The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) has announced the winners of the 2025 Breakthrough Songwriter Award, Nemahsis (Anglophone Winner) and Rau_Ze (Francophone Winner), presented by the SOCAN Foundation with support from Amazon Music. The award reveals Canadian emerging songwriters on the rise, highlighting their current achievements and spotlighting their bright futures on the global stage.
Emerging artists will be honoured at the CSHF Legends Induction events in Toronto and Montréal alongside this year’s inductees, bridging Canada’s songwriting legacy with its next generation.
The non-French-language winner is Nemahsis. A Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter, Nemahsis has earned international recognition for her powerful voice and deeply personal storytelling that explores identity, belonging, and the lived experience of being a hijabi Muslim woman. Her debut album Verbathim (2024) received critical acclaim and praise from icons such as Stevie Wonder and Elton John. In 2025, she completed a sold-out North American tour and won two JUNO Awards, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Recently named Women In Music’s Artist of the Year, Nemahsis continues to redefine independence in music, blending pop, R&B, and alternative sounds with narrative depth, cultural clarity, and authenticity.
The French-language winner is Montreal duo Rau_Ze, comprised Rose Perron and Félix Paul. Blending R&B, neo-soul, jazz, funk, and hip-hop, their music is praised for its authenticity and irresistible groove. Winners of the ADISQ 2024 Félix for R&B/Soul Album of the Year, the Prix Félix-Leclerc 2025, and named Révélation Radio-Canada 2024–25, Rau_Ze’s debut album Virer nos vies tackles themes of love, mental health, and feminism with depth and passion. With more than 125 performances including appearances at major festivals such as Francos de Montréal, FEQ, and Osheaga, the duo recently signed with Wagram Music’s WLab to launch their European career.
Established in 2017, the Breakthrough Songwriter Award has previously recognized artists including Aaron Paris, Fredz, Eli Brown, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Mustafa, Ariane Roy, Charlotte Cardin, Jessie Reyez, Lowell, and Les Louanges. This year’s winners, one in each of the French-language and non-French-language categories, were selected from a pool of 35 candidates, narrowed down to 12 finalists by a jury of music industry professionals, with thousands of fan votes also contributing to the final tally.
Reflecting on this year’s selection, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Executive Director Nick Fedor emphasized the importance of recognizing the next generation of songwriters: “This award celebrates and supports the next generation of Canadian songwriters, reflecting our mission to honour both the legacy and the future of Canadian music. We are proud to recognize their contributions to the craft and extend our congratulations to this year’s recipients.”
Each winner will receive a $7,500 cash prize tied to a customized career development plan, along with global exposure through Amazon Music playlisting and resources, thanks to the support of the SOCAN Foundation and presenting partner Amazon Music.
The Breakthrough Songwriter Award winners will be recognized at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Legends Induction Series events, taking place October 17 at Toronto’s Meridian Arts Centre and November 17 at Montréal’s Espace St-Denis. Tickets for the induction event at Toronto’s Meridian Arts Centre on October 17 are on sale via Ticketmaster HERE. Tickets for the Montreal event on November 17 are available at Espace St-Denis HERE. For more information, please visit: www.cshf.ca