THREE HONEY JAM SUCCESS STORIES

Jully Black (1995)

The Toronto R&B diva performed at the first Honey Jam before going on to win Junos, co-host eTalk and star onstage in Da Kink in My Hair. (She’ll also play the lead in a new Toronto production of Caroline, or Change in January.) She’s continued to support Honey Jam, including making surprise appearances at the annual concert. One of the questions she asks young artists is what motivates them. “If the first answer is, ‘to make a million dollars,’ that’s not a good enough reason,” she says. “If you can attach your ‘why’ to your mom, or your future or your education, that’s a reason to make those millions of dollars.”

Haviah Mighty (2011, ’12, ’15)

Mighty’s solo album 13th Floor, produced by Tim (2oolman) Hill of Indigenous DJ crew A Tribe Called Red, is shortlisted for this year’s $50,000 Polaris Music Prize. In addition, she continues to perform with all-female hiphop trio the Sorority. “I felt there was a focus on people who were really invested in their careers and want to go as far as possible with it,” she says of Honey Jam.

Jordan Alexander (2013, ’14)

The Vancouver singer and actor was featured on the Pride remix of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Feels Right” in June. Next up: the lead role on the Facebook Watch crime anthology series Sacred Lies: The Singing Bones opposite Juliette Lewis. “There tends to be negativity around women working together,” she says. Honey Jam is a necessary corrective. “It’s so important to art to be collaborative.”