When it comes to Canadian music, few names are more iconic than Alanis. The Ottawa singer has sold over 60 million albums worldwide, and her landmark 1996 record Jagged Little Pill is widely ranked among the greatest of all time. Morissette started out on television and in dance-pop before that history-making album, which held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for a whopping 12 weeks. She became the youngest-ever winner of Album of the Year at the Grammys and internationally recognizable by name and by voice.

In the early ‘90s, alt-rock’s heroes were predominantly angsty men. Alanis’ massive breakthrough forever shattered the idea that artful anger belonged to the boys. Since her watershed moment, Alanis has established herself as an enduring force. Her next two albums after Jagged Little Pill also hit No. 1 and she’s released four more LPs since, as well as focusing on acting, activism, spirituality and more. In 2015, she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2018, Jagged Little Pill was adapted into a musical.

Over 30 years into her career, Alanis remains an icon to young women coming up in the industry, like Olivia Rodrigo, one of many who has cited her as an inspiration. And “You Oughta Know,” persists as an anthem for pissed-off girls the world over, a reminder that there’s good reason to get mad. “Anger underlies every great activism on the planet,” Morissette said last year. “So I’ll never apologize about anger.”

At Billboard Women in Music 2019, she talked about how anger was part of a spectrum of emotions and dimensions that songwriters like her could embody all at once. "These roles and archetypes are within all of us, all the women in the room and all the women I’ve worked with.”

Charlotte Cardin has been everywhere this year: on the radio, on the charts, even on the basketball court. Now, she makes history as the first Billboard Canada Woman of the Year.

The Montreal singer, already a star in Canada, made her mark globally with 2023’s 99 Nights. The sophomore album secured her first spot on Billboard’s American charts, with single “Confetti” spending 16 weeks on the Adult Pop Airplay chart. Cardin toured the album from September to February, finding time along the way to release an EP, Une semaine à Paris, followed by this summer’s A Week in Nashville. She even performed the Canadian anthem at the NBA All-Star game in Indianapolis, bringing her powerful voice to the celebrity-studded court.

Back at home, 99 Nights won album of the year at the Juno Awards and spent 33 weeks on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart. Its title track, “99 Nights,” hit the Canadian Hot 100 nearly a year after the album’s release, demonstrating the longevity of Cardin’s skillful pop songwriting. Cardin’s vocal talent first launched her to prominence on Quebec talent competition La Voix, but it’s her cool composure, vulnerable lyricism and close relationships with a trusted team that have helped propel her to international acclaim and a banner year full of high notes.

Read Billboard Canada’s digital cover story on Charlotte Cardin here.

Jessie Reyez is making her voice heard. Since breaking onto the international stage with her debut EP Kiddo in 2017, the internationally celebrated artist has always been outspoken about the barriers faced by women and BIPOC musicians in the industry. With a sound that blends R&B, hip-hop and pop, Reyez has five Junos to her name, as well as Grammy and MTV Video Music Award nominations, and as her star has risen, she’s made sure to keep social causes at the forefront of her art.

On 2017’s “Gatekeeper,” she addressed misogyny in the music industry, telling the story of a violent experience with a sexually abusive producer. Her 2019 single “Far Away” foregrounded violence against immigrants and the separation of families at the U.S./Mexico border, accompanied by a powerful music video that won the 2020 Prism Prize. In 2020, Reyez marched with protesters in Toronto after the murder of George Floyd and highlighted the Black Lives Matter movement as she performed the national anthem from the CN Tower.

That same year, Reyez released her acclaimed debut album Before Love Came to Kill Us and received the Billboard Women in Music Impact Award. “I’ve always said that being born a woman on this earth is like being born walking uphill,” she said. “There are so many burdens and bags that we carry and manage to do so with grace.”

Her second album Yessie brought her to even more ears, and she's collaborated and toured with artists from Billie Eilish to Eminem, Big Sean and Sam Smith. She’s been a hitmaker behind the scenes, too, penning songs for artists including Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa. From recent collaborations with Lil Wayne and Big Sean to a Ted Talk on turning pain into power, Jessie Reyez continues to take her place as an in-demand artist and collaborator on the world stage – and blaze her path forward.

LU KALA is in her rising star era.

The internationally recognized pop singer has been making music for years, co-writing tracks like Jennifer Hudson’s “Dangerous” as well as an upcoming Katy Perry release, but her breakthrough moment as an artist came with a head-turning collaboration on Latto’s “Lottery” last year. That track hit the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2023. LU’s solo tracks shot up the Canadian charts shortly after, with empowerment anthems “Pretty Girl Era” and “Hotter Now” getting serious radio airtime.

LU KALA’s penchant for upbeat pop and her charismatic confidence have made her a clear star-in-the-making. She’s spoken publicly about how plus-size Black women are often written off in pop music as not fitting the thin, white mould. LU KALA is breaking through those barriers, onto the charts and into the hearts of fans, including her 500K TikTok followers. "I'm just grateful to be in a place where I'm starting to have these wins that I always dreamed about growing up," she said when accepting the Rising Star Award. Her wins are just beginning.

Jully Black does it all. The platinum-selling Jamaican-Canadian singer has been at the forefront of Canadian R&B and soul for decades, and also has impressive careers in radio, TV, stage, fitness and more. Her awards include Junos, Geminis, a Dora Mavor Moore theatre award and an induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Along the way, she has been instrumental in shaping national conversations about social justice. She co-founded the women’s summit series Empowered in My Skin and passionately championed Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves on CBC's Canada Reads 2018, going viral for her grace in handling tough conversations and accusations from other panellists. She’s interviewed massive figures like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton and, with the Jully Black Family Foundation, has provided scholarships improving access to education for young women.

Her work in uplifting Black and Indigenous perspectives led to an impactful choice while performing the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Star game in 2023. Black sang “our home on native land” instead of “our home and native land,” drawing attention to Canada’s colonial past and present. She sparked a major conversation, and her action was appreciated and recognized by Indigenous leaders. She was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations. Jully Black stood with conviction behind her decision, telling the CBC that detractors were missing the point. “It's an opportunity to have a conversation and to impact change and to be a part of the change,” she said.

Decades into her career, she continues to push forward and make an impact.

When asked what advice they have for women in the music industry, The Beaches were quick to answer. “Make sure you do it with your friends,” drummer Eliza Enman McDaniel told iHeartRadio’s Shannon Burns, as they received the Billboard Canada Women in Music Group of the Year award.

The members fo the acclaimed Toronto band have been following their own advice for a long time. The quartet of McDaniel, sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller, and Leandra Earl have been together for over a decade, with a major label deal out of high school. But, joining forces with Wednesday Management’s Laurie Lee Boutet and songwriter Lowell for 2023’s Blame My Ex,their popularity exploded. Lead single “Blame Brett,” with its relatably messy lyrics and expertly catchy hooks, went viral, charting in the U.S. and catapulting the band to an international platform.

Since then, they’ve picked up two Junos, toured the world, and amassed millions of streams – and they’ve done it all together.