SongStudio is run by Blair Packham and Allister Bradley.
For every event we host, we hire a team of carefully-chosen professional mentors: songwriters, performing artists, music publishers, producers, music supervisors, agents, managers, radio executives, record label professionals… we are always on the lookout for mentors who have not only experienced career success, but those who can effectively and constructively communicate their process, their perspective, and their ideas for your next move.
Looking at this list is humbling for us – all of these mentors have given so enthusiastically, so that our songwriters can have a better understanding of the craft and the business of songwriting. We are deeply grateful to all of our mentors, and look forward to partnering with them again!
Mentors coming to SongStudio 2025
Stay tuned as we confirm more 2025 mentors to add to this list…
English singer/songwriter, author, and political activist Billy Bragg has enjoyed more than 40 years making music, much of it in the spotlight or spotlight-adjacent. His songs, always literate and yet still down-to-earth, often centre on left-wing political concerns, though his observations on love are some of the best ever written. Gaining inspiration from everyone from The Clash to the Four Tops to Beethoven, Billy Bragg has found himself in always-interesting creative situations. For just a few examples, he has:
- written and produced music for the lyrics of the late Woody Guthrie
- annually curated a left-of-centre stage at the Glastonbury festival
- recorded an album at train stations between Chicago and Los Angeles (with collaborator Joe Henry)
Often an impassioned speaker at political events and in government committees, Billy Bragg will hopefully find some respite in focusing on his creative process as keynote speaker at this coming winter’s online SongStudio songwriting workshop.

Feb. 2025 Keynote Speaker

SongStudio Feb 2025 Mentor
Singer-songwriter Stephen Stanley may most immediately be known as a founding member, lead guitarist and vocalist with Toronto’s Lowest of the Low. The group’s “genuinely timeless album” (Exclaim!), Shakespeare My Butt…, earned gold record status and saw the band share stages with the likes of Billy Bragg, The Violent Femmes, amongst many others.
Stephen ultimately had his own mark and music to make and The Stephen Stanley Band became his focus. He’s logged monumental shows with the likes of, 54•40, Bob Mould, Cracker, Lee Ann Womak, Jake Clemons, Willie Nile, The Jayhawks, and Lloyd Cole. He’s played festival stages in Germany, and toured across the UK and Ireland. The band’s new album, Before The Collapse Of The Hive (Wolfe Island Records) is an album brimming with raw, unflinching urgency, steadfast observation and soul-searching storytelling that highlights Stephen’s immediate world: those he loves, and those he’s lost.
Rachael Kennedy is a Grammy-Winning songwriter and makes up one third of the writing/production team LIONCHLD. The multi-national trio has made a name for themselves in the music industry with accolades that include a Grammy award win for Kabaka’s Reggae Album of the year in 2023, 2 Latin Grammy nominations for Rauw Alejandro’s Trap Cake Vol. 2, Chris Brown’s 8x Platinum international hit Nostalgico, and roughly 2 billion cumulative streams on all of the songs they’ve written and produced. Other notable cuts include Calvin Harris, Charlie Puth, Britney Spears, Bebe Rexha, Shenseea, Rvssian, Tiago, Dixie D’Amelio, Kiana Lede, Girls Generation and Galantis.
Rachael has also found success in the world of TV & Film. She’s written and composed for TV shows like Timbaland’s The Pop Game, Fox’s hit TV series EMPIRE, and HBO’s Insecure. She wrote music for the soon to be released coming-of-age drama/comedy, POOLS, starring Odessa A’zion (Grand Army) and Ariel Winter (Modern Family), and at the top of 2024 she and her team were contracted to score an entire 26-episode Nickelodeon series to be released in June 2025.
A multi-instrumentalist and seasoned writer with a strength in melody and lyric, Rachael is also an artist and is gearing up for the release of her first single “Andrea” to be released November 22nd, 2024 under her artist project name, KENNEDY.

SongStudio Feb 2025 Mentor

SongStudio Feb 2025 Mentor
JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter-producer Barbra Lica is a seasoned act on the North American club and festival circuits. She has performed everywhere, from New York City’s legendary Birdland to Toronto’s prestigious Koerner Hall. She has headlined at festivals around the world including Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Tokyo International Jazz Festival, Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, and opened for the likes of Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Bob Dorough, and Terence Blanchard.
Her 2018 album, You’re Fine, marked the first introduction of Folk and Americana elements to her repertoire and amassed over 6 million streams to date on Spotify. More recently, Imposter Syndrome garnered her two 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominations in the categories of Single of the Year (In 40 Years)and Solo Artist of the Year. The album single, The Ghost of Me, took home the 2023 Ontario Folk Music Awards CMRRA Song of the Year prize.
In addition to writing for herself, Barbra has written cuts for such artists as jazz crooner Matt Dusk, rising J-Pop singer Harumi, and Taiwanese pop recording artist, Morrison Ma. She is the co-founder/arranger (with Anders Azzopardi) and lead vocalist for the Toronto Chamber-Pop Orchestra, an all new folk-jazz-classical crossover project featuring all-original music cinematically arranged for 14 instruments plus voice.
Nicole (Niki) Rochefort, founder of AIM Booking Agency, has been a dynamic force in the performing arts since 2002. Her extensive experience spans production assistance, stage management, and artist development. Nicole began her booking career at LiveTourArtists and then specialized in booking theatre for young audiences with Kids’ Entertainment across the US and Canada. In 2010, she established AIM to support friends touring Ontario, which quickly evolved into an internationally recognized agency representing award-winning musicians in the performing arts and festival marketplace.
In 2016, Nicole was honoured as Agent of the Year by Ontario Presents, a testament to her dedication and impact in the industry. Her commitment has taken her to showcase and exhibit conferences across Canada, the US, and the UK, promoting AIM’s diverse roster. Additionally, she offers career consulting, panel moderation, and guest-lecture services. Nicole is also co-chair of Ontario Creates’ Music Industry Advisory Committee, a board member of Ontario Presents, and a member of the CAPACOA Advocacy Committee, reflecting her commitment to the industry’s growth and development.

SongStudio Feb 2025 Mentor

SongStudio Feb 2025 Mentor
Andy Curran first burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1982 as the founding member of Coney Hatch, with whom he released three albums in the 1980s and shared stages with the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent, and Rush. As a solo artist in the 1990’s, his self-titled debut album received Juno Award nominations for Most Promising Male Vocalist (Curran won this Juno) and Best Metal/Hard Rock Album. Curran subsequently released albums with several band projects: Soho 69, Caramel, and others, plus a continuing songwriting collaboration with Kim Mitchell. He is now in a band with Alex Lifeson, called Envy of None, and has also reunited with his pals in Coney Hatch.
Today, Andy also spends much of his time on what he calls “the other side of the desk”, at SRO Management in Toronto.
Our Past Mentors































































































































































