CBC Searchlight Winner - Desiree Dawson

Desiree Dawson of Surrey, BC was voted the grand prize winner of CBC Music's Searchlight competition. More than 2,000 musicians from across Canada entered the contest, and thousands of online votes were cast for the best unsigned musical talent.


The finalists were then invited to perform on CBC-TV in front of a panel of judges, including Maestro Fresh-Wes and Sarah Blackwood of Walk Off the Earth. Desiree's prize included $20,000 worth of gear from Yamaha Canada Music - a selection of products that "will take all my music to the next level", she says in an email. 

Along with the Yamaha instruments, Desiree's prize consisted of a studio session, mentorship, album production and distribution. 

"It's still blowing my mind that I have all this new gear," Desiree writes of her prize that included Yamaha guitars, keyboards, electronic drums and music production equipment. "I feel very grateful for it and its already expanding my creativity so much!" 

Visit desireedawsonmusic.com to learn about Desiree and hear more music.