The 2022 SOCAN Songwriting Prize votes are in and Toronto’s own Emily Steinwall has been named the winner for “Welcome to the Garden.”
Steinwall is someone who wears many hats. From emerging composer to multi-instrumentalist to former back-up singer for Alessia Cara, her exponential growth and commitment continues to pay off.
“Welcome to the Garden,” written and performed by Steinwall, is the title track on her debut album. Infused with psychedelic jazz-rock, the seven-track album is Steinwall’s first ode to songwriting and has already led to the honour of winning Canada’s only fan-voted songwriting award.
While taking home the prize for the English category, Steinwall will also receive a $5,000 cash prize, a Yamaha Workstation, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.
“Just as a flower and the Earth are one, synergistically connected and inseparable, an artist cannot exist without the community of people from which they grow. We cannot be separated from our history or environment. This is the message I hope comes across with ‘Welcome to the Garden’,” Steinwall said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote, without whom I would not have received this award. I think this is a clear indication that music grows from the ground up – its roots in community, its meaning and value in how it resonates with others. Thank you so much to SOCAN and all of the sponsors for creating this award to encourage and celebrate young songwriters.”
The SOCAN Songwriting Prize stems from a panel of 15 esteemed music industry experts who nominate ten noteworthy songs created by Canadian songwriters over the past year. Music fans are then invited to vote once a day for their favourite song for one week to determine the winner.
“Congratulations to Emily Steinwall,” Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN, said in a statement. “Her talent as a songwriter is clear in ‘Welcome to the Garden.’ It has an emotional depth rarely seen this early in a career. Canada is fortunate to have such strong songwriting talent and the ten songs nominated for the 2022 Songwriting Prize are representative of a very bright future for Canadian music.”
The remaining 2022 finalists will each receive a $500 cash prize and a $50 Long & McQuade gift card.
Here is the full list of the 2022 SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominees:
“24hrs” – written by Johann Deterville, Adam Pondang, Savannah Ré Simpson; performed by Savannah Ré; Savannah Ré and Johann Deterville published by Sony Music Publishing, Adam Pondang published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
“By Myself” – written by Kahdijah Payne; performed by DijahSB and Harrison.
“Can’t Let Go” – written by Jeanne Gariépy, Gabrielle Godon; performed by Laroie; published by Arts & Crafts Music Publishing.
“Container” – written by Liam Cole, Thomas Gill, Dorothea Paas, Paul Saulnier; performed by Dorothea Paas.
“Find A Home” – written by Andrew Lennox, Eric Lourenco, Kirsten Kurvink Palm, Adam Sturgeon, Joe Thorner; performed by Status/Non-Status.
“Paper Thin” – written by Brendan Grieve, Nemah Hasan, Stevie Solomon; performed by Nemahsis.
“Stacy” – written by Kevin Ekofo, Jordon Manswell, Jonathan Martin, Evan Miles, Jon Vinyl, Corey Wong; Kevin Ekofo published by ST Music Circle, Jon Vinyl published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd; performed by Jon Vinyl.
“Trust Issues” – written by Erik Fintelman, Robyn Ottolini, Mark Schroor; performed by Robyn Ottolini; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
“want you more” – written by Amaka Queenette, Joshua Stanberry; performed by Amaka Queenette.
