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Lowell has won the first Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award (presented by SOCAN), honouring a Canadian songwriter making a big impact behind the scenes.
The win was announced at Billboard Canada's Power Players event last night (Sunday, June 2) at the CN Tower. The award was presented to Lowell (Elizabeth Lowell Boland) by SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown and Vice President, Creative and Member Relations, Cameron Kennedy.
"Songwriters have it really tough," Lowell said, accepting the award. "We make no money, and then we very silently make other people really famous and then just cry about it at night because no one loves us," she joked.
"So it's really nice that you guys are giving me a little pat on the back — I'm going to take this on behalf of all of my amazing songwriter friends that have not gotten that pat on the back, yet."
Lowell, who has also released music under the same name, was one of five finalists for the inaugural edition of the award -- the first in Canada recognizing songwriters' work for other artists. Other shortlisted writers included Tobias Jesso Jr., Jeremy Fedryk, Ali Willa Milner and Aaron Paris — an extremely strong initial shortlist which featured a crop of writers responsible for songs that garnered Grammy nominations, top chart placements and millions of streams.
Lowell in between Cameron Kennedy (left) and Jennifer Brown of SOCAN, who presented her the award.Syd Deneau
Lowell has had a major year, which included co-writing credits on "Texas Hold 'Em" and "Bodyguard," two of the biggest hits on one the biggest albums, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter. The award considered songs from 2023, before Cowboy Carter was released, but beyond Beyoncé, Lowell has shown a unique ability to help artists break through to a new level.
She co-wrote and co-produced Blame My Ex, the breakthrough album from Toronto band The Beaches, including the Lowell-penned hit “Blame Brett,” which held #1 at alternative radio for 17 weeks and is rising at U.S. and Canadian Top 40. She's also a close collaborator of Lu Kala, the Congolese-Canadian artist who made her Hot 100 debut this past year, co-writing the emotional ballad "Nothing But Love."
In her acceptance speech, Lowell highlighted the importance of supporting Canadian talent.
"Some people think I live in L.A. but I don't, I live in Toronto," she said, addressing the room full of powerful and influential members of the Canadian music industry. "I like to find talent here, I like to see who L.A. is not looking for and what the world needs, and that's a lot of people that are here either in this room or working with people in this room. [...] My goal is to largely not ignore the real talent which is in this f--cking city," she continued to a round of cheers.
Though her focus is on Canada, Lowell's impact does extend beyond Canadian artists. She also co-wrote "King of Everything," the closing song on Madison Beer's viral 2023 album Silence Between Songs, which elicited much online speculation and chatter for its topicality about "men in positions of power...who have abused their power." Lowell previously co-wrote Madison Beer’s debut LP Life Support, featuring the U.S. platinum single, “Selfish.”
She's also written, produced or A&Red for major artists including Charli XCX, Hailee Steinfeld, Charlie Puth and Nessa Barrett.
