HONEY JAM PARTICIPANTS TAKE IN A CONVERSATION WITH ACCLAIMED PRODUCER TRAKGIRL
GROUP FREESTYLE FROM A MID-‘90S EDITION OF HONEY JAM
Though it’s primarily billed as an all-
female talent showcase, there’s a lot more
to it: vocal and performance coaching,
workshops and panels on the business of
music, including songwriting, publishing,
management, funding, and more.
Over the years, Honey Jam has fea-
tured performers from across Canada rep-
resenting a wide swath of musical styles.
There is an audition process to select the
group of artists that will participate in
the concert and development program,
though once those artists are chosen,
there are no “winners” of Honey Jam;
rather, different participants are awarded
certain prizes or opportunities based on
their individual goals and needs while the
majority pertain to the group as a whole.
Lately, recording and production
training has been a key component of the
group-wide development as well. “That’s
been very important as it’s increasingly
crucial for artists to know the basics of
production to do demos on their own, or
work with other artists,” Rowe asserts. “For
three years now, we’ve hosted events with
female producers that have come up and
spoken about their experiences; the next
step is getting into hands-on workshops.”
Again, it’s about empowering artists
to empower themselves, and the event’s
track record speaks for itself in that regard.
Among Honey Jam’s better-known alumni
are Grammy- and Juno-winning artists like
Nelly Furtado, Melanie Fiona, Anjulie, Jully
Black, and 2019 Polaris Music Prize winner
Haviah Mighty.
Rowe also acknowledges longtime
partners and supporters like DJ Mel
Boogie, who has been behind the decks
for every edition of Honey Jam thus far, or
Warner/Chappell Music Canada GM Vivian
Barclay, who was volunteering for the
earliest editions of Honey Jam well before
becoming a Canadian music industry
power player and continues to be one of
the event’s biggest champions.
“Once you’re in Honey Jam, it’s a
lifetime kind of sorority, and we’ll always
support and promote what you do,” Rowe
tacks on – and that works both ways.
Haviah Mighty, for example, was once
again a Honey Jam participant in 2019,
but this time as a mentor for the new crop
of talent.
“I just love those kinds of full-circle
moments,” Rowe enthuses, which prompts
a question about other personal high-
lights from the past 25 years. “There are
just too many,” she replies with a laugh.
“Nelly Furtado and Melanie Fiona winning
Grammys, for sure, but there are hun-
dreds, and they mostly have to do with
the life-changing impact this has on the
artists. Seeing them take all the knowl-
edge and tips and advice they get and
watching them blossom – that growth is
just so rewarding.”
And those rewards are reciprocated,
as giving back to the community has been
and remains a cornerstone of PhemPhat’s
mission. Over the years, donations from
Honey Jam’s proceeds have gone to ben-
efit a myriad of important programs and
non-profit organizations like Big Sisters
of Toronto, the Immigrant Women’s Job
Placement Centre, the Coalition for AIDS
Prevention, and lately, YWCA Toronto’s
programming for women and girls.
Despite all of the progress they’ve spurred
over the years, Rowe and her team aren’t
done with their work. “When I saw Jessie
Reyez’s [short film] for “Gatekeeper,” I
actually cried,” she says, referencing the
young Canadian star’s eye-opening video
that proves the “casting couch” mentality
remains pervasive in the music business.
“Like, why is this still happening? Why
is it still being tolerated? Why are men
allowing other men to do this, and other
women acquiescing to it?”
The questions are many, and until
they’re acknowledged, answered, and
effectively addressed across the industry,
Honey Jam and its related initiatives will
remain relevant and essential.
“It really comes down to the accom-
plishments of our artists, the impact state-
ments that they’ve shared with us, and the
support we get from our audience, media,
and partners that tells us we’re doing
important work,” Rowe summarizes about
what keeps her and her team driven at
this particular juncture. “I’m really proud
that we’ve kept to our original mission,
and that we’ve managed to keep our
honour, our integrity, and our commit-
ment to the community, the artists, and
the industry.”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of
Canadian Musician.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 43