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Faouzia
Awards
Faouzia to Accept the Breakthrough Award at Billboard Canada Women in Music 2026
The Moroccan-Canadian "Unethical" singer will accept the award, presented by FACTOR, on Nov. 24 at Rebel in Toronto at the star-studded Billboard Canada Women in Music celebration, recognizing the viral momentum that has made her a global favourite in recent months.
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Faouzia's music is taking off in a big way, and the Moroccan-Canadian artist is about to receive a major honour in recognition of that momentum: the Breakthrough Award Presented by FACTOR at Billboard Canada Women In Music 2026.
Tickets are available here.
The singer, born Faouzia Ouihya, debuted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 two months ago with “Unethical,” a single that dropped over a year ago but has gone viral in a big way.
“Unethical” became the singer’s first song to receive over a million Spotify daily streams in September, which Faouzia said she was “forever grateful” for. The song has reached 150 million global streams and become her second most-streamed single. The song continues to climb the charts, with a new peak in each of its eight weeks on the chart. It is also climbing the Billboard Global 200 with streaming momentum in countries including the U.K., South Africa, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and more. Billboard predicts an even bigger chart breakthrough will likely be next.
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The song is reportedly inspired by an ultimatum Faouzia received from an ex who asked her to prioritize their relationship over her singing career. Her virtuosic vocal delivery and emotion have turned it into a viral TikTok clip, with “Unethical” live performance clips circling across social media. Some fans have even tried their hand at singing the song. The official “Unethical” sound plays in over 44,000 Instagram Reels and over 533,000 TikTok posts.
The orchestral pop ballad was one of the first tastes of her debut album, Film Noir, released in 2025 followed by a deluxe edition in June. Following its release, it received much acclaim, with Faouzia now sitting at over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The project was followed by a highly anticipated deluxe version, Film Noir (fin), in June, with three additional tracks.
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What makes the achievement even more impressive is that she's done it as an independent artist. Two years ago, Faouzia announced that she was “now an independent artist for the first time in 6+ years" after parting ways with her former label, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Canada, where she released her first two EPs, Stripped and Citizens.
It's been a slow and steady ascent for Faouzia that is now paying off. Faouzia has worked with some of the biggest acts across multiple genres, including David Guetta, Galantis, John Legend and Martin Solveig. She is even credited as a co-writer on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Beg Forgiveness," released in 2024.
With Faouzia in the driver's seat of her career, her social media fanbase has been an anchor for the singer’s career as early as 2023, when she was named one of TikTok’s most popular Canadian artists. Faouzia received praise for creating intimate yet deeply relatable music that encouraged users to soundtrack their videos with it. Three years later, and that rings true, and the acclaim has followed into the live stage and the charts.
Previous recipients of the Billboard Canada Breakthrough Award include Noeline Hoffman (2025) and Alison Russell (2024), while the award has also been won at Billboard Women In Music by Zara Larsson, Tems and more.
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Faouzia will accept the Breakthrough Award Presented by FACTOR at this year’s third edition of Billboard Canada Women In Music, hosted by Leandra Earl and Kylie Miller of The Beaches. She’ll be honoured alongside the first-ever Global Woman of the Year, Cardi B, Global Hitmaker Bebe Rexha, Rising Star Chxrry, Global Visionary Summer Walker, Trailblazer Tia Wood, Innovator Blond:ish, Executive of the Year, Live Nation Canada’s Melissa Bubb-Clarke and Impact Award recipient, MusiCounts/The Juno Awards’ Kristy Fletcher.
Find the full lineup here.
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Billboard Canada Women In Music 2026 will be held on Nov. 24 at Rebel in Toronto. Tickets are available here.
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