Faouzia will receive the Breakthrough Award Presented by FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recording) at Billboard Canada Women in Music 2026, scheduled for Nov. 24 in Toronto, Canada. The honour follows a year of growth for her music, led by the single “Unethical.”
Faouzia’s Rise With “Unethical”#
Born Faouzia Ouihya, the Moroccan-Canadian singer debuted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 two months ago with “Unethical,” a single released more than a year ago that has since gone viral.
In September, “Unethical” became her first song to receive more than one million Spotify daily streams. Faouzia said she was “forever grateful” for the milestone.
The track has reached 150 million global streams and is now her second most-streamed single. It has set a new peak in each of its eight weeks on the chart. It is also climbing the Billboard Global 200, with streaming activity in countries including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The song is reportedly inspired by an ultimatum Faouzia received from an ex, who asked her to put their relationship ahead of her singing career. Her vocal delivery and emotion have made it a viral TikTok clip, and live performance clips are circulating on social media. Some fans have tried singing it themselves. The official sound appears in more than 44,000 Instagram Reels and over 533,000 TikTok posts.
The orchestral pop ballad was one of the first previews of her debut album, Film Noir, released in 2025. The single drew considerable acclaim after its release, and Faouzia now has more than 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify. A deluxe edition, Film Noir (fin), followed in June with three additional tracks.
Faouzia released her first two extended plays (EPs), Stripped and Citizens, through Atlantic Records/Warner Music Canada. Two years ago, she announced that she was “now an independent artist for the first time in 6+ years” after parting ways with the label.
She has worked with artists across several genres, including David Guetta, Galantis, John Legend and Martin Solveig. She is also credited as a co-writer on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Beg Forgiveness,” released in 2024.
Honourees at the Third Edition#
Faouzia will accept the award at the third edition of Billboard Canada Women in Music, hosted by Leandra Earl and Kylie Miller of The Beaches. She will be honoured alongside the following recipients:
- Global Woman of the Year (first-ever award): Cardi B
- Global Hitmaker: Bebe Rexha
- Rising Star: Chxrry
- Global Visionary: Summer Walker
- Trailblazer: Tia Wood
- Innovator: Blond:ish
- Executive of the Year: Melissa Bubb-Clarke of Live Nation Canada
- Impact Award: Kristy Fletcher of MusiCounts/The Juno Awards
The event takes place at Rebel in Toronto on Nov. 24, and tickets are available.
Angine de Poitrine Add a Third Member in Toronto#
The viral math rock duo Angine de Poitrine, from Quebec in Canada, returned to Toronto on Nov. 5 for a sold-out show at History. The band surprised the crowd with new music and a new member.
Joining Khn and Klek de Poitrine onstage was a polka-dotted alien with a cube-shaped head, a long nose similar to Khn’s, and two horns shaped like the yellow triangle on the group’s usual attire. The new member held up the triangle as the crowd cheered, before a long-anticipated “ding.”
The band debuted an upbeat new track with a percussion break. During it, the new member played a high-energy triangle solo before joining the original two members. It is the group’s second taste of new music in less than two months, following “Zugzegk,” which debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September. The title refers to the band’s “success” over the past year.
The History show opens the group’s latest North American run. It marks their first Toronto appearance since a packed debut in the city in July, which included three Mod Club shows, an opening stint for Jack White at RBC Amphitheatre and an appearance at FIFA Fan Fest. They also performed at the Polaris Music Prize gala.
The band plays two more dates in Quebec: Quebec City’s Impérial Bell on Nov. 6, and Montreal’s Club Soda on Nov. 16, the venue where they launched their Billboard-charting breakthrough album, Vol. II.
The group won a Polaris double in September and four awards at the Premier Gala of the Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ) on Nov. 4. They received 11 nominations in total and remain in contention for several top honours at the main ADISQ Gala, which celebrates Quebec music and takes place in Montreal on Nov. 8.
SOCAN Joins GEMA’s One Arena Network#
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) has joined One Arena, the live royalty network of GEMA, a European music rights collection society.
SOCAN is the first non-European rights collection company to join the initiative, which aims to bring transparency to live music and concert royalties. One Arena tracks concerts worldwide and provides information on licensing and royalty payments, offering a clearer picture of how performance royalties are calculated and distributed to musicians.
With SOCAN on board, One Arena will add major Canadian concerts to its catalogue. SOCAN, in turn, will be able to access performance royalty information for other One Arena members.
