Drake wins big at SOCAN Awards during a night that celebrated the impact of songwriting

Drake wasn't around to accept a handful of trophies at the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) Awards on Sept. 24, but the rapper's presence still loomed large at the celebration of Canadian songwriters.

The Toronto artist swept all four rap awards for his songs "Jimmy Cooks," "Rich Flex," "Spin Bout U" with 21 Savage, and "Wait For U" with Future and Tems. He also received the award for songwriter of the year in the performer category.

Dozens of SOCAN Awards were handed out to songwriters, composers and music publishers during a celebration at Toronto's History venue for an audience of music industry professionals.

Arkells lead singer Max Kerman joined his bandmates onstage to accept SOCAN's award for national achievement for the band's domestic impact, offering one of the night's most emotional moments.

In his speech, Kerman paid tribute to Allyson Van Niekerk, a dedicated fan who recently died of breast cancer at 42 years old. He said the Hamilton band met her at a concert a few years ago when she danced with them onstage.

Last weekend, the band attended her celebration of life and performed its 2021 song "All Roads," one of her favourites.

"I know we live in this moment of play counts, monthly listeners and all the metrics that consume us," Kerman said. "But what means the most to us in this indulgent, lucky job we have, is the privilege of writing a song that can hold space in someone's life — like Allyson."

Other songwriters paused to recognize the unimaginable impact their work can have on listeners.

Before the show, Elizabeth Lowell Boland reflected on landing the gig of a lifetime: being part of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album. The Calgary-raised singer-songwriter, known as Lowell, contributed to Beyoncé's tracks "Texas Hold 'Em" and "Bodyguard."

"Being a part of history — in the small way that I was — was the most amazing part of my life to date," she said ahead of winning two trophies, including an award for country music.

"I was shocked that she would ever be interested in making a song with me."

Boland shared the country award with her Canadian co-writer Nathan Ferraro, while she also earned an award for rock music for her work on "Blame Brett" by the Beaches.

Other multiple award winners included Tobias Jesso Jr., who took home this year's award for international achievement as well as a dance award for work on Dua Lipa's "Houdini," and an R&B award for Daniel Caesar's "Always."

Tom Cochrane presented Somali Canadian rapper K'naan the award for cultural impact for the global resonance of his 2009 smash hit, "Wavin' Flag." Pop singer Lu Kala pocketed an award for viral song for her hit "Pretty Girl Era," which she performed as part of a medley to help kick off the evening.

"A lot of times when we celebrate music, songwriters are the people who no one thinks about; they get the shortest end of the stick," she said before the show.

"Tonight, I honestly just want the songwriters in the room to feel seen."