Canada and around the world. With a century of expertise and innovation, SOCAN continues to advocate fair compensation for the work of its nearly 200,000 songwriter, composer, and music publisher members. Learn more at socan.com.
2025 MONTRÉAL SOCAN GALA AWARD WINNERS
SOCAN ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
CULTURAL IMPACT AWARD
“LA VI TI-NEG”
Performed by: Muzion
Songwriters: J.Kyll—Jenny Saldago, Imposs—Stanley Saldago,
Dramatik—Jocelyn Bruno, LD-One—Ludwine Dujean, HAIG V
Publishers: Ad Litteram, Avenue Éditorial
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Charlotte Cardin
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR – NON-PERFORMER
JASON BRANDO
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR – PRODUCER
Banx & Ranx
SCREEN COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Cristobal Tapia de Veer
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Diane Juster
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
Face Trois Musique/Third Side Music
INTERNATIONAL AWARD
Kaytranada
***All Achievement Award winners receive The SOCAN trophy, the only major industry award that also doubles as a musical instrument***
POPULAR SONGS (FRANCOPHONE)
“Partout,” “Le blanc des yeux” and “Une bouteille à la mer”
Performed by: Roxane Bruneau
Songwriters: Roxane Bruneau, Mathieu Brisset
Les Éditions Musique Variole, Les Éditions Inspire
“80’s”
Performed by: FouKi
Songwriters: Adel “Poolboy” Kazi-Aoual, Clément “Pops” Langlois-Légaré, Léo Fougères “FouKi”, Marc “Ruffsound” Vincent
Disques 7ième Ciel
Les Éditions Lauréa
“Vol à l’étalage”
Performed by: Les Trois Accords
Songwriters: Alexandre Parr, Simon Proulx, Charles Dubreuil, Pierre-Luc Boisvert
Les Éditions de La Tribu
“Printemps”
Performed by: Koriass
Songwriters: Emmanuel Dubois, Marc « Ruffsound » Vincent, Robert Lord, Alex (A.C.) Castillo Vasquez
Disques 7ième Ciel, Les Éditions Lauréa
“Ensemble”
Performed by: Aliocha Schneider
Songwriters: Aliocha Schneider, Marc-André Gilbert
Éditorial Avenue, Productions Éléphant
“Rien d’autre que toi”
Performed by: 2Frères
Songwriter: Steve Marin
Éditions Musicor, Éditorial Avenue
“Night in Paris V F”
Performed by: Mike Demero with Aloe Blacc & Alexe
Songwriter: Mike Demero, Alexe
Artifice, Bloc Note Publishing
“Fake Friends”
Performed by: Billie du Page
Songwriters: Billie du Page, Lucas Liberatore, Brittany Kwasnik
“La fin du show”
Performed by: Les Cowboys Fringants
Songwriters: Jérôme Dupras, Jean-Francois Pauzé, Marie-Annick Lépine
Les Éditions de la Tribu, Éditions JFP
“Feel Good”
Performed by: Charlotte Cardin
Songwriters: Charlotte Cardin, Jason Brando, Lubalin, Marco Royal, Mathieu Sénéchal
Big Boy Éditions
POPULAR SONGS (ANGLOPHONE)
“Confetti”
Performed by: Charlotte Cardin
Songwriters: Charlotte Cardin, Jason Brando, Lubalin
Big Boy Éditions
“Take Me Away (My Love)”
Performed by: Mike Demero & Zagata
Songwriters: Mike Demero, Louis Blouin, Zacharie “Soke” Raymond, Lucas Liberatore, Zagata
Artifice, Coyote Records
INTERNATIONAL SONG AWARD
“Évidemment”
Performed by: La Zarra
Songwriter: Zacharie « Soke » Raymond, Yannick « KNY Factory » Rastogi, Benny Adam, Fatima Zahra Hafdi
Coyote Records
“ANTIFRAGILE”
Performed by: LE SSERAFIM
Songwriter: Isabella Lovestory (SOCAN) and 12 more co-songwriters not affiliated with SOCAN
SOCAN SPECIAL AWARDS
BREAKOUT AWARD
Fredz
COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD
Salebarbes
ELECTRONIC MUSIC AWARD
Priori
HIP-HOP MUSIC AWARD
Souldia & Lost
R&B MUSIC AWARD
Zeina
GLOBAL MUSIC AWARD
Waahli
JAN V. MATEJCEK AWARD
New Classical Music
Caroline Lizotte
HAGOOD HARDY AWARD
Jazz Music
Dominique Fils-Aimé
PARTNER IN MUSIC AWARD
TRAM7
BREAKOUT SCREEN COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
OLIVIER BIBEAU
CANADIAN SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
RICHARD SÉGUIN
FILM AND TELEVISION MUSIC AWARDS
DOMESTIC TELEVISION MUSIC AWARD
Fiction or drama
“STAT”
Composer: Miklos Simpson
Aetios Distributions Inc.
Fiction or drama
“Indéfendable”
Composer: Guy Kaye
Pixcom International Inc.
Fiction or drama
“Wong and Winchester”
Composer: Kim Gaboury
Pixcom International Inc.
Non-fiction or public affairs
“Salut bonjour”
Composers: Gaétan Essiambre
ÉdtionsTM Inc.
Youth Programming
“L’île Kilucru”
Composers: Rémy Tremblay
Les Éditions Gallen Musique Enr
Les Éditions Zone3
INTERNATIONAL TV MUSIC AWARD
Film
“Smile”
Composer: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
TV Series
“The White Lotus”
Composers: Cristobal Tapia de Veer, Kim Neundorf
FILM MUSIC
“Kings of Coke”
Composers: Ramachandra Borcar
HERBERT RUFF AWARD FOR AUDIOVISUAL POST-SYNCHRONIZATION
Les Éditions Backstage Passes
SOURCE SOCAN
Featured Image: Megapixl @ ponomareva
