Canada's Music Incubator and National Music Centre Announce 10 2025 Artist Entrepreneur West Roster
Now in its ninth year, AE West is a month-long creative entrepreneurship program designed to empower emerging artists. An eclectic grouping of 10 participants are part of the 2025 cohort.
Ruby Swan
Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI) and NMC (the National Music Centre) have announced the 10 participants of this year’s 2025 AE West (Artist Entrepreneur West) program, which returns to Studio Bell, at NMC in Calgary, after a stint in Edmonton in 2024.
The artists will be resident there for four weeks, starting on Nov. 3, and the public will have a chance to see them perform live at the AE West Artist Extravaganza Showcase, a free live concert taking place at the King Eddy on December 3. All 10 artists will perform two songs each.
The 10 artists are Calgary pop-rocker A.N., Calgary’s Brother Bicker Band, known for gritty, harmony-driven “maple whiskey rock n’ roll”; Calgary-based singer-songwriter Eden Taylor; Francophone pop-soul songstress Élodie Orsei from B.C., hip-hop act John from Dawson hailing from Tr'ondëk Hwëch’in traditional territory in Dawson City, Yukon; Alberta country sweetheart Julia Vos; Zimbabwean-born, Calgary-based rapper KTheChosen; Indigenous-Guyanese rap artist Osani Balkaran from Winnipeg; Edmonton pop-jazz singer Roya Camille; and Calgary electro-hyperpop producer Ruby Swan.
“Each year, AE West reaffirms our commitment to artist development and championing emerging voices in Canadian music,” said Stephanie Hutchinson, NMC’s director of programs. “The program’s return to National Music Centre’s headquarters in Calgary will provide artists with an inspiring environment to create, learn and grow, and we can’t wait to welcome this year’s cohort.”
“AE West is all about developing Canadian talent and sharing it with audiences,” added Gianna Antonacci, programs manager, CMI. “This year’s artists bring so much energy and originality, and the King Eddy showcase will be an amazing chance to experience it all live.”
AE West is a month-long creative entrepreneurship program designed to empower emerging artists by providing them with the practical skills, knowledge, and resources needed to thrive in the music industry. It is an extension of CMI’s highly regarded Toronto-based Artist Entrepreneur program and it partners CMI, a national not-for profit organization, and NMC. The majority of costs for the program are offset thanks to the support of TD Ready Commitment, Stingray Radio, the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts and Manitoba Music.
