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One of the final moments of the night made for a memorable spectacle. The Beaches received the first-ever Women of the Year award at a Billboard Women in Music celebration. Previously, the award has been given to an individual winner, but this marks the first time a group has been awarded the flagship accolade.
“For us it’s always been about the music and having fun together,” guitarist Kylie Miller shared in their acceptance speech.
Before The Beaches — which consists of Kylie’s sister Jordan Miller, Leandra Earl and Eliza Enman-McDaniel — took the stage, a special video montage featuring Elton John, Kid Cudi, Arkells, Greta Van Fleet and last year’s Woman of the Year Charlotte Cardin, flashed across the screen. As each person was revealed, they got more and more excited. “I hope this resonates to everybody in Canada that girl groups are really on the march,” John said.
As he and the other well-wishers played onscreen, their reactions got bigger, with Earl miming her mind being blown. “That video was f—king crazy!” Kylie said.
Introduced by close friend of the group, Virgin Radio and iHeartRadio Canada’s Shannon Burns, the Toronto quartet were praised for building a career that extends beyond writing hits like “Blame Brett” — rather, creating a space for women to be loud, hilarious, queer, authentic and unapologetically themselves and continuing to redefine what it means to be a woman in the music industry.
The group eagerly took the stage, with frontwoman Jordan holding a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. It’s a major feat for the group to have this much energy as they’re in between dates on their No Hard Feelings tour.
“Being able to share this award with my sisters means the absolute world,” said Kylie. “And [it] speaks volumes to the hard work and dedication that we’ve put into this band for the past 13 years. She continued the celebration, tearing up as she shouted out the many members of their female-led team, including their manager Laurie Lee Boutet and day-to-day manager Alison Perdue, who were honoured as part of this year’s Industry Spotlight. “You all inspire us so much and bring so much joy, love and warmth into this project and this wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
The group wrapped up the final award speech of the night with a message to their fans and young girls looking to get their start in music — there’s always an uphill battle, but being able to connect with supportive listeners and being able to pave your own path on the way up has made the journey incredibly bittersweet.
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For nearly 20 years, Lights has refused boundaries and gone wherever her creativity leads. She’s danced between the worlds of pop, dance, rock and punk, showing her vision has no bounds. The odd couple Canadian icons who presented her with the Visionary Award just proved that.
The musician was surprised by an introduction by electronic star deadmau5 and one of Canada’s top-selling artists of all time, Bryan Adams, introducing her side-by-side. The two artists, both professed Lights fans, instantly hit it off. “I can’t believe I get to stand here with Bryan Adams,” deadmau5 said. Adams shared that he recently collaborated with Lights, and was “blown away with her arrangements and her singing.” deadmau5, meanwhile, said he loves her nerdy production side.
Both presenters were a surprise to Lights, but one she happily embraced. As she graced the stage, she made sure to bow down to them, in complete shock of their dual honor.
While it was a big moment for Lights, she used the moment to empower other young women in the audience.
“Send the email. Write the novel. Quit the job and start the business. Draw the comic. Produce the album yourself. Start the label. Eat the whole fucking pint. There is no time to do anything other than what excites you,” she advised. “So may we all be visionaries in our own experience.”
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While the night was filled with milestone achievements from Canadian female artists, the night wasn’t only about the artists performing on stage — it was about recognizing talent across sectors of the industry and building community across the whole music landscape. The list of talented women in the room was incredibly diverse — not just in terms of genre, but in ways they shape the space — from executives and managers to engineers and promoters to publicists and producers.
At the beginning of the evening, Billboard Canada’s CCO Elizabeth Crisante led a champagne toast to the industry leaders sitting in the audience, asking everyone who was honored on Billboard Canada Women in Music’s Industry Spotlight to stand. As their names and faces flashed on the screen one by one, they each earned their own round of applause — a powerful and celebratory note to start the ceremony.
Universal Music Canada’s Julie Adam won Executive of the Year, accepting the award from her colleague, COO of CARAS & MusiCounts President Kristy Fletcher. As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, Adam acknowledged the importance of celebrating Canadian artists and industry leaders. While she was the one winning the award, Adam highlighted the importance of determination, having a strong team and the trust of artists are her keys to success: “I promise to give you every ounce of energy I have to help,” she affirmed, citing her “delusional optimistic belief that anything is possible.”
Meg Symsyk, CEO of FACTOR, has been at the forefront of the industry, fighting a major bank over cybertheft, engaging in ongoing CRTC discussions and championing artists. Before Symsyk received the first-ever Champion Award from Wednesday Management’s Laurie Lee Boutet, she was in for a special treat from her friend and client, Rush legend Geddy Lee. “Meg, you rock and you are so deserving of this award,” he shared via video, which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Stepping on stage in awe, Symsyk talked about her background in rowing, equating the competitive nature and discipline of the sport to working in the music industry. “We may move around to different teams, but our sector and our community is actually quite tight-knit,” she said.
She recalled a moment when Geddy Lee bought her a wig during her cancer treatment (which, yes, she still maintained her strength and grit). She shouted out fellow winners The Beaches, recalling when she tapped them as concert openers in 2009 for her then-management client Brody Dalle, who had a rule that at least one member of every opening act had to be female. She also shouted out Charlotte Day Wilson, saying she should get an award for her Red Bull Symphonic concert.
Symsyk concluded with a crucial message for future music industry leaders. “Don’t be an a—hole,” she said definitively — proving that this accolade fits her perfectly.
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American alt-indie singer Julia Wolf has been making waves with her vulnerability and honest tracks like the viral “In My Room” and “Last Summer,” making her this year’s Billboard Canada Global Rising Star. Her album Pressure is turning heads all over the world — including one of music’s biggest stars, Toronto’s very own Drake, who spotlighted Wolf on his new song, “Dog House.”
Wolf was introduced by Billboard Canada National Editor Richard Trapunski, who said her music makes as much sense “at the Warped Tour as at OVO Fest.” Wolf’s acceptance speech was brief, but it was packed with personality and gratitude.
“Sometimes it feels like I only exist in a little bubble of self-doubt and self-consciousness, but moments like this really help snap me out of it,” she shared, before shouting out some of the special women in her life, including Twilight protagonist Bella Swan and the Gilmore girls — plus a special shoutout to Drake.
“It has been years of road blocks and dead ends and maybe right now I’m circling the cul-de-sac, but at least I’m moving!” It’s only up for Julia Wolf.
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The celebration highlighted some of Canada’s most exciting up-and-coming artists who took the stage to perform, including indie artist Ruby Waters, R&B songstress Aqyila and singer-songwriter Baby Nova.
Opening the show, Waters took the stage with a cool confidence, sporting sunglasses indoors and her acoustic guitar slung over her body. “Look at all you bad b—hes!” she exclaimed, before launching into a brand new song, performed for the first time.
Waters’ aura is naturally captivating, a feat observed during her Billboard Canada NXNE performance in June. It was a showstopping performance to introduce the night to the second-ever Canadian Billboard Women in Music event.
After having viral success in Canada and Africa, R&B songstress Aqyila blossomed on-stage with her hit “Bloom” from her Sony Music Canada-released album Falling Into Place. As she sauntered onstage, emotion and soul oozed through her rich vocals and tone.
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Baby Nova ran on-stage barefoot before eliciting a quiet “hello” to the audience. The singer-songwriter introduced her viral track “Too Pretty for Buffalo,” which she wrote with Grammy-nominated songwriter and Billboard Canada Women in Music 2025 honouree Lowell who sat near the front row. It was a fitting track to play, she said, because an event honouring women in the music industry would mean many people in the room had “been through your fair share of BS” — which is what she wrote the song about.
She wowed everyone with her performance — an acoustic rendition of her second-ever single that now has over one million streams.
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For years, Charlotte Day Wilson has been breaking the artist mould. Since hitting the music scene in the mid-2010s, the Toronto singer-songwriter has become a homegrown name, Grammy-nominated engineer and an advocate for women in the recording studio, consistently challenging convention and bringing fresh ideas to life. “I’ve been nominated for every award in this country,” she joked as she caught herself calling herself a nominee rather than a winner.
Wilson is the recipient of Billboard Canada’s Innovator Award — and as far as she could remember, it’s her first. (She did win the 2018 Prism Prize, a music video award she shared with director Fantavious Fritz.)
She shared that being honoured for innovation means a lot because it’s at the core of how she approaches being in the music business, including owning all of her music, which was always incredibly important to her. “When I started my career 10 years ago, I was adamant about being not only a singer but also the engineer, producer, instrumentalist and songwriter behind my music,” shared Wilson, who owns her imprint Stone Woman Music.
While it has proven to be a challenge at times competing with “major label budgets,” Wilson said innovation has always been about freedom. “It’s about building something new when the structures that exist don’t leave enough room for dreams or passion to live with longevity.” Community is key, she said, shouting emerging Canadian stars including Saya Gray, Bambii and Nemahsis as some of the most innovative women in music now. Wilson accepted the award with deep gratitude and the promise that she’ll continue creating on her terms.
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WondaGurl’s talent and influence is undeniable. Over the past decade, her sound has anchored hits for Travis Scott, Rihanna, Drake and the late Pop Smoke, while her company Wonderchild Music has become a launchpad for new voices through her publishing partnership with Cactus Jack and Sony Music Publishing.
With multiple awards and accolades, she has dominated a space that often excludes women. At 28, she has started opening doors for the next generation of producers, especially young women breaking into the music space. The past year has signalled her next evolution, as she released her debut album, Metal Tail, stepping into the spotlight as an artist herself. It’s that duality — executive force and creative visionary — that positions her as one of the most important figures shaping the future of music today.
Mentor, renowned producer and her namesake, Boi-1da, presented the award for Producer of the Year to WondaGurl and called her “the greatest female producer of all time.”
“I hope this award encourages more women to pursue their dreams in this field and thank you for helping us spread this important message,” she said in her speech. “This award isn’t just mine. It belongs to everyone who believed in me, listened and shared in this journey.”