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Management
The Beaches, Connor Price, Feist and More Pay Tribute to Their Managers at Billboard Canada Managers to Watch 2025
The event was held at the Illuminarium in Toronto on June 11, celebrating the honourees as well as the MMF Trailblazer and Honour Roll awards. Mauricio Ruiz, creator of the Manager's Playbook podcast, co-hosted the event, which also aimed to build community amongst hardworking Canadian music managers. Ruiz spoke about the tireless, important work managers do behind the scenes.
"Most normal people would look at what we do and ask, ‘why,’” he said.” Because when we meet an artist with the ability to express and interpret what we feel, we see the potential for something bigger. We imagine a world where, if we fully commit to this person, they could become one of the defining artists of their generation. That’s why we do it and stick to it. That’s what keeps us going.”
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He also spoke about the importance of self-care, as well as caring for those you’re working with.
“How are you supposed to take care of your artist, your team and your partners if you’re not taking care of yourself?” he asked. “To do this job well, you don’t just need to be functional. You need to be fulfilled.”
The MMF Canada Trailblazer Award went to Ryhna Thompson of Envision Management, The Trailblazer Award recognizes Canadian music managers who are carving new paths in the music industry. Thompson is a manager and producer who works with artists on boundary-pushing work, including the multimedia Nufonia Must Fall graphic novel stage production by veteran Canadian turntablist Kid Koala (who spoke highly of her in a video projected on the walls of the immersive venue).
Feist and Bahamas duet to introduce MMF Honour Roll winner Robbie Lackritz at Billboard Canada Managers to Watch on June 11 at the Illuminarium in Toronto.Door 24
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Robbie Lackritz received the MMF Canada Honour Roll Award, which celebrates outstanding career achievements. Singer-songwriters Feist and Bahamas introduced him with a playful duet of "Thank You For Being a Friend" rewritten to say "thank you for managing me." The rendition full of management jokes prompted warm laughter and reactions from the crowd.
Lackritz was joined by his young son Leo onstage and emphasized how family plays a pivotal role in the management world.
"It's not just your biological family. Your family becomes your touring parties, your artists who do your visual art, your sound design, your technicians, all the people that travel along to support. Family is just such an incredible support system," he explained.
Robbie Lackritz receives the MMF Honour Roll Award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in Toronto.Door 24
Billboard Canada cover star Connor Price took the stage to introduce his wife and manager Breanna Price, the recipient of Billboard Canada's Manager on the Rise.
He owed his music career to her, he said, and revealed that he first shared his secret of making rap music with her in 2016. He was nervous, but she saw the potential. "She said 'you are an idiot if you don't do anything about this,'" the rapper said. Breanna has been a strategic collaborator too, helping develop his viral social media skits as well as his breakthrough Spin the Globe series of collaborations with independent artists from around the world. One of those artists, Haviah Mighty, was there to cheer him on fervently in front of the stage.
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Connor Price presents the Billboard Canada Manager on the Rise Award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in Toronto. Door 24
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Accepting her award, Breanna Price offered a beacon of hope in her speech for those who want to break into the industry.
"As someone who did not finish high school and did two years of community college, I'm genuinely so honoured to be here today. It's hopefully an inspiration for anyone that feels stuck in life or for anyone who feels like they can't build something big because they lack credentials, experience or connections to begin with," she said.
Artist management goes beyond business, she related. It's about creating something new that fans can connect with. She described the brand she built with her husband as "a world where people can see us and know that it's possible to achieve a dream from the comfort of their home; that they can build a music or management career while being in a healthy marriage raising two kids without sacrificing that work."
Breanna Price receives the Billboard Canada Manager on the Rise Award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in Toronto.Door 24
Billboard Canada National Editor Richard Trapunski introduced the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year Award, which is given to a manager who exemplifies the vital work of the profession. "It's a very special award," he said. "It honours a manager who really takes things to a new level."
He introduced The Beaches to present the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year award to their manager Laurie Lee Boutet, which was prefaced by a speech from band member Jordan Miller. She reflected on how Boutet helped them navigate the major obstacle of being dropped from their label and offered a different paradigm: she didn't tell them the same things that every label did.
"She highlighted our strengths as four strong wild women, because that’s what she is too," Miller said. "You are so much more than a manager. You are our sister and the fifth Beach."
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The Beaches and Alex Porat present the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year Award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in Toronto.Door 24
Boutet was moved by the speech and walked up teary-eyed to accept her honour, first giving a nod to her peers in the room. "It's an honour to be in front of all these people that I constantly text for advice," she said. She described her experience managing the Beaches as the honour of her life, adding that they built something "feminine, genuine and really cool as f--k."
Laurie Lee Boutet accepts the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year Award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in TorontoDoor 24
Sonali Singh was then invited onstage to accept the International Manager Award. The honouree managed Punjabi music star Diljit Dosanjh for over ten years, helping guide his global breakthrough and record-breaking rise. Singh thanked Billboard Canada for the recognition and expressed that it was a marker of significance for her career. "This award, to me, means that I'm doing something," she said.
Sonali Singh hugs Billboard Canada VP of Programming Andrew Valle while accepting her award on June 11, 2025 at the Illuminarium in Toronto.
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