Canadian Musician - March / April 2020 | Page 15

(L-R) SOCAN CEO ERIC BAPTISTE, LEELA GILDAY, HAVIAH MIGHTY & SOCAN FOUNDATION ED CHARLIE WALL-ANDREWS Haviah Mighty & Leela Gilday Win Inaugural Her Music Awards Haviah Mighty and Leela Gilday were named the recipients of the SOCAN Foundation’s inaugural Her Music Awards. Each received a $5,000 prize during a full-house reception held in downtown Toronto on Feb. 6 th . “The Her Music Awards are designed to celebrate and support female-iden- tified people building momentum as music creators, on the verge of taking their creative careers to the next level,” says Charlie Wall-Andrews, executive director of the SOCAN Foundation and creator of the program. “This program is also designed to empower award recipients and to help them reach their full potential.” Haviah Mighty has been releasing music independently since 2009, finding critical and commercial success with her 2017 EP Flower City, as a member of rap trio The Sorority, and with her Polaris Prize- winning debut solo LP 13 th Floor. Gilday, a JUNO Award winner, was born and raised in Denendeh, NT, and writes about the people and the land that created her. She has toured every province and terri- tory and several countries internationally. For more information, go to www.socanfoundation.ca/awards. Debra Rathwell Honoured with Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame Induction Canadian Music Week has announced that Debra Rathwell, executive VP of global touring and talent at AEG Presents, will be inducted into the Canadian Music & Broad- cast Industry Hall of Fame. Rathwell is being recognized as one of the most respected and admired professionals in the concert industry, as well as one of its highest-rank- ing female executives. She began her career as executive assis- DEBRA RATHWELL tant to Canadian music legend Harvey Glatt. In 1982, Rathwell joined concert promoter Donald K Donald Productions as the com- pany’s first VP and later senior VP. She later joined AEG’s concert division, launching the American Idol tour franchise, and followed that with a string of successes in the “televi- sion meets live event” sphere. For more information, go to www.cmw.net. CANADIAN MUSICIAN 15