Canadians and top music executives are reacting to the JUNOs reversing course on its plans to cut award categories, including gospel and reggae.
In a letter obtained by the Canadian Press earlier this month, JUNO organizers told committee members this month of plans to put select categories on “hiatus,” including reggae recording, children’s album, Christian/gospel album and international album of the year.
Soon after the news got out, the JUNOS was receiving backlash for the plans due to cultural insensitivity, including pushback from this year’s reggae JUNO Album of the Year winner Kirk Diamond.
“Reggae music is built out of things like this, you know? I mean, out of the struggle. This is what it’s for. It is for us, fighting for the voices, for the people. And this is just another hurdle that we have to jump, another river we have to cross,” Diamond told Now Toronto.
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On Tuesday, JUNO Awards CEO Allan Reid posted on social media declaring that the three categories will be handed out in Vancouver during next year’s award ceremony.
“Over the course of last year, CARAS underwent an extensive process reviewing all Award categories, taking into consideration data such as consumption, number of submissions, and other metrics. Given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year,” Reid said in a LinkedIn post.
Reid also said all of the changes for the 2025 JUNO awards categories, including newly added categories, will be released on Sept. 23.
“We remain dedicated to ensuring the JUNO Awards reflect industry excellence and are representative of the diversity of the Canadian music industry,” Reid said in the post.
However, Reid didn’t mention any news on whether the international music category would stay, which could potentially rule out K-Pop and South Asian music.
Advance Canada, a business collective for Black people in the music industry , also put out a statement on Instagram last week to ensure the JUNOS continue to fairly represent Black musicians given their history with the gospel and reggae genres.
“We are committed to engaging in a productive dialogue with the CARAS team to achieve these goals,” the organization said in a statement.
The decision to keep these genres affects how the next generation will shape the future sound of Canadian music, according to 2018 Billboard Gospel Music Album of the Year and Grammy-nominated producer Roy Hamilton III.
Hamilton III moved to Toronto to develop young singers for his organization The Singer’s Company, which is hosting a talent search in October.
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“We have an entire generation of young singers and rappers who don’t want to make any other kind of music than gospel music. And it’s only right to allow them to rise to the same heights of success as mainstream artists,” he told Now Toronto on Wednesday.
Longstanding artist development program Honey Jam, which has helped contribute to the success of JUNO-award winning singers like Jully Black, Savannah Re, Haviah Mighty, and Nelly Furtado, also recognizes the importance of reversing the decision so close to the submission date.
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“Some of our artists make music in those categories and we’re glad to know that at least for 2025 they will have an opportunity to submit their work for consideration for Canada’s highest music award. The hard work that goes into creating their art deserves a place to be recognized,” show creator Ebonie Rowe told Now Toronto.
