Searchlight 2019 began back in January with thousands of Canadian musicians from every province and territory uploading their best original Canadian songs to YouTube. Thousands of votes were cast and counted, and you helped us pick a national top 100 last week.
After another week of voting with extremely close results, we have whittled that list of 100 artists down to the best of the best: the top 10 finalists for Searchlight 2019, CBC Music's hunt for Canada's best Juno-ready musical talent. Your votes have determined three spots on the top 10, while our CBC Music producers selected the other seven.
Good luck and congratulations to all of the artists who made the top 10, and thank you again to the thousands of artists who submitted their music in this year's Searchlight competition.
Finalists as judged by CBC Music producers:
Benita, 'Anything' (North York, Ont.)
We love this artist's approach on smooth-as-silk modern R&B and soul.
Madison Olds, 'Thank You' (Kamloops, B.C.)
These heartbreaking lyrics wrapped up in a beautiful pop melody have swept us away.
Quincy Morales, 'Jump!' (Toronto)
Quincy Morales's energy, talent and flow in his hip hop stylings are undeniable — and extremely contagious.
Reeny Smith, 'Good Girl Swag' (North Preston, N.S.)
From the very beginning of Searchlight 2019, this amazingly confident artist stood out as a clear contender. We love her mix of dancehall, pop and R&B.
The Royal Foundry, 'Don't Know' (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
This accomplished musical couple has once again powered its soaring alt-pop-rock into the finals of Searchlight. Will this be the Royal Foundry's year?
Shope, 'Come Wid It' (Toronto)
This Nigerian–Canadian's mix of afro-pop and hip hop has consistently impressed us throughout the competition.
Titus Calderbank, 'Mistakes' (Vancouver)
What a voice, what a chorus from this young alt-pop singer-songwriter on the rise, originally from Penticton, B.C.
Finalists as decided by popular vote:
Brenna Parker, 'Envy' (Surrey, B.C.)
Talk about talent! Can you believe this singer-songwriter is just 16 years old? We're blown away. This sounds like a classic.
Rani Chatoorgoon, 'Hello' (Etobicoke, Ont.)
We're hypnotized by this artist's blend of symphonic rock, South Asian influences and soaring melodies.
Taken By Sanity, 'Sleepwalker' (Chestermere, Alta.)
This Albertan indie trio sounds like a delicate cross between the Postal Service and Ween. Check out this epic track for yourself!
Now it's up to our panel of celebrity judges to decide which one of these artists will be the ultimate winner of Searchlight 2019. The winning announcement will be made live on q on CBC Radio One on Thursday, March 7 at 10:45 a.m. AT. The winning artist will receive a prestigious placement in the Allan Sleight Juno Masterclass in Toronto, five days of recording at Studio Bell at the National Music Centre in Calgary, and performances at the 2019 CBC Music Festival and the 2020 Juno Fest.
Your job is done! No further voting will count. Now all we can do is wait until the winner is announced. Congratulations again to our top 10!
Related:
Searchlight 2019: meet the judges
Check out standout artists from the early rounds of Searchlight 2019
Former Searchlight artists nominated for Juno Awards
