Ottawa’s Maurice Moore Among Winners of 2022 Black Canadian Music Awards – Apartment613 | Biden News

The SOCAN Foundation has announced the five recipients of the second annual SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards (BMCAs).

2022 BCMA winners. Image provided.

The BCMAs were established in 2021 to recognize and celebrate the artistic merit demonstrated by Black Canadian music creators who are bringing new sounds to the music industry. The 2022 award recipients, Falana, IDMAN, Jon Vinyl, Shopé and Ottawa-born Maurice Moore, were selected from hundreds of applicants by a jury and advisory council made up of prominent black artists and industry leaders. Each winner was awarded $5,000 to support their career development.

Keziah Myers, Executive Director of Advance Music Canada, co-founded the BCMA in an effort to highlight and promote Black music creators. He said the idea to create the award came shortly after the death of African American George Floyd, who was killed by police during his arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.

“It was definitely a catalytic year,” Myers said. “Musicians were starting to notice the lack of black recognition within the music industry, especially in Canada. When we look at racial and non-racial creators and artists, there is a very clear difference, that a group has the opportunity to make a living in the music industry. leads to. Without that chance, [racialized] Artists are never really able to reach their full potential.”

When we look at racial and non-racial creators and artists, there is a very clear difference, that a group has opportunities that lead to the ability to make a living in the music industry.

Myers says the Canadian music industry’s failure to recognize and promote black artists has a significant cultural cost. Because Canada lacked the support they needed to grow their audience, black artists were forced to leave the country to find fame elsewhere. According to Myers, this is especially true of black artists whose music genres are associated with predominantly white artists and audiences. “When a black rock artist wants to showcase their work, it’s not seen in the same light, it’s not promoted in the same way,” Myers says. “That means they don’t have radio play, which leads to less royalties, which means they don’t have the numbers to tour.”

Through his work at the BCMAs and Advance Music Canada, Myers hopes to see more black artists and professionals in leadership positions in the Canadian music industry. “There’s a direct relationship between a label’s boardroom table lens and the artists and creators signed to the label,” she says. “Awards like the BCMAs highlight black artists and industry music professionals. They signal to the entire industry that they need to get behind these black creators, because they’re going to be the next big thing.”

And the rising stars highlighted by this year’s BCMAs are, without a doubt, “the next big thing.” Among the five 2022 winners is Ottawa-born singer, songwriter and producer Maurice Moore. Since releasing her first single in 2015, Moore has continued to make her mark, releasing viral singles and mixtapes and writing songs for some of the biggest names in the music industry, from HER, Justin Skye and Zara Larsson to K-. Pop royalty EXO and NCT dream. Moore’s smooth voice, powerful and introspective storytelling and careful production combine to create a warm, familiar, yet undeniably modern sound.

Maurice Moore. Image provided.

“It’s amazing to be recognized like this,” said Moore, speaking to Apt613 from his home in Los Angeles. “It feels like I’m being seen, I’m being heard. I have so much that I want to say and so much that I want to give to the world with my music. I’m really excited for everything that’s next.”

Like many black Canadian artists, Moore felt he had to leave Ottawa for his music career. “Ever since I was little, everybody was like ‘Man, we gotta get out of here.’ We always knew we couldn’t stay there forever. We didn’t have enough opportunities to really grow and get to know ourselves.”

Moore believes initiatives like the BCMA can help build confidence in the Canadian music industry’s ability to help black artists reach their full potential. “Awards like this let us know that we have support in Canada. And we do. Canada has been very supportive in my career in terms of grants and funding opportunities.”

But Moore also emphasized that pursuing opportunities abroad doesn’t mean leaving Canada behind: “I think it’s great if artists go stateside and try to get their name out there because you know, at the end of the day, we’re still representing home. I really wave the Ottawa flag everywhere I go. I never say I’m from Toronto or Montreal. I have to represent where I come from.”

Leading by example, Moore keeps Ottawa in his heart and in his words. His music is deeply rooted in the genre-defying style that he sees as a signature of Ottawa’s musical landscape. “It’s obvious I’m from Ottawa when you listen to a Maurice Moore album,” he says with a laugh. “People in Ottawa just mix things up and start new genres. They will mix dancehall with a ballad. They’re embracing so many different styles and different mindsets of music. That’s one of the beautiful things about Ottawa that I’ve always appreciated.”

Applications for the 2023 BCMA are open now through October 15, 2022. To be considered, apply by filling out their online form here.