What to know<\/p>\n
Toronto musician Ayanna Hemani spent her 17th birthday at All Things Go festival, seeing The Beaches<\/p>\n
She was unexpectedly chosen to be \u2018Jocelyn\u2019\u2014a fan spotlighted during the band\u2019s signature song.<\/p>\n
Hemani describes the experience as surreal, inspiring, and the best birthday gift she could ask for.<\/p>\n
The moment highlights the power of women in Canadian music and deep connections between artists and fans.<\/p>\n
Imagine spending your birthday seeing The Beaches perform and being chosen as their \u2018Jocelyn.\u2019 That\u2019s exactly what happened for this Toronto local, and she shared her experience.<\/p>\n
Toronto resident and musician Ayanna Hemani was excited to spend her birthday seeing Canadian band The Beaches<\/a> perform at All Things Go on Saturday.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n She\u2019s previously attended two of their concerts: one on Nov. 6, 2025, and the other at the JUNO Awards on March 29, 2026.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Now, she was excited to spend her birthday supporting Canadian music.<\/p>\n \u201cCanadian music is so important, especially women in Canadian music. So, to have a special moment\u2026 not only Canadian bands, but one of my favourite bands of all time was so surreal,\u201d Hemani told Now Toronto.<\/p>\n Her favourite song is \u201cSorry For Your Loss<\/a>,\u201d but she didn\u2019t imagine she\u2019d get to not only hear the song live, but also be the chosen face of The Beaches\u2019 song, \u201cJocelyn<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Every time the band performs that song, the lead singer of the band, Jordan Miller<\/a>, chooses a fan to be \u201cJocelyn\u201d for the night.<\/p>\n How was she chosen?<\/p>\n Hemani had no idea she\u2019d be chosen as Jocelyn.<\/p>\n She arrived at 1 p.m., trying to get to the barricade with her friends. 30 minutes before The Beaches\u2019 set, a few more friends joined and gifted her a happy birthday headband that lights up.<\/p>\n As The Beaches was performing, Jordan Miller walked the other way, so Hemani figured she wouldn\u2019t get chosen, but she walked back and chose Hemani.<\/p>\n \u201cI reached out my hand, I gave her a hug, and then it all just happened, which was absolutely crazy. I did not expect it at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n How did that feel?<\/p>\n \u201cLucky for me, I was Jocelyn, which is crazy,\u201d Hemani said.<\/p>\n After giving Miller a hug, she assumed that would be it. But a camera stopped on her, and the moment felt surreal.<\/p>\n \u201cI was literally crying. I was like, \u2018there\u2019s no way this is happening,\u2019 and I was shaking as well,\u201d Hemani said.<\/p>\n The singer held Hemani\u2019s hand for the rest of the song and sang to her as Hemani wept and was in shock, until the concert ended.<\/p>\n As a musician also in the industry, she felt that this act by The Beaches made her night feel special and inspirational.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be seeing Toronto women doing big things like this, going out on tours and stuff, it\u2019s really been inspiring. They\u2019re just so talented, and I just want to thank them for literally making my whole life at this point,\u201d Hemani said.<\/p>\n Is this her best birthday yet?<\/p>\n Hemani celebrated her seventeenth birthday on Saturday, and it\u2019s definitely memorable thanks to this experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think anything\u2019s gonna top this ever,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was definitely the best birthday gift I could have asked for, you know, being surrounded by my friends, celebrating women in music, and just having fun times.\u201d<\/p>\n Off-Campus x The Beaches<\/p>\n Amazon Prime Video\u2019s hockey Drama Off Campus<\/a> featured \u201cEdge of the Earth<\/a>\u201c in its second episode, highlighting a loving moment shared between the main characters, Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham, in which Graham realizes his feelings for Wells and pulls up the song, knowing it\u2019s Wells\u2019 favourite band.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n So, The Beaches highlight the scene from the show during their concert.<\/p>\n Hemani, who hasn\u2019t yet watched the show, said this scene is making her want to watch the TV series.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard that The Beaches was in [the show], and I was like, okay, I have to watch it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n