Tribute performances honoured Reyez, Cris Derksen and the cultural legacy of "Let Your Backbone Slide"
TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2026 /CNW/ -- Canada's top songwriters, composers and music publishers were honoured tonight at the 36th SOCAN Awards, where acclaimed screen composer Andrew Lockington and global superstar Drake each earned five awards, leading a celebration of the people behind some of the year's most successful music.
More than 600 music creators, publishers and industry leaders gathered at Rebel as SOCAN recognized excellence across songwriting, composing and music publishing.
The evening celebrated several special achievement honourees, including, Jessie Reyez, recipient of the International Achievement Award; Jenna Andrews, Songwriter of the Year – Non-Performer; Jade LeMac, Breakout Songwriter Award; Nathan Micay, Breakout Composer Award; and Peter Peter, Global Impact Award for his work on Heated Rivalry.
Among the evening's highest honours, "Let Your Backbone Slide," the groundbreaking recording widely regarded as one of the most influential songs in Canadian music history, was celebrated with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award. Songwriters Maestro Fresh Wes, Anthony Davis and Peter Davis, as well as publishers BMG Rights Management Canada o/b/o BMG Rights Management (US) and Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd, accepted the honour.
While the evening celebrated a broad spectrum of Canadian musical achievement, two creators emerged as the night's most recognized honourees. Drake, who earned his sixth SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – Performer award, along with four additional Rap and R&B Music Awards, and Andrew Lockington, who matched Drake's five-award haul earning Screen Composer of the Year, a Most Streamed Film Music Award for Atlas, alongside honours for his work on the Taylor Sheridan series' Landman, Mayor of Kingstown and Special Ops: Lioness.
In remarks celebrating the value of human creativity, SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown highlighted the importance of protecting and supporting songwriters and composers in a future with AI.
"Music is an expression of a lived experience, and it's valued because it's real," SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown reminded attendees. "At a time when so much can be manufactured with a click, songwriters and composers continue to choose the harder road: to live and feel, then create music for all of us to enjoy. That work has value, and SOCAN will continue to advocate for music creators' rights to be fairly compensated for it."
Live Performances Showcased the Diversity of Canadian Music
Hosted by actor and comedian Andrew Phung and TV host Arisa Cox, the awards opened with Caleb & Brian Chan, Marito Marques and Strings From Paris performing award-winning scores from Boston Blue, North of North, Alert: Missing Persons Unit and Allegiance.
The audience enjoyed several more inspired performances:
- Savannah Ré and Jhyve celebrated International Achievement winner Jessie Reyez with a show-stopping version of her hit song "Figures."
- Shawn Desman and Jamie Fine lit up the stage with their SOCAN Pop Music Award winning song "BODY."
- Hailey Benedict delivered a powerful performance of "Things My Mama Says."
- Simone Schmidt and Christine Bougie paid tribute to Indigenous composer Cris Derksen.
- Asal delivered a spine-tingling version of "that's how it goes."
- Amanda Cawley captivated the audience with a performance of the title theme from the film "Ostinato" and "Snowstorm Dreams," joined by Strings From Paris.
- Rich Kidd, Keysha Freshh and Subliminal closed the show with an energetic performance of SOCAN Cultural Impact Award winning recording "Let Your Backbone Slide."
Awards were also handed out in the following categories:
- Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award: Cris Derksen for "White Gladis 1" written by Cris Derksen; Q052 for "Loud Sunday" written by Quentin Condo and published by Musique Nomade.
- Folk/Roots Music Award: Noeline Hofmann
- Hagood Hardy Award: Justin Gray
- Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award: Cris Derksen and Kelly-Marie Murphy
- Global Music Award: Ikky
- Licensed To Play Award: Mixcloud
- Herbert Ruff Audiovisual Post-Synchronization Award: Anthem Music Publishing
SOCAN Achievement Award winners receive "The SOCAN" – the world's first and only music industry trophy that is also a musical instrument, incorporating five custom bronze crotales tuned this year with notes from "Let Your Backbone Slide."
SOCAN proudly acknowledges its legal counsel of more than 75 years, Gowling WLG, as the official sponsor of the 2026 SOCAN Awards, with the SOCAN Foundation and the Unison Fund serving as official charity partners.
For a complete list of 2026 SOCAN Award winners visit: www.socanawards.com
About SOCAN
SOCAN is Canada's largest member-owned music rights organization, championing the fundamental value of music and the people who create it. SOCAN collects license fees for the public performance and reproduction of music, matches them to rights holders, and distributes them as royalties to songwriters, composers and music creators and publishers in Canada and around the world. With more than a century of expertise and innovation, SOCAN stands for respect and fair compensation for creative work – protecting, recognizing, and celebrating its over 200,000 songwriter, composer, and music publisher members. For more information: www.socan.com.
SOURCE SOCAN
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