The National Music Centre (NMC) and Partake Brewing, a low-calorie leader of non-alcoholic craft beer, are pleased to announce that Halifax alt-pop singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew has been named the next NMC Artist in Residence presented by Partake Brewing.
Today, Andrew was named the grand prize winner of the CBC Music Searchlight 2024 competition. Her song, ”About Us,” was chosen by a jury of Canadian music industry leaders, out of hundreds of submissions from across Canada and awarded a five-day residency to explore and record inside NMC’s world-class facilities at Studio Bell in Calgary.
Maggie Andrew is a rising star, blending a rich mix of influences in her innovative (s)alt-pop, fusing the likes of irreverent punk, melodic rap, and edgy indie rock. With over 6 million global streams, she’s earned widespread recognition, winning the 2024 ECMA African Canadian Artist of the Year, placing as a finalist in the 2023 CBC Searchlight Top 10, and winning the SOCAN x Sirius XM Young Canadian Songwriters Award in 2021.
“Winning Searchlight is a pretty incredible feeling. I feel very proud of this accomplishment and so grateful to all of the people around me who have supported me,” said Andrew. “I’m so insanely excited to have the opportunity to create at the National Music Centre and record new music. The collection of instruments is pretty astounding and I’m really looking forward to exploring and experimenting with new vibes and sounds. Believe it or not, I’ve never visited Calgary before and winning Searchlight is giving me the chance to do everything I love, in a new environment.”
Andrew joins a list of esteemed artists who have also participated in NMC’s residency program including Tess Roby, who was announced as the first NMC Artist in Residence presented by Partake Brewing earlier this year, along with past CBC Music Searchlight winners Shawnee Kish, Mattmac, Chad Price, Jhyve, Shopé, and Aquakultre.
