Music News Digest: Post Malone Sets Country Music Records in Canada

Post Malone has a big fanbase in Canada, as the more-than 100,000 people who came to see him at FEQ can attest. The once-rapper's new country recordF-1 Trillion came out last Friday, and it's setting records on this side of the border. According to a rep from Amazon Music, the album is themost-streamed country album in its first day ever on Amazon Music in Canada.

It's too early forF-1 Trillion to hit Billboard Canadian Albums, but that hasn't kept Post Malone from charting there. His 2019 third album Hollywood's Bleeding has reappeared on the chart at No. 49. Expect another big week to come.

Awards news

The Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) has announced Academy Award-winning Canadian film composer Mychael Danna as the recipient of its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. This is presented to an individual or collaborative team that has made a lasting impact on Canadian culture and their community. Their body of work will have garnered recognition and respect from peers and audiences whilst demonstrating the highest level of compositional skill.

Over a 40+ year career, Danna is perhaps best known for his score on Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, but his scores can also be heard on many other award-winning films including Girl, Interrupted, Little Miss Sunshine, Capote, Antwone Fisher, and Moneyball. He has been recognized by the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, Leos, Grammys and Genie awards. His feature film debut came in 1987 for Atom Egoyan’s Family Viewing, and Danna has scored many other Egoyan films. This award will be presented at the third annual Canadian Screen Music Awards (CASMA) on 25 September at the El Mocambo in Toronto.

– The 14th annual Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest is now open, with a closing date of Oct. 31. This annual juried contest spotlights new musical talent from around the world, offering cash prizes and opportunities to be heard and published. In 2023, the contest received 150 submissions from nineteen countries, including Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.. The first prize is $500, a composer profile in Musicworks magazine, and the composition's inclusion on the accompanying Musicworks CD. Second and third prizes are $200 and $100 respectively, plus editorial coverage. The Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronic Music is open to entrants who self-identify as female or non-binary, and it awards $300 and a composer profile. Prize details, eligibility, assessment criteria, rules and restrictions, and the entry portal can be found here.

– The deadline to apply for the Amy Louie Grossman’s Music Scholarship (ALGMS) is September 23. The ALGMS, established in 2012 in memory of Amy Louie, aims to support Toronto musicians with a $2,000 CAD scholarship to advance their careers. The scholarship winners will be unveiled at a special fundraiser event on October 8, featuring live performances from the recipients. Notable past winners include Jerome Godboo, Chloe Watkinson & Park Eddy, Bad Luck Woman & Her Misfortunes, Dan McKinnon and The Swingin’ Blackjacks. Amy Louie was a member of the family that has owned Grossman’s Tavern in Toronto (a legendary music venue) since 1975. More information here.

– TikTok Canada has released its Songs of the Summer list, featuring the most popular tracks and artists on the platform this season. No Canadian tracks make the list, but many that have hit the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 are there, including the No. 1 "Million Dollar Baby" by Tommy Richman, "Tell Your Girlfriend" by Lay Bankz and "Kehlani" by jordan adetunji. Check out the whole Canada and global list below below:

Top 10 songs in Canada

1. MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Tommy Richman
2. Nasty - Tinashe
3. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter
4. Gata Only - FloyyMenor and Cris Mj
5. BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish
6. Champagne Coast - Blood Orange
7. Tell Ur Girlfriend - Lay Bankz
8. Magic Johnson - Ian
9. Type Shit - Future & Metro Boomin & Travis Scott & Playboi Carti
10. KEHLANI - jordan adetunji

Top 10 songs globally

1. Gata Only - FloyyMenor and Cris Mj
2. Nasty - Tinashe
3. MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Tommy Richman
4. BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish
5. Alibi (with Pabllo Vittar & Yseult) (with Pabllo Vittar & Yseult) - Sevdaliza
6. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter
7. ESTE - El Alfa, Nfasis
8. Tell Ur Girlfriend - Lay Bankz
9. Si No Quieres No - Luis R Conriquez, Neton Vega
10. Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido - KAROL G

Festivals news

– The Mega Worlds Fan Festival is a free four-day outdoor festival, running Aug. 21-24, at Rennie Park on Lakeport Road in St. Catharines, in tandem with the World Rowing Championships. The Trews headlined last night (Aug. 21), supported by Revive The Rose, and other performers lined up include DJ Shub, Scott Helman, Mimi O'Bonsawin and Alex Porat. See the full sked here.

– Described as one of the world’s largest and most prestigious showcases of Jewish music and culture, the Ashkenaz Festival returns to Harbourfront Centre and select venues across Toronto, with events from Aug. 27-Sept. 2. The eclectic lineup includes AvevA’s Ethio-pop beats, a Yiddish big band comprising Socalled and the Toronto Jazz Orchestra, retro-futurist Yemeni music from El Khat, Jewish bluegrass from Jacob’s Ladder, and more. Check the schedule here.

Industry news

– There are 5 available positions on Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)'s Board of Directors this year. If you are interested in standing for election, please submit here your materials here. The deadline for nominations and materials is September 18. Elections will take place during CIMA’s Annual General Meeting on October 24.

– FACTOR's Juried Sound Recording: Album program is now accepting new applications, with a Sept. 12 deadline. It provides funding toward the costs of production of an original full-length sound recording and contributes to the marketing and promotion of that Sound Recording under the Marketing, Tour Support, Video, Showcase, and Radio Marketing components. Financial support is set at 50% of eligible expenses, all of which must support the sound recording. More information here.

– The CBC Indigenous Music Residency, empowered by SOCAN Foundation, is an immersive program designed to foster the creativity and growth of six First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Over the course of four weeks ( October 14 to November 8) , participants will be brought to Toronto, where they will engage deeply with the local community, access resources at CBC, and receive mentorship. Participants will be commissioned to write two new works during their residency, culminating in a showcase event where they will present their creations to the public as part of a songwriters-circle. The deadline to apply is Aug. 29. Info and link here.

Artists news

– Last year, highly-regarded Toronto singer-songwriter Arlene Bishop was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and she is dealing with this situation in typically creative fashion. She explains to Billboard Canada that “I’m transforming my learning curve about my late-in-life autism diagnosis into a music, film, and vlog project called Coping Mechanism.”

On Patreon, Bishop is discussing the topics that will become talking points in the upcoming vlog component to the project. By unmasking and coming out as autistic, Bishop hopes to encourage others to learn about neuro-divergence, to support other autistics in the arts, and to find self acceptance.

– Long recognized as one of Canada's best jazz drummers, Terry Clarke celebrated his milestone 80th birthday in fitting style on Tuesday, hosting a party and Celebrity Jazz Jam at Jazz Bistro in Toronto. Those in attendance included local jazz luminaries Bernie Senensky, David Occhipinti, Bob Brough, John Meyer, John Sherwood, Sam Dickenson, Ted Quinlan, Erik Lang, Norbert Botos, Ethan Ardelli, Alex Dean, Ted O’Reilly, Anne Page Galloway, (Director of the Ken Page Memorial Trust) and Neil Swainson, plus a packed house of Terry’s fans, students and colleagues.

– Prolific Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Charlie A'Court is prepping the release of a new album, San Palarino, coming on Oct. 4. A five-time East Coast Music Award winner and multiple Maple Blues Award nominee, he is reportedly moving from his blues roots into more of an Americana sound on this one, and it features co-writes with Matt Andersen, Terra Spencer, and Colin MacDonald (The Trews). Stream the just-released first single, "Two Days Of Highway," here.

– Two acts on Toronto indie label Paper Bag Records, Pony Girl and Sunnsetter, shared the bill on shows at the Collective Arts brewery spaces in Toronto and Hamilton last week. Both acts impressed at the Hamilton show. Pony Girl's sound veered from melodic dream-pop to fiery post-rock with ease, featuring phenomenal drumming and clever use of woodwinds. Last year's album Laff It Off (their fourth) merits exploration.

Sunnsetter is led by Andrew McLeod, best known for playing with Indigenous bands Zoon and OMBIIGIZI, though they have been releasing music under this moniker for a decade. As with those other outfits, their style draws upon shoegaze elements, alongside post-rock and ambient tones. The result is a wall of sound that is both mesmerizing and exciting.

– Singer-songwriter and radio host Lily Frost performs at the Toronto Botanical Garden on Aug. 22 (7-8.30 pm). The show will feature Frost's musical homage to Georgian Bay, the album Viridian Torch, and she'll be accompanied by a band and string trio.

– Highly-regarded Toronto piano-pop troubadour Mike Evin has released “Along the Way,” the fourth single from his upcoming seventh album Something Stirs When You Sing, releasing on Aug. 23. The track was produced by Chris Stringer (Abigail Lapell, Rose Cousins) at noted local studio Union Sound. More info on Evin here.