What to know
- Toronto musician Ayanna Hemani spent her 17th birthday at All Things Go festival, seeing The Beaches
- She was unexpectedly chosen to be ‘Jocelyn’—a fan spotlighted during the band’s signature song.
- Hemani describes the experience as surreal, inspiring, and the best birthday gift she could ask for.
- The moment highlights the power of women in Canadian music and deep connections between artists and fans.
Imagine spending your birthday seeing The Beaches perform and being chosen as their ‘Jocelyn.’ That’s exactly what happened for this Toronto local, and she shared her experience.
Toronto resident and musician Ayanna Hemani was excited to spend her birthday seeing Canadian band The Beaches perform at All Things Go on Saturday.
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She’s previously attended two of their concerts: one on Nov. 6, 2025, and the other at the JUNO Awards on March 29, 2026.
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Now, she was excited to spend her birthday supporting Canadian music.
“Canadian music is so important, especially women in Canadian music. So, to have a special moment… not only Canadian bands, but one of my favourite bands of all time was so surreal,” Hemani told Now Toronto.
Her favourite song is “Sorry For Your Loss,” but she didn’t imagine she’d get to not only hear the song live, but also be the chosen face of The Beaches’ song, “Jocelyn.”
Every time the band performs that song, the lead singer of the band, Jordan Miller, chooses a fan to be “Jocelyn” for the night.
How was she chosen?
Hemani had no idea she’d be chosen as Jocelyn.
She arrived at 1 p.m., trying to get to the barricade with her friends. 30 minutes before The Beaches’ set, a few more friends joined and gifted her a happy birthday headband that lights up.
As The Beaches was performing, Jordan Miller walked the other way, so Hemani figured she wouldn’t get chosen, but she walked back and chose Hemani.
“I 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,” she said.
How did that feel?
“Lucky for me, I was Jocelyn, which is crazy,” Hemani said.
After giving Miller a hug, she assumed that would be it. But a camera stopped on her, and the moment felt surreal.
“I was literally crying. I was like, ‘there’s no way this is happening,’ and I was shaking as well,” Hemani said.
The singer held Hemani’s hand for the rest of the song and sang to her as Hemani wept and was in shock, until the concert ended.
As a musician also in the industry, she felt that this act by The Beaches made her night feel special and inspirational.
“To be seeing Toronto women doing big things like this, going out on tours and stuff, it’s really been inspiring. They’re just so talented, and I just want to thank them for literally making my whole life at this point,” Hemani said.
Is this her best birthday yet?
Hemani celebrated her seventeenth birthday on Saturday, and it’s definitely memorable thanks to this experience.
“I don’t think anything’s gonna top this ever,” she said. “This 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.”
Off-Campus x The Beaches
Amazon Prime Video’s hockey Drama Off Campus featured “Edge of the Earth“ 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’s Wells’ favourite band.
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So, The Beaches highlight the scene from the show during their concert.
Hemani, who hasn’t yet watched the show, said this scene is making her want to watch the TV series.
“I heard that The Beaches was in [the show], and I was like, okay, I have to watch it,” she said.
