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Awards

Quebec's ADISQ Awards is Adding Its First Award for French R&B and Soul

Developed with ADVANCE, the addition marks the first time in its 45-year history that the awards program will officially recognize the genres, and marks a major win for Francophone R&B, soul and gospel artists.

Papi Jay, rising R&B and kompa musician who works with Maison Kanda

Papi Jay, rising R&B and kompa musician who works with Maison Kanda

Via Maison Kanda

Quebec's ADISQ awards are making a rare major change this year: adding a new prize for Best R&B/Soul album.

The provincial Association of the Record, Show and Video Industry (ADISQ) awards its coveted Félix trophies every year at a series of galas. ADISQ already presents 18 album of the year awards, in categories such as Rock, Folk, Country, Rap, and World Music. This year, the association will present a new award for R&B/Soul album of the year.


The addition of the award is a major win for R&B, soul, and gospel artists in Quebec, Black-led genres that have gone under-recognized in ADISQ's 45-year awards history.

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The R&B/Soul award was promoted by ADVANCE, Canada's Black Music Business Collective, and Maison Kanda, a soul and R&B label. ADVANCE's Francophone Board Chair, Widney Bonfils — also Director of A&R at Universal Music Canada — has worked with ADISQ for two years on developing the category. The proposal for the category was also supported by nine other labels.

"This new category encourages soul/R&B and gospel artists to dream in French," said singer-songwriter Corneille in French, one of the founders of Maison Kanda. "I truly believe this is the beginning of something major, and I thank the enormous work of ADVANCE, which made this possible."

This might be ADISQ's first time awarding the genres, but Quebec's R&B talent runs deep, with rising artists like Papi Jay and Naïma Frank currently making names for themselves. To be eligible for the award, an album has to have 70% French lyrics and a runtime of at least 20 minutes or six songs.

Find out more about the ADISQ awards here.

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EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.
Courtesy of Girl Connected

EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.

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