SaskMusic has held events to honour International Women’s Day since 2018 and this year, the show goes on online. Among those featured, these three local female artists have stayed resilient through the challenges they face in the industry.

A study conducted in 2017 by Across the Board, an advocacy movement in pursuit for gender parity in the Canadian music industry, found that women only held 19 per cent of the seats in Canada’s 30 music industry boards. By 2018, this number doubled to 40 per cent. 

Women continue to take space in the industry with their creativity and passion for music, and this is what SaskMusic aims to highlight. 

SaskMusic did not only put on a concert. It was also a charity fundraiser that collected donations in support of intimate partner violence services in Sask. and counselling and emergency relief services for the music community. 

This year, the event featured 23 artists, including nine Saskatoon residents.

Yvonne St. Germaine is a multi-award winning Indigenous Country-Gospel singer. She began her journey in 2007, singing and writing music. Her song “Mother’s Plea,” inspired by her prayers for her son, has been well-received by listeners. Aside from her career in music, she also shares testimonies about her lived experience with addictions and spreads hope as a motivational speaker in schools, jails, conferences and churches.

St. Germaine’s growing career is built on hard work and perseverance, and she says that the true reward is when she sees people receive her work and have their hearts touched by it.

“I don’t want to be remembered as ‘Yvonne, the gospel singer.’ I want to be remembered as a woman who [had] a heart for our people and loved and did everything she [could] to see people succeed and heal,” St. Germaine said.

Rhonda Gallant-Morari is an emerging artist and producer. Her love for music began at an early age from playing piano and has expanded with her participation in choir, playing in a band and touring. Upon the realization that she may need a “real job,” she pursued an education degree. It wasn’t until 2014 when she decided to take her music career more seriously and record her first full album.

Gallant-Morari says that she represents older artists and sees the sexism and ageism in the industry. While her music is made to speak to everyone, she feels somewhat invisible due to her age, but this doesn’t stop her as an emerging artist.

“For us to be heard, we have to organize the show ourselves,” Gallant-Morari said. “I don’t think I’m there yet. I’m still finding my way and enjoying the process too,” Gallant-Morari said. 

velours is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She grew up singing and acting and describes the stage as “a second home.” This is her second year performing for SaskMusic’s annual concert and she feels lucky and honoured to be a part of it. Her single featured in the concert, “Your Sweater,” has an upbeat tempo and discusses the feeling of being attached to material things that someone leaves behind after the end of a relationship. 

As a queer woman artist, she passionately speaks on the topics of sexism, misogny and  patriarchy. She brings up a concern that women have an expiration date in the industry. 

“No one has an expiration date. Women don’t expire. We’re not milk. Some of us may grow sour, but we don’t expire,” velours said.

Even in the middle of the pandemic, these female artists haven’t stopped putting in the work. These established and emerging musicians prove the importance of taking up space in the industry, connecting, persevering and self-advocating as they continue to grow as artists. 

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Kristine Jones A. Del Socorro | Culture Editor

Photos: Supplied