SOCAN Foundation and SiriusXM Canada will present each winner with $10,000 to advance their career, with an additional five "artists to watch" also receiving a $1,000 cash prize. This year's recipients also include Desirée Dawson, Kareem James and Rachel "Ray" McFarlane.
Meet the winners of the 2026 Black Canadian Music Awards.
For a fifth consecutive year, the SOCAN Foundation has teamed up with SiriusXM Canada to present the SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards, which recognizes a promising group of rising talents in Black Canadian music for their excellence, achievements and proven creativity. The honour is given to five Black music creators from across the country creating within diverse genres, each receiving $10,000 to support the advancement of their career.
This year's recipients are Desirée Dawson, Kareem James, pHoenix Pagliacci, Rachel "Ray" McFarlane" and Tanika Charles, a polyvalent group of artists whose works passes through R&B, folk, bluegrass, soul and jazz music, as well as composition and scoring for film, television and gaming. They join a decorated roster of alumni that includes TOBi, Naya Ali, Dylan Sinclair, Nonso Amadi, Zach Zoya and many more.
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"The career trajectories of past award recipients have been remarkable, and this year’s honourees are poised to carry that legacy forward with success and impact,” says Charlie Wall-Andrews, executive director of the SOCAN Foundation. “As we mark the fifth anniversary of the SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards, we are proud to continue investing in Black music creators whose artistry is shaping the future of Canadian music. The exceptional talent of this year’s recipients speaks to the depth and cultural significance of Black music creation across the country and across genres.”
In addition to providing a key advancement to the 2026 honourees, the Black Canadian Music Awards has also co-signed an additional five rising talents as "artists to watch," who each receive $1,000 in cash. This year's rising artists are Leila Dey, Chad Price and Julian Taylor from Ontario, Zamani Folade from Nova Scotia and Mopao Mumu from Quebec.
Discover the recipients of the 2026 SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards below.
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Black Canadian Music Award Recipient Biographies via SOCAN Foundation
Desirée Dawson
On Instagram, this singer-songwriter describes herself in just a few words: genre blender and hope holder. Musically, the British Columbian moves between folk, bluegrass and pop with disarming ease—and, above all, with a smile in her voice. In fact, Desirée Dawson’s songs have an almost therapeutic quality; it feels as though she creates them to uplift others, lift their spirits, and awaken their inner strength.
Kareem James
In the music industry, few people can claim to be as versatile as Kareem James. Originally from Toronto and now based in Los Angeles, he moves between songwriting, composing and producing songs for other people’s projects. He also works as a music supervisor for television. Among his collaborators in recent years are several voices shining on the international stage: Banks, Durand Bernarr, Sasha Keable, N A O and Tkay Maidza.
pHoenix Pagliacci
When she sings, pHoenix Pagliacci’s voice feels timeless, shaped by soul and jazz. A true chameleon, the Toronto artist is just as at home rapping, as she has shown many times, notably in the cypher arena—which is precisely where she met the members of one of her former groups, The Sorority. She now continues to make her mark in an R&B lane, both with her group TRP.P and as a solo artist.
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Rachel "Ray" McFarlane
Rachel McFarlane is already emerging as a trailblazer. In 2025, at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, she became the first Black person and the first woman to graduate with the Screen Scoring Double Major in Film Scoring and Games & Interactive Media Scoring. In addition to working as a composer at Riot Games since graduating, Rachel McFarlane recently presented her work at Carnegie Hall, the legendary New York venue.
Tanika Charles
This Albertan—and proud Edmonton Oilers fan—already has an impressive track record: she has been nominated three times for a JUNO Award and has made the Polaris Music Prize long list just as many times. Her Motown-tinged R&B has been turning heads for years. Last year, she revealed a new side of herself, more vulnerable than ever, with her EP Reasons to Stay, a brutally honest and sensitive look at life in a relationship.
