Bubbly Bublé
Hometown hero Michael Bublé was all smiles walking the Skip Orange Carpet. Even he called out the recent comments coming from a certain president, stating “[Canada’s] not for sale.” In an epic opening number, Bublé performed his most iconic songs — “Feeling Good,” “Haven’t Met You Yet,” and “Home.” Alongside Bublé was Jonita Gandhi, who performed in Punjabi, Roxane Bruneau in French, and Elisapie in Inuktitut, with an original verse performed by Maestro Fresh Wes.
Chronically iconic
The first award of the night went to The Beaches, an all female rock band from Toronto, for Group of the Year, their second win in a row. This girl band knows how to celebrate a win, and Leandra Earl — the band’s bassist and self proclaimed “lesbian of the year” (see her instagram bio) — used her acceptance speech time to iconically advertise her own relationship status.
“Ladies, Canada, I am single!”
“The Gen Z Eminem”
bbno$ — pronounced “Baby No Money” — a Vancouver based rapper that garnered fame through TikTok, rolled up to the Orange Carpet dressed as a toilet. After shedding the comically large outfit, bbno$ put on the show of the night flanked by drag queens — with the likes of Queen Priyanka and Tiffany Ann Co. — in his hit “it boy.” He brought all the charisma and swagger, while accepting the TikTok JUNO Fan Choice Award, and made the pretty pointed statement of “fuck Elon Musk” when speaking to journalists after.
Indie wins
Alternative Album of the Year winner nemahsis also clutched the Breakthrough Artist of The Year Award after a beautiful performance of her debut single “stick of gum.” The indie artist reflected on her long and rough journey getting to the JUNOs, and her approach to getting her career back on track.
“I was starting to work on Verbathim [when] I got dropped, I lost my label, my funding, my support system, everything. And I feel like I just wanted to pick up where I left off … [and get] that moment of like, Nemhasis is becoming Nemhasis, and I never got to do that.”
A lifetime of Canadian music
Two Canadian legends were recognized for their long and incredible careers in the music industry. Anne Murray accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award in a bejewelled Canada jersey. The night was also a celebration for Sum 41 who were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte introduced the legendary pop-punk band ahead of their speech and final live performance together.
Indigenous representation
Indigenous artists were well represented with over 19 nominees, five winners, and performances from Elisapie, the hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids performing “RED FUTURE,” “ONE OF THE BEST,” and “FREE,” as well as their song “SHAPESHIFTER” featuring Tia Wood — who took the stage after and performed her breakout hit “Dirt Roads.”
New award category for South Asian music
The only rival to Sum 41’s final performance came from Punjabi artists Chani Nattan, Inderpal Singh Moga, and the legendary Jazzy B — who lit the stage up with a bhangra and hip-hop fusion from their collaborative song, “Coolin’.” The South Asian Music Recording of the Year is one of two new categories introduced at this year’s JUNO awards. AP Dhillon made history by being the first recipient of the award for his album The Brownprint (2024). This new award category was introduced to recognize the genre’s impact on the Canadian entertainment industry.
“Canada has proven to be at the epicentre of South Asian music globally,” said the JUNOs in a September media release.
Canadian national identity?
As a country, we are looking to define ourselves in opposition to the dominant culture south of the border, and this year’s JUNO awards were emblematic of that broader question many of us are asking: what does it mean to be Canadian? Surprise: it isn’t one thing. Canada’s strength lies in its multiplicity, flexibility, and openness. The opportunities arising in Canadian arts and culture — and the chance to make a lasting impact — has never been stronger. I think the winner who spoke most to this shift is nemahsis, whose acceptance speech called on the shift happening in Canadian media:
“…all I ever wanted was to turn on [the] Family Channel, YTV, and just see somebody that looks like me. I didn’t think it would take this long, and I didn’t think I would be the one to do it, but I’m happy it got to this as a fully independent Palestinian-Canadian Muslim woman.”
Kiara Okonkwo is a writer and creative. She received a diploma in Screenwriting from Vancouver Film School and is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Media and Communication Studies. Kiara values self-expression and authenticity.
