The Juno Awards introduces a new South Asian musical category in 2025

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After a leak on Friday revealed that the host for the 2025 Juno Awards in Vancouver will be Burnaby’s multiplatinum crooner Michael Bublé, organizing committee members were probably scrambling to rework Monday’s launch announcement. They needn’t have worried.

The announcement that the awards are adding a new South Asian music recording of the year category was arguably bigger news.

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Singer Raman Bains and multi- Juno and Grammy-winner Chin Injeti were on hand to perform two tunes and draw attention to what a creative hub the Lower Mainland is for the genre that has already produced Surrey Juno-winner Karan Aujla.

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The CEO of the Canadian Academy of Recoding Arts and Sciences, Alan Reid, explained what goes into deciding when to introduce a new category into Canada’s biggest music awards. The academy is a not-for-profit organization which was created in 1975 to promote Canadian music and artists through the ceremonies such as the Juno Awards as well as administering the MusicCounts music education charity and Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

“We’ve had more categories added to the Junos in the last few years than for a long, long time, and last year we had eight submissions for new ones,” said Reid. “First off, we make sure there are enough Canadian artists around to justify having a category. Last year, we had Victoria’s AP Dhillon on stage in Edmonton and Erik Hoffman, the head of Live Nation Canada, told me they were about to put him into arenas across Canada. That was the start of something that would sometimes show up in our global music category now having enough artists making and selling enough music to more than justify a new category.”

Helping these local talents develop into Juno level artists are programs such as Creative B.C. and the province’s Amplify B.C. fund and the Vancouver Music Fund. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced a Vancouver City Council commitment of $350,000 to the fund to support Indigenous and under-represented groups working in the local music and sound recording industries.

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Spencer Chandra Herbert, minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, said such intergovernmental partnerships contribute to B.C.’s vibrant music scene.

“It is through partnerships, such as this one, that we strengthen B.C.’s overall music industry; increase skills development and mentoring opportunities for musicians as well as support local businesses with growth,” he said.

The Vancouver Juno host committee co-chair and Music B.C. president, Nate Sabine, said that while the awards ceremony takes place at Rogers Arena on March 30, there will be events and performances taking place across the province to bring the Junos to music fans across B.C.

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Pop-punk act Sum 41, currently on its farewell tour, will perform at the awards where the band is among the inductees into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Bublé is also slated to sing and more artists will be announced as part of the rollout to the Junos. Tickets to both the awards and the after party in support of MusicCounts at the Commodore Ballroom on March 30 are on sale at junoawards.ca.

Reid said the first key component to prepare was the many volunteers required to make street parties, pop-ups and more possible. Applications to volunteer will be available at the Juno website in the next few weeks. One of the first chords being struck in the lead-up to March’s celebration will be a series of Juno preview performances to take place at the Pearl on Granville St.

sderdeyn@postmedia.com

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