Honey Jam has been running for 29 years and this season will feature a full lineup of young female music artists from all over the country.
What was originally known as a one-off show to celebrate a magazine issue has now become one of the most auditioned-for artist development programs in Canada that has given birth to notable alumni, like Nelly Furtado, Domanique Grant, Haviah Mighty, and Jully Black.
This year’s Honey Jam show will take place at TD Music Hall on Aug. 29 with 16 chosen artists aged 14 to 25, and feature DJ MelBoogie, and MC Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe
“It is so rewarding to be selected in the midst of so many auditions. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with Honey Jam and attend the seminars and workshops, learn more about the industry, and make connections,” Honey Jam artist and Toronto resident Aashika Reddy told Now Toronto.
“Being just 16 starting out in the industry, the sense of support and community is so important in my opinion and Honey Jam is just that! I am super excited for the final showcase as it is a great opportunity for all the hard work to pay off and really find my style of performing and showcase who I am as an artist,” Reddy continued.
This year’s program is particularly rewarding as artists will have the opportunity to learn from Daniel Caesar’s musical director, guitarists who’ve toured with Jesse Reyez, and workshops with Warner Music and FACTOR Canada.
“I think that their minds are going to be blown away and inspire them in their careers. It’s quite a huge opportunity that they’re having in their career that some artists 10 years into their career have not gotten. They’re getting it while many of them have not released a single or an album,” Show creator Ebonie Rowe said.
“It’s great to expand our community in places like BEATCAVE, we were part of their massive songwriting camp and our artists met cool, female producers and hundreds of creatives. We also have partnerships and provide opportunities with Women in the Studio, REMIX Project cohorts, RISE, and Girl Connected,” Rowe said.
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One of the artists in this year’s cohort will also have the chance to win a songwriting mentorship with JUNO award-wining and platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter Anjulie, who just performed with Nelly Furtado at a NPR Tiny Desk concert.
Musical instrument company Yamaha will also be awarding $2,500 to one artist interested in using the funds for sound equipment.
The end of summer show will feature a group tribute to Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” and one of Sarah McLachlan’s songs for her 30th anniversary of her first EP “Angel,” while celebrating her induction in the Canadian songwriter hall of fame, according to Rowe.
READ MORE: https://nowtoronto.com/culture/canadian-songwriter-wins-award-for-co-writing-beyonces-texas-hold-em/
In addition, CBC Gem will be filming the final concert, which has never happened before.
“We’re excited for the exposure we’re giving to the artists and for what we call the newbies to perform their original music, for many of them it will be the first time being on such a large concert stage and a professional production with a house band with world class musicians,” Rowe said.
When Rowe began putting on the show, she was self-funding it with her salary as a legal assistant while everyone else involved were volunteers.
“The financial support has given us the opportunity to provide higher-end opportunities for the artists like being able to take artists to Nashville, which is known as a music city or take artists to New York. That would have been impossible unless everyone had this money to pay their own way to go,” she said.
Despite more funding and higher-level opportunities, the experience has remained the same in the name of community and sisterhood, according to Rowe.
“What we have stood for from day one has remained consistent throughout. When we ask at the end of each cohort for their feedback, it remains similar. For them, it’s a life-changing experience. For many of them, the contacts they made at Honey Jam, they keep for a lifetime. They wind up performing with each other, writing with each other, supporting each other,” Rowe said.
