Keshia Chanté has been a defining voice in Canadian R&B since she was a teenager. At just 15, her self-titled album went gold, making her one of the youngest artists in the country to achieve that milestone. She relived it last year with a special 20th anniversary reissue. Over the years, she’s expanded her career into television, radio and entrepreneurship, all while continuing to release music that everyone relates to. In 2025, Chanté takes on a new role as host of Billboard Canada Women in Music, bringing her perspective as both an artist and industry leader to the stage.

Keshia Chanté will host Billboard Canada Women in Music.

Alexandra Stréliski is a Canadian neoclassical composer and pianist whose music has captivated audiences worldwide. Her 2018 album Inscape went double platinum in Canada and was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, while her 2023 release Néo-Romance continued to showcase her cinematic, introspective style. Featured in films like Dallas Buyers Club and series such as Big Little Lies, Stréliski has over 600 million streams globally and has sold out venues across North America and Europe, including a mainstage performance for 80,000 people at FEQ in Quebec City last year. She’s done so while remaining independent, and connecting with mainstream audiences on a scale rarely seen in instrumental music.

Ruby Waters has amassed 50 million streams, toured internationally and gained fans all over the world — and she’s just getting started. The Shelburne, Ontario artist’s independently-released debut album, What’s The Point, arrived last year, delivering raw authenticity through big riffs and vibrantly intricate arrangements. In 2025, Waters hasn’t slowed down, performing a captivating Billboard Canada NXNE showcase, hitting the music festival circuit and landing on the Modern Rock airplay charts with “Sour Patch” and her most recent single, “Wet T-Shirt.”

Aqyila is a serious R&B artist to watch. The Canadian singer has had viral success in Canada and in Africa, and her 2025 Sony Music Canada-released album Falling Into Place is one of the most acclaimed debuts of the year. "This debut album is the culmination of years of hard work, growth and learning,” she says. “All the pieces finally feel like they're coming together."

Aqylia will perform at Billboard Canada Women in Music.

With only six tracks in her discography, Baby Nova has already created the foundation for pop stardom. Born Kayleigh O'Connor, the Nova Scotia-born singer-songwriter has earned praise for her nostalgic sounds and dramatic vocals. Baby Nova's hypnotic (and sometimes raunchy) tracks have garnered notable buzz, with her third single, “Too Pretty for Buffalo,” surpassing one million streams. With a shoutout on Elton John's Rocket Hour and an opening stint for last year’s Woman of the Year Charlotte Cardin, Baby Nova is on her way up.

Emerging on the scene in the early 2000s, Fefe Dobson struck a chord with tracks like “Take Me Away,” “Bye Bye Boyfriend” and “Stuttering" that infused an upbeat pop sound with rock and punk influences, now a popular sound for young pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo. While elevating her own sound, Dobson penned tracks for Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks and Selena Gomez. An underrated influence on contemporary pop and a pioneer for BIPOC female artists in the punk/pop genre, she returned from an almost decade-long music hiatus and made her anticipated comeback with 2023’s Emotion Sickness, her first full-length album since 2010’s Joy. Last year, she starred in the Scarborough-centred film, Morningside, showcasing her duality as a creative, and also recently toured with Avril Lavigne on her Greatest Hits Tour.

Toronto’s Housewife — born Brighid Fry — leans on an indie-pop soundscape that has taken several years of early success and subsequent growth to reach. Fry first broke through in her teens as one half of Moscow Apartment, before a name change and the launch of this solo project in 2022. Filled with curiosity and questions of identity, Fry, now 22, is leaning into fresh territory on her 2025 EP, Girl Of The Hour, with tracks like “Matilda” and “Work Song” exploring a limitless genre scope and increasingly personal and nuanced themes including activism (Fry helped set up the Canadian branch of Music Declares Emergency) and exploration of their non-binary identity.

Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist Luna Li made a name for herself locally before gaining traction during the pandemic, releasing a series of solo jams online from her bedroom. Since then, her style of baroque pop has levelled up, winning her a SOCAN Songwriting Prize and opening slots for beloved indie artists like Japanese Breakfast and Wolf Alice. Last month, her sophomore album, 2024’s When a Thought Grows Wings, was revisited with a new track, “You Didn’t Have To Go,” new jams and remixes of seven out of 12 tracks on the project.

When Nicolina began posting videos from her Toronto suburban bedroom in 2020, she never anticipated being on the American Idol audition stage two years later. Now, the top five finalist boasts 1.7 million followers on TikTok, captivating listeners with her breathtaking high notes, rich tone and controlled range. Leaning into her love of ballads, Nicolina’s latest single, “You,” is a confessional track that puts her emotive voice at the forefront. It gained over 125,000 streams on Spotify in its first 48 hours, proving audiences are ready for what’s next from the talented singer-songwriter.

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Osé is a Nigerian-Canadian singer based in Toronto whose music draws from Afrobeat, alt R&B, soul and gospel. She grew up singing in church before breaking through in 2024 with her viral single “Makaveli." In 2025, she built on her momentum with “24HRS,” a song that brings together Nigerian influences with atmospheric R&B, reinforcing her place as one of today’s standout emerging Afro-soul artists.

Tanika Charles is a Toronto-based soul and R&B artist whose work has earned her two Juno nominations and three Polaris Prize long-list placements. In 2025, she released Reasons To Stay, her fourth studio album, preceded by singles like “Talk To Me Nice” and “Consistency.” She has a timeless sound that feels like it could have come from any era, but you’re always glad it’s this one.

Since her debut single, Toronto singer-songwriter Grae has built a new-wave pop sound that is nostalgic-yet-modern. Spending the better part of a decade channeling deeply personal lyrics and captivating melodies, one of her biggest hits is “Permanent Maniac,” an alt-pop bop named one of U.S. Billboard’s 30 Best Pop Songs of 2020 — it served as her second EP’s title track, which has garnered over 10 million streams. This year, the acclaimed artist has kept her foot on the gas, releasing her sophomore album, 7 Minutes ‘Til Heaven, and is set to release an EP, Heated! in late October, where listeners can expect an elevated sound. Her new song "Never Pick Up" is out now.

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Lilyisthatyou is one of Toronto’s boldest new pop voices. She broke through with her viral hit “FMRN” on TikTok, and has since built a reputation for fearless songwriting that dives into themes of sex, power, and identity. Formerly signed to Warner and now thriving as an independent artist, she’s carving out a global platform, proving herself as an artist who refuses to hold back. Lilyisthatyou's new EP Lilith is out now.

Life is oh-so-sweet for Chxrry. The Scarborough artist (formerly known as Chxrry22) has a co-sign from one of Canada's biggest stars, as the first woman signed to The Weeknd's XO Records. After posting viral song covers on social media, she released her debut EP, The Other Side, on the label in 2022. The next year, she followed it up with Siren, an EP full of R&B-pop hits led by Chxrry's commanding voice. Now, she’s back in full force, with two singles, “Just Like Me” and “Main Character” — the latter of which has 17,000 videos attached to it on TikTok. As a new era is loading, Chxrry is giving main character energy.

2025 is shaping up to be the year of Goldie Boutilier. Earlier this year, the Nova Scotia native released her album Goldie Boutilier Presents Goldie Montana, a project that she has described as her "manifesto," and celebrates her alter-ego. Reaching more than one million monthly listeners on Spotify, Boutilier was tapped to open for Katy Perry’s U.K. Lifetimes Tour, and her single “King of Possibilities” is the opening theme of the hit Netflix series The Hunting Wives. In July, she performed to her biggest crowd ever at Festival d’été de Québec and shows no signs of slowing down.

Omega Mighty is a Toronto-born artist whose music draws from R&B, reggae, dancehall and afrobeats, rooted deeply in her Caribbean heritage. In 2024, she also wrote Brampton’s city anthem “Celebrate You.” She comes from a talented family, sometimes collaborating with her sister, rapper Haviah Mighty. This year, Omega released her new album Regenesis, getting bodies moving all over the country.

NOBRO is a Montreal punk band known for crowd-igniting shows. Formed with the goal of challenging rock’s status quo, they’ve built a reputation through relentless touring and sharp songwriting. Their 2023 debut album Set Your Pussy Free was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and went on to win the 2025 Juno Award for rock album of the year. When they're around, the energy is high.

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REZZ is one of electronic music’s most exciting names. Known for her hypnotic, bass-heavy tracks and signature LED glasses, she has grown from early mau5trap releases to running her own label, HypnoVizion. In 2025, she’s hitting new highs with her PORTAL tour and a historic Dome headlining show.

“These days I just care about impressing myself… I get so much more stoked and fulfilled when I’m really really passionate and excited about what I’m doing,” she told Billboard Canada in a cover story this year. REZZ put out her anticipated album As The Pendulum Swings earlier this month.