After weeks of listening to artists from across Canada, this year’s Searchlight competition judges have chosen a grand prize winner and four runner-up honorees: Best Indigenous Artist, Best Country Artist, Best Teen, and Songwriting.
First Prize Winner: Maggie Andrew from Halifax with ‘About Us’
Maggie Andrew’s edgy alternative pop blends a mix of genres from R&B to punk and more for a unique sound. She has amassed over five million streams and has already received several accolades, including the 2021 SOCAN x Sirius XM Young Canadian Songwriters Award. Andrew was also a finalist for Searchlight last year, making it into the top 10.
“Winning Searchlight is such an incredible feeling, in a way it hasn’t really hit me yet. There are so many people around me who have helped and continue to help me bring my visions to life and without them I know I wouldn’t be here,” said Andrew. “I’m so excited! This year Searchlight has been filled with so many talented artists, some I’m lucky to call friends and some I admire greatly. I feel so grateful and so happy to be here.”
“Maggie is a real force,” said Keziah Myers, one of this year’s judges and executive director of Advance Music Canada. “I remember discovering her online and then seeing her perform on her first stage and the energy she brought was overwhelming. Fans were singing along with her and people who had never heard of her were so energized by her performance.”
“As a jury, we are thrilled to see CBC and Juno Allan Slaight Masterclass bring this rockstar from Halifax to the nation,” he continued. “We know this will be a game-changing opportunity for past winners and we believe Maggie will rise to the occasion and make her mark! Keep it up Maggie Andrew!”
By winning Searchlight, Maggie Andrew will receive:
1. An Allan Slaight Juno Master Class Experience
Andrew has earned a spot in Canada’s premier talent development program, the Allan Slaight Juno Master Class, for a week in Toronto, surrounded by the music industry’s finest. It will culminate in a live industry showcase.
2. A recording residency at the National Music Centre in Calgary
Andrew will spend five days in Calgary as the National Music Centre Artist in Residence presented by Partake Brewing, where he will have access to more than 300 musical instruments, a recording studio and a sound engineer to create his next album.
3. A Yangaroo distribution agreement
Andrew’s single or album will receive a full promotional distribution campaign, including professional consulting, marketing and advice from Yangaroo staff in creating the release. It will also be featured on Yangaroo’s website and social media channels.
4. A gift certificate courtesy of Long & McQuade
Andrew will receive a $1,000 gift certificate from the “Canadian music store,” Long & McQuade, which can be used for instruments, equipment rentals, repairs, and lessons.
Outstanding Country Artist: Amanda Jordan of Smiths Falls, Ontario, with ‘You Don’t Wanna Know’
In last year’s Searchlight competition, Amanda Jordan made it into the top 10 and received an honorable mention in the Outstanding Country Artist category, and now she’s won. Jordan is currently preparing to release her debut album, Still standinglater this year.
Honorable Mention for Most Outstanding Country Artist:
Top teen: Summer Bennett from Paradise, NL, with ‘Just a Phase’
Sixteen-year-old Summer Bennett writes bright pop songs with a twist, and she’s this year’s teen winner, a category presented by MusiCounts. Bennett’s song “Just a Phase” has over 60,000 streams on Spotify.
Honorable Mention for Best Teen:
Outstanding Indigenous Artist: DeeDee Austin from Fall River, NS, with ‘Tell Me (Why Am I So Different)’
DeeDee Austin’s pop songs are a blend of contemporary and traditional Indigenous music, and she is this year’s winner of the Outstanding Indigenous Artist Award, a category presented by the Indigenous Music Office. She recently performed at the 2024 Road to the Junos series, and has also been nominated for Dance Recording of the Year and Fan Choice Video of the Year at the 2024 East Coast Music Awards.
Honorable Mention for Outstanding Indigenous Artist:
Songwriting Award: Nobro from Montreal with ‘Where My Girls At’
Punk rockers Nobro are the winners of this year’s songwriting award, presented by SOCAN. The group roared into Searchlight’s top 10 this year with the fiery track “Where My Girls At,” a hard-hitting song about starting a band with friends. Their album, Free your pussyis shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize.
Honorable Mention for the Songwriting Award:
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