ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective, has announced regional advisory boards in British Columbia, chaired by Kentya Kurban and in Quebec, chaired by Widney Bonfils. The advisory boards are created to deepen relationships, provide strategic guidance, and address the specific needs of Black music professionals in their respective territories.

Kentya Kurban (pictured above, left) is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Music BC and brings together a vast network of people, with the goal of strengthening the Black music business network in British Columbia. She is tasked with developing an ecosystem that supports local residents as they develop professionally in the field. This advisory group will assess the supports and resources required to elevate and educate music professionals there, and aims to build a strong group of successful local creators and expand professional reach. Kentya adds, “It's time for B.C. to connect and network as a community and help each other out more than ever to get themselves into the positions they've always hoped and dreamed of.”

While working as the director of A&R at Universal Music Canada, Widney Bonfils (pictured above, right), chairs the advisory committee with the objective to support Black business in Quebec, and further elevate the artist focused culture of the province. He wants to see more people that look like him, in positions of power, able to make a difference. “Change is a process,” Bonfils says, “and this process can take some time but it needs to start. The time is now. I am thrilled and humbled to be a part of this passionate, engaged and talented group of people. Let’s set the table for a better world, a world where our community blossoms.”

Through advisory committees, ADVANCE will be able to have feet on the ground to make real change, working with the community to grow and forward the industry. Keziah Myers, ADVANCE’s Executive Director, comments, “Advisory committees make sure that we are catering to the various needs across the country, and expanding growth beyond Ontario.”

New members of the British Columbia Advisory Committee named today are: Buk Nkosi Jason, “Floetic”, Mavis Harris, G-Luve, and Tanisha Clarke.

New members of the Quebec Advisory Committee named today are: Carla Beauvais, Benjamin Akpa, Corneille, Ansfrid Tchetchenigbo, Marc-Evans Jeannot, Patrice Agbokou, and Marieme Ndiaye.

Serving as a unified front for Black people working within all sectors of the Canadian music industry, ADVANCE creates conditions for long-term success by addressing racial equality and inclusivity through four areas: Advocacy, Mentorship, Community Outreach and Business Development and Entrepreneurship. By holding the corporate, private and government sectors accountable, ADVANCE is committed to building a more equitable Canadian music industry that grants Canada’s Black music communities a fair and valued voice in a consistently growing music nation.

For more information, contact ADVANCE: connect@advancemusic.org, www.advancemusic.org.

‍