Fanshawe graduates strike gold at the Junos

Haviah Mighty makes history as the first woman to win for Rap Album/EP of the Year.

Three graduates from Fanshawe’s acclaimed Music Industry Arts (MIA) program were among the winners at Sunday night’s Juno Awards.

Haviah Mighty (MIA 2013) took home the award for Rap Album/EP of the Year for her album Stock Exchange. She is the first woman in history to win a Juno in this category. Fanshawe alumnus Taabu (Spencer Heaslip, MIA 2016) contributed production to Mighty’s record and the two have worked together for many years.

“From the first time we all saw Haviah perform at our very first Share the Land charity concert, we knew it was only a matter of time before everyone else saw what we did,” says Dan Brodbeck, coordinator of the MIA program. “She commands a stage like few people can and has that undefinable ‘thing’ that a star has. Spencer Heaslip, also known as Taabu, contributed production to Haviah’s Juno-winning record as well and his work is stellar.”

Mighty has been a trailblazer for Canadian rap music since her time at Fanshawe. “Haviah won the Polaris prize in 2019 and it was the first hip hop record to do so,” says Brodbeck. “On Sunday, she was the first female artist to win in the Rap Album/EP of the Year category. She is consistently breaking ground in the industry and it's amazing that everyone else is seeing what we saw a decade ago at Fanshawe.”

Half Moon Run, including lead vocalist Devon Portielje (Music Industry Arts 2009), won the Juno for Adult Alternative Album of the year for their album Inwards & Onwards.

“Half Moon Run’s win for Adult Alternative Album of the Year is so well deserved,” says Brodbeck. “They have had a few nominations but a win for an ‘Album of the Year’ category really says a lot. It’s an incredible accomplishment and we are all so proud of Devon."

Mighty and Half Moon Run have maintained close ties with Fanshawe—both have done guest performances and lectures, and Mighty performed at Fanshawe's London Downtown Campus as part of Fanshawe Live when London hosted the Junos in March 2019. Mighty, Half Moon Run and Taabu were all featured on Fanshawe’s 2021 award-winning Quaran-tunes Spotify playlist and the 2022 follow-up, Quaran-2unes.

For more information about Fanshawe College, please visit Fanshawe's media contact page.