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Searchlight 2021: the Top 100 artists

CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight 2021 has announced its Top 100 finalists.

The votes are in: these are the Top 100 artists, as chosen by you and our top industry experts

Grant Lawrence · CBC Music ·
The CBC Music Toyota Searchlight Top 100 has been announced. (CBC)

For CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight 2021, the first cut is the deepest.

Here's how this national Top 100 was decided: half of the list was decided by your votes, meaning that the 50 artists with the highest number of votes have automatically made it through (check them out in alphabetical order below); the remaining 50 made it through by internal judging from a team of CBC Music producers and leading Canadian music industry experts (you can check out that list of candidates below, too).

The Top 10 finalists will be announced on Tuesday, June 15. Three of the finalists will be determined by votes, while seven will be chosen by our judges.

Once the Top 10 is announced, our panel of music industry judges will take over to determine the grand prize winner and four runners-up of CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight 2021, which will be announced on Tuesday, June 22. 

Good luck and congratulations to all Searchlight 2021 Top 100 national contenders!

Voting on the Top 100 is now closed.

Top 50 as judged by CBC Music

  • Ajay Friese, "Higher Stakes" (Victoria) 
  • Alicia Moffet, "Body High" (Montreal)
  • Ashton Francis, "Cruise" (Toronto)
  • Bishop Boys, "Dark Days" (Windsor, Ont..)
  • BLK, "Got It" (Toronto) 
  • B.Rob, "Want You" (Scarborough, Ont.)
  • Close Kicks, "The House we Built" (Lindsay, Ont.)
  • Daniel on the High Dive, "Broadcast From my Bedroom" (Ingleside, Ont.) 
  • Danielle Ryan, "Weather Man" (Pitt Meadows, B.C.)
  • Devaney, "Crazy" (Toronto)
  • Darcy Scott, "1000 Words" (St. John's) 
  • Elena, "Bonnie & Clyde" (Smithers, B.C.) 
  • Elob, "I Wanna be the One" (Montreal)
  • Elyse Saunders, "Free" (Toronto)
  • Ezra Jordan, "Cougars (It Don't Matter)" (Toronto)
  • Fade Awaays, "Silent Treatment" (Toronto)
  • Gavin McLeod, "Like This" (Milton, Ont.)
  • Jess and Tay, "Into Tomorrow" (Hamilton, Ont.)
  • Jessa Sky, "On my Own" (Edmonton) 
  • Jiants, "Some Kind of Loser" (Toronto)
  • Jhyve, "Down" (Toronto) 
  • Josh Sahunta, "Falling For You" (Edmonton) 
  • Justine Blanchet, "Get Out Of The Mud" (St. Colomban, Que.)
  • Kenzie Cates, "Ruin It" (Vancouver)
  • Lila Gray, "Nevermind" (Nelson, B.C.)
  • Locals Only Sound, "Move With Me" (Toronto)
  • Madisyn Gifford, "Voulez-Vous" (Surrey, B.C.) 
  • Maf, "Coeur de Gamin" (Levis, Que.)
  • Manafest, "Save You" (Pickering, Ont.) 
  • Martin Kerr, "Starin' at the Ceiling" (Edmonton) 
  • Maya Malkin, "Hostage" (Toronto)
  • Michaela Slinger, "Masquerade" (Vancouver) 
  • Mikalyn, "I Love you too Much" (Guelph, Ont.) 
  • Moira Bren, "Just Cars" (Antigonish, N.S.) 
  • New City, "Losing my Mind" (Toronto)
  • Nova Rose, "Need Me" (Montreal)
  • Oliver Michael, "Spend a Lifetime" (Rossland, B.C.) 
  • Patrik Kabongo, "High End" (Montreal)
  • Rachel Cousins, "Aftermath" (Portugal Cove, N.L.) 
  • Riell, "First" (Edmonton) 
  • Royal Foundry, "okay?" (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
  • Static Shift, "Bottom Line" (Calgary)
  • Sydney Mae, "Feet First" (Toronto) 
  • Simone Miller, "Dry Eyes" (Pottageville, Ont.)
  • Sinzere, "Let's get It" (Calgary) 
  • Tanisha, "Deep Down" (Toronto)
  • Teigen Gayse, "I Don't Wanna Fall in Love Anymore" (Kelowna, B.C.)
  • TRP.P, "Chakra Con" (Toronto)
  • Victory, "up" (Calgary)
  • Wayfie, " I Just Wanna See My Friends" (Vancouver)

Top 50 as decided by audience votes

  • Aaron MacDonald, "Gonna get There" (Mabou, N.S.)
  • Alanna Matty, "So Much" (Toronto)
  • Alison Postma, "In Waves" (Almonte, Ont.)
  • Anna B., "Goodbye" (Woodstock, Ont.)
  • Argel Monte de Ramos, "It Doesn't Matter" (Surrey, B.C..)
  • Brian Mendoza, "1 2 3 4" (Regina)
  • Bobby Parent, "Real Love" (Summerstown, Ont.)
  • Cory Gallant, "Just the Whiskey" (Woodstock, P.E.I.)
  • Earth Tones, "All I Got" (Vancouver)
  • Erin Blackstock, "Meet Me on Main St." (Sutton, Ont.)
  • Eve Parker Finley, "Icaurs" (Montreal)
  • Excuse Me., "The Bike Song (Guelph, Ont.)
  • Gabrielle Sofia, "Dime" (Halifax)
  • Grace Kristin, "Centerpiece" (Ottawa)
  • Hypochondriacs, "Cheated" (Fredericton, N.B.)
  • HXGO, "Ukulele" (Toronto)
  • Icarus, "Icarus" (Richibucto, N.B.)
  • Jace Carillo, "Me Calienta" (Montreal)
  • Jenna-Marie Gallant, "Pin me to the Wall" (Rustico, P.E.I.)
  • JordinLaine, "Beside the Tide" (Dryden, Ont.)
  • Julie and Danny, "Me and You" (Alberton, P.E.I.)
  • Kalem Singh, "Heartbroken" (Winnipeg)
  • Katherine Lynn-Rose, "Top of my School" (Burlington, Ont.)
  • KeAloha, "Mama's Hands" (Vancouver)
  • Kevin Ryan, "Glass Houses" (Belfast, P.E.I.)
  • Little V, "All my Fault" (Montreal)
  • Lockyer Boys, "Surfing in L.A." (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
  • Loops, "One More Story" (Kamloops, B.C.)
  • Luxe, "Toxic" (Hamilton, Ont.)
  • Lyle Kam, "Unlove" (North York, Ont.)
  • Madison Galloway, "Devil in her Eye" (Fergus, Ont.)
  • Mbira Spirit, "Ferry me Home" (Duncan, BC.)
  • Morris Colman-Peck, "the medicine" (Toronto)
  • Michael S. Ryan, "Empire" (Still Water Lake, N.S.)
  • Mutari, "Momma" (Toronto)
  • Paul Caldwell, "Headlines" (Vancouver)
  • Pillow Fite, "Playing the Fool" (Halifax)
  • River Town Saints, "Long Time Coming" (Arnprior, Ont.)
  • Robyn Slade, "Hero's Heart" (Gander, N.L.)
  • Ryan Mallany, "When I Have Gone" (Newmarket, Ont.)
  • Sean Hassard, "Summer Rose" (Montreal)
  • Serena Sun, "What you Wanted" (Vancouver)
  • Sophia Rae, "Truth in Me" (Halifax)
  • Taken by Sanity, "Paper Child" (Calgary)
  • The Midnight Echo, "Carbon Copy" (Vancouver)
  • Treh LaMonte, "I'm Finessin" (Montreal)
  • Vintage Boring, "Lullabye" (Toronto)
  • Willie Stratton, "The way she Holds Me" (Dartmouth, N.S.)
  • X62, "over again" (Toronto)
  • Yassin & Sean Terrio, "Take my Time" (Oakville, Ont.)

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