Billboard Canada hosted its second annual Power Players celebration at Toronto’s Illuminarium on June 11, and the event brought out many of the most influential executives in Canadian music.
All three Canadian heads of the major labels were present, including Universal Music Canada’s Julie Adam, Sony Music Canada’s Shane Carter and Warner Music Canada’s Kristen Burke. Live Nation Canada’s Erik Hoffman and Melissa Bubb-Clarke — who, along with Riley O’Connor, were this year’s Power Players of the Year — were also at the event.
Derrick Ross of Slaight Music took to the stage to present the Impact Award. The honor was presented to Remix Project co-founder and October’s Very Own CEO Derek “Drex” Jancar, who was promoted to the role last year and continues to make a lasting impact in the business world, informed by his community impact.
In addition to the award, the Slaight Foundation and Billboard Canada also presented Drex with a cheque for $10,000, representing a proud donation to the Remix Project.
Sony Music Canada’s Carter took to the stage to present the International Management Award to Courtney Stewart, Khalid’s manager and the founder of Right Hand Co. He recalled first meeting Stewart at one of Khalid’s shows and being instantly impressed by his drive and work ethic.
“Courtney has all the qualities that it takes to be not just a good manager, but a great manager and a great parent — two roles that are actually quite similar. For those of you who are managers, you have to be patient, kind, protective and unselfish,” Carter said.
“I am truly grateful for being recognized tonight, and I want to thank Billboard for all the great work that they do in the lives of artists,” Stewart said. “I am winning an award tonight, but the real win is what we’re doing for others. Uplifting other people, being a blessing to other people, uplifting other communities — that’s the real win. This win is not just about recognizing me, it’s about recognizing my right-hand team that’s so amazing and all of you out here because we have to come together to win — not for ourselves, but for other people.”
Hoffman and Bubb-Clarke were present to accept the Power Players of the Year Award, which also went to O’Connor, Live Nation Canada’s chairman.
“This is a crazy business we work in,” Hoffman said. “A lot has changed in the world of live music, but the one thing that’s remained consistent is that it is ultimately all about the artists and their fans. If we continue to work towards collective goals with that in mind, I think the world of live music will just continue to grow.”
Earlier that day, in the same venue, Billboard Canada hosted its first Managers to Watch event.
Billboard Canada national editor Richard Trapunski introduced the Billboard Canada Manager of the Year Award, which is given to a manager who exemplifies the vital work of the profession. “It’s a very special award,” he said. “It honours a manager who really takes things to a new level.”
Trapunski introduced The Beaches to present the award to their manager, Laurie Lee Boutet. This was prefaced by a speech from band member Jordan Miller, who reflected on how Boutet helped the group navigate the major obstacle of being dropped from its label and offered a different paradigm by not telling the band the same things every label did.
“She highlighted our strengths as four strong wild women, because that’s what she is too,” Miller said. “You are so much more than a manager. You are our sister and the fifth Beach.”
Boutet was moved by the speech and walked up teary-eyed to accept the award, first giving a nod to her peers in the room. “It’s an honour to be in front of all these people that I constantly text for advice,” she said. She described her experience managing the Beaches as the honour of her life, adding that they built something “feminine, genuine and really cool as f–k.”
Find all the Billboard Canada Power Players highlights here and Managers to Watch highlights here.
Daniel Caesar, Khalid and The Beaches Stun at Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE
NXNE’s 30th edition was one for the ages. The long-running Toronto festival hosted the first edition of the Billboard Summit featuring A-list talent like deadmau5 and Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, as well as Billboard Canada’s first edition of THE STAGE.
Daniel Caesar played his first major headlining show at Mod Club in 2016. Returning to the same legendary venue after having reached arena headliner status, he treated the intimate show like a true homecoming. The Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE show was by far the hottest ticket in town on Saturday night (June 14), and the lucky 500-plus fans in attendance were treated to something truly special from the hometown R&B star, who now lives in New York. It felt like something that could only happen once, at this particular time and this particular place, at this particular festival.
Instead of his full arena-style concert, Caesar opted for an acoustic set, sometimes with just him and his guitar and sometimes with accompaniment on keyboards or keys and drums. There was a spontaneity and looseness that connected him deeply to the audience, who knew every word to every song. It was reminiscent of Neil Young at Massey Hall in 1971, showcasing an artist who’s reached the heights of their career reconnecting with the true spirit of their early days with just a guitar, their beautiful aching vocals and the fans who’d been with them from day one. Though Caesar had worked out a large setlist (traded around on Reddit after the show), the singer-songwriter was clearly deciding which songs to play on the fly. He took requests from the audience, including rarities he hasn’t played in years.
Caesar even debuted a new song, “Moon,” which ached with the same tender vulnerability as his best music. When he first played the venue, he was in his early 20s. Now he’s 30: “Not young anymore,” he said but happy to see all the young fans in attendance. He was worried he was going to sob on stage, but instead got it all out of his system on the way to the venue, he admitted, passing all the pivotal spots of his youth.
Khalid filled up Sankofa Square on June 12 for a concert during which his fans showed up in droves to sing along loudly to several of his biggest hits. With four dancers in tow and a set full of undeniable bangers, Khalid put on a true standout performance in the heart of downtown Toronto at Billboard Canada THE STAGE at NXNE, which doubled as the festival’s 30th birthday.
From “Location” to “Young Dumb & Broke,” Khalid excited the packed square with songs from throughout his career. He even swiftly caught a friendship bracelet that was tossed to him by a fan and proceeded to make a heart gesture back at them.
Khalid was all smiles throughout his performance and received a roaring response upon asking if there were any day one fans in the crowd who have been following him since his breakthrough debut album, American Teen.
The Beaches are about to graduate to arena status, playing their hometown Scotiabank Arena this fall. But first, they had a special concert to play for more than 500 people at the Mod Club. It was a true hometown show for the band; as Eliza Enman-McDaniel put it, “I live a seven-minute walk away.” It also served as a full circle moment for Leandra Earl, who first saw the group’s previous incarnation, Done With Dolls, at the venue well over a decade ago before joining the band herself.
The viral success of The Beaches’ 2023 hit “Blame Brett” was not a one-off. The Toronto band has used it to propel themselves towards major rock stardom, and you could tell at this show. Taking turns on a platform onstage, they flexed their arena moves and propelled their songs with a particular new wave rhythm. The band’s Sunday night (June 15) show was one of the last of the festival, and its single “Last Girls at the Party” off the upcoming album No Hard Feelings felt particularly fitting. As the fans chanted along with the countdown in the lyrics, it felt like a catharsis to the whole week of NXNE.
Find all of the NXNE 2025 highlights here.
