Canada
The owners of Departure — the conference and festival formerly known as Canadian Music Week (CMW) — are being sued by its former founder/president for breach of contract and unpaid sale fees.
In a notice of action filed with the Ontario Court of Justice this week (March 17), Neill Dixon has commenced a legal proceeding against the owners of Departure, including Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) Canada.
Dixon accuses the companies of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and quantum meruit (a reasonable fee for work done) and seeks damages of $435,428 plus $50,000 in punitive and aggravated damages. The claim states that the new owners have not paid the full sale price of $2,000,000 agreed to in June 2024.
“After 42 years of building an internationally respected Canadian music business, I made the difficult decision to sell and retire, trusting the purchasers to honour their commitments under the Agreement we had between us,” Dixon tells Billboard Canada in a statement. “I have been forced to start a lawsuit to hold them to their end of the Agreement we had between us. It’s disheartening to have decades of dedication and hard work met with such an approach by them.”
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In a statement to Billboard Canada, Loft and OVG confirm they have received the statement of claim and write that they have been negotiating with Dixon over the terms.
“LOFT Entertainment and Oak View Group have received a formal statement of claim from Neill Dixon,” they write. “We have been negotiating with Neill and his counsel for an extended period to finalize our agreed upon terms. If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will explore alternative options.”
Dixon announced his retirement and sale of CMW to Loft and the U.S.-based OVG (which has opened an office in Canada) on the opening day of the conference last summer. In a surprise move before the end of 2024, the new owners announced they would be changing the event’s name to Departure. The festival had been known as Canadian Music Week since 1982, which included Dixon’s entire term as president. During that time, it became known as one of the most important music industry conferences in Canada.
The new owners announced the rebranding at a launch event in November at the conference’s new headquarters, Hotel X in Toronto. The new Departure team — including Loft co-founder Randy Lennox, CEO Jackie Dean and executive producer Kevin Barton as well as OVG Canada president Tom Pistore — outlined a new vision for the festival, expanding the music event to also include comedy, tech, food and more. Some of the confirmed speakers for this year include Matty Matheson, Bryan Adams and Dallas Green.
Dixon was at the launch event, where Lennox and Barton announced they would honour the former CMW co-founder with a lifetime achievement award at this year’s festival, which takes place from May 6-11, 2025.
Now, however, Dixon claims the new owners have not honoured their monetary commitments to him.
Full story here. – Richard Trapunski
IFPI Global Music Report 2025 Touts Canadian Revenue Growth, International Punjabi Music Push
Canada’s music market is staying strong, with revenues growing to $660.3 million USD in 2024.
That’s according to the IFPI, which represents the global recording industry. IFPI’s 2025 State of the Industry report again lists Canada as the 8th largest music market in the world.
Canada’s 2024 revenues saw relatively small growth of just 1.5%, but the report notes that the 2024 figures are in comparison to an unusually high 2023, which saw a large one-off performance rights revenue payment.
Meanwhile, Canada’s most popular musician, Drake, saw his global standing rise. During a tough year for the superstar’s reputation, his worldwide popularity increased, rising from No. 4 to No. 2 in the IFPI’s artist rankings, behind only Taylor Swift.
The report highlights Warner Canada and Warner India’s joint venture, 91 North, which has been successfully growing the profile of South Asian music in Canada and abroad. In the report, Warner India’s Jay Mehta and Warner Canada’s Kristen Burke discussed how the collaborative label came to be. Mehta says the idea came to him during lockdown when he noticed the explosion in Punjabi talent coming out of Canada.
“While it was already a big consumption market, Canada was newly becoming a big creator market, which was consistently making great Indian sounds,” Mehta said. He connected with Burke on the idea of a label that could support South Asian artists in Canada who have huge followings in India.
“Jay and I quickly got together and recognized that there was a real opportunity here to be the first label to come together to really support these artists,” Burke added.
Read more on the Canadian insights in the IFPI Global Music Report here. – Rosie Long Decter
Canadian Country Music Association Adds Francophone Artist of the Year Category for 2025
The Canadian Country Music Association is adding a new category for Francophone Artist of the Year.
The inaugural award will be presented during Country Music Week in Kelowna, B.C., this September. It marks a milestone addition for the CCMA Awards, recognizing both the increasing impact of Francophone artists in Canadian country and the popularity of country music in Quebec.
“The addition of the Francophone Artist of the Year category is a significant step forward in celebrating the diversity within Canadian country music,” said Amy Jeninga, CCMA President, in a statement. “We are thrilled to provide a dedicated platform that recognizes and supports Francophone country artists, ensuring their contributions receive the attention they deserve.”
The eligibility period runs from March 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. Seventy percent of the act’s released repertoire during that period must be in French.
The new award, which joins the 15 established artist awards at the CCMAs, will shine a light on Francophone artists who might not be getting a national spotlight.
Quebec has a robust Francophone country scene. The province’s ADISQ Gala presents an annual award for Country Album, with recent winners and nominees including Acadian group Salebarbes, singer-songwriter Alex Burger and multi-instrumentalist duo Hauterive.
Francophone country artists are also spread across the country beyond Quebec. The Ontario equivalent of the CCMAs, the Country Music Association of Ontario, already features a similar award dedicated to Francophone artists. Reney Ray of Kapuskasing, Ontario, took home the 2024 CMA Ontario Award for Francophone artist of the year.
The new award at the CCMAs is the latest example of major Canadian music associations adapting to account for the country’s musical and cultural diversity.
Read more here. – RLD
After more than 50 years, Saskatchewan’s Regina Folk Festival is saying goodbye.
The festival’s board of directors released a statement announcing the cancellation of a planned 53rd edition for this summer. The board is instead winding down the festival’s operations, explaining that “economic challenges have become insurmountable.”
The longstanding festival had cancelled its 2024 edition in order to take a regrouping year. Last fall, the festival announced a 2025 edition would go ahead. In the months since, however, the board says it has become clear that it’s not financially possible to hold another event.
“Ongoing financial pressures from the pandemic, including stagnant or reduced funding, rising costs, and declining ticket sales, have created obstacles we can no longer overcome,” says the statement.
The festival is the latest Canadian live arts event to shutter, as the industry faces serious challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival filed for creditor protection last year, while the Vancouver Folk Festival announced it was shutting down in 2023, before the community — and an injection of funding — saved it.
Trending on Billboard
The Canada Live Music Association’s Hear and Now report, which measures the value of Canada’s live music industry, highlighted that globally, live music didn’t live up to projected performances in 2024.
“The live music sector in Canada has suffered greatly over the last five years and we are not immune,” the Regina Folk Festival (RFF) board states. “According to Festivals and Major Events Canada, it now costs 30% to 40% more than it did in 2019 to organize a comparable event.”
Like many folk festivals, the RFF is a non-profit. The festival has programmed some of Canada’s best-loved and most acclaimed artists, like Joel Plaskett, Alan Doyle and The Halluci Nation.
Emerging artists often get their first gigs at local folk festivals, and the folk festival circuit is a crucial space for like-minded artists to prioritize community and share best practices. But their grassroots nature also means those festivals aren’t necessarily able to withstand financial shocks.
“For 55 years, the Regina Folk Festival has been more than just a celebration of live music; it’s been a highly-anticipated weekend of community building where lasting memories were made,” the Board message concludes. “We look forward to discovering all the beautiful new events that will sprout in its absence. We encourage everyone to support the arts however they can.”
Read more here.
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As Festival Sponsorships Dwindle, Toronto’s Beaches Jazz Festival Calls On Brands To Support Canadian Arts
One of Toronto’s biggest summer music events, Beaches Jazz Festival, is calling on brands to support Canadian arts.
The free music festival draws 800,000 people a year, programming plenty of local and international musicians.
But as big brands increasingly drop their sponsorship of music events, Beaches Jazz Festival is issuing a direct appeal to Canadian businesses: amidst a wave of Canadian cultural nationalism, champion homegrown talent.
“This call goes beyond just Beaches Jazz,” festival founder Lido Chilelli tells Billboard Canada. “It’s a larger conversation about ensuring that Canada’s cultural events remain strong and independent.”
Even with government funding, festivals often rely on corporate sponsors to operate at a large scale. As the Globe and Mail reports, TD has recently pulled out of sponsoring some of the country’s biggest jazz festivals, including Toronto Jazz Fest and Calgary’s JazzYYC Summer Festival. In January, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, which also recently lost its title sponsor, put out a concerned call for donations.
Chilelli says that Beaches Jazz Festival typically sees strong interest from sponsors early in the year, but conversations have been slower this time around.
“We want companies to recognize that the Beaches Jazz Festival is more than just music — it’s a cultural event that brings communities together, drives tourism and significantly boosts the local economy,” Chilelli explains. “It’s an investment in community and culture.”
Chilelli points out that in a crowded digital landscape, it should be valuable to sponsor events that still provide in-person connection. Without brand sponsorship, though, festivals like Beaches Jazz aren’t able to program as many artists, leading to reduced opportunity for local arts.
Beaches Jazz Festival returns July 4-27, 2025.
Read more here.
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Artists Boycott East Coast Music Awards Following Departure of CEO
At the end of February, the East Coast Music Association announced the nominees for the 2025 ECMA Awards, but it almost immediately faced controversy.
Many prominent nominees have declared that they are withdrawing their nominations following controversy over the recent replacement of former CEO Blanche Israël.
That list includes acclaimed singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, nominated for rock/alternative release of the year, for “Evening Dreams.”
Explaining the move on Instagram, Kenney stated “I was nominated for an ECMA, but I am withdrawing and I will not be attending the conference. I do not agree with the lack of transparency around the sudden firing of former CEO [Blanche Israël], and what I would call essentially online bullying leading up to the firing. Much love and please do better @ecmaofficial.”
Others declining their nominations and boycotting the ECMAs include Indigenous rapper Wolf Castle, New Brunswick rapper Stephen Hero and Outside Music head Evan Newman.
Along with Classified, Juno and Polaris Prize winner Jeremy Dutcher had earned the most ECMA nominations, but he has withdrawn all eight nominations from the East Coast Music Awards in solidarity with other musicians who are boycotting the event.
“We need more than an award show on the East Coast,” Dutcher told CBC. “I hope this is a message to all other arts organizations that when we take on consultation with communities of artists, the artists might actually start to care about what happens … and they might start to get invested.”
A statement from the East Coast Music Association reads, in part: “We recognize that some have chosen to decline their nominations, and we respect their personal decisions. We also acknowledge the concerns that have been shared and remain committed to listening, learning, and fostering open conversations.”
The ECMAs will take place in St. John, Newfoundland, on May 8.
Read more here.
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President Donald Trump is facing questions after walking back threatened tariffs on Mexico & Canada for the second time.
On Thursday (March 6), President Donald Trump reversed course and postponed tariffs of 25% of goods that he levied against Mexico and Canada on Tuesday (March 4) for the second time, leading many to question his process. He stated that they would be postponed until April 2. Trump had bragged about the tariffs at his State of The Union address then, claiming they would lead the U.S. to success. “Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance. We’re okay with that. It won’t be much,” he said at the time.
Canada, Mexico, and China immediately responded with their retaliatory tariffs, which sent the stock market tumbling on Wednesday (March 5)with the Dow falling 1,300 points in response to consumer concerns stateside about rising prices. On Thursday, Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said afterward in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that they “had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results.” Hours later, Trump signed an executive order granting the same postponement to Canada.
Commerce Secretary Harold Lutnick mentioned the possibility of tariff postponements in a CNBC interview, stating that it would cover all goods. “ I think it’s likely that it will cover all USMCA-compliant goods and services,” he said. The USMCA refers to the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that was signed in 2018, and enforced beginning in 2020. Initially, Trump was seeking to relieve tariffs on automakers, no doubt in response to a Fox News segment where an auto dealer explained that the immediate effect of the tariffs would add $20,000 to the price of a car on the lot.
Trump’s backpedaling didn’t come without criticism. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted him in a press conference on Tuesday. “Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” he said. China was more direct, expressing that they would “resolutely counter” all tariffs placed on their goods.
In a first, the Polaris Music Prize is rescinding Buffy Sainte-Marie‘s wins. The Juno Awards have also revoked the singer-songwriter’s awards and her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the organization that administers the Junos, released a statement, writing that the singer-songwriter does not meet eligibility requirements following her confirmation that she is not Canadian — similar criteria that the Polaris Prize cited. It was a “not a reflection of Ms. Sainte-Marie’s artistic contributions,” CARAS writes.
CARAS says it made the decision following a thorough review and consultations with the CARAS Indigenous Music Advisory Committee.
Trending on Billboard
Sainte-Marie has faced criticism and scrutiny following a 2023 CBC investigation that cast serious doubt on her claims of Indigenous identity.
In January of this year, Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada was terminated. On March 4, The Canadian Press reported Sainte-Marie issued a statement about the termination, saying that she returned the Order “with a good heart” and affirming that she is a U.S. citizen. “My Cree family adopted me forever and this will never change,” she added.
Sainte-Marie won the Polaris Prize — which is awarded annually by a jury of music critics to one Canadian album based on merit — in 2015 for Power In The Blood. She was also awarded a Polaris Heritage Prize, which honours albums released before the Prize’s founding in 2006, in 2020 for her debut solo album It’s My Way!
Now, those two awards will no longer be hers.
“Based on Sainte-Marie’s statement, Buffy does not meet Polaris Music Prize’s rules and regulations,” wrote the Polaris Prize. “Given Buffy’s statement regarding her citizenship, Polaris Music Prize will be rescinding all awards including her 2015 Polaris Music Prize and 2020 Heritage Prize,” the Prize states.
The PMP statement also acknowledges that not all Indigenous artists have access to government-issued paperwork, with the Prize asserting that this should not impact eligibility for the award.
The Prize’s eligibility criteria requires that nominees “be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with proof of status provided through government-issued documentation, including passports, birth certificates, permanent resident cards, and/or Secure Certificates of Indian Status.”
Read the Polaris Prize and Juno Awards’ full statements on Billboard Canada .
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Canadian Vinyl Pressing Plant Promises to Absorb Tariff Costs for American Customers
An Ontario-based vinyl company has announced it will absorb tariff costs for American customers, receiving a mixed response.
As America imposes 25% tariffs on some Canadian imports (with others delayed until April 2), Precision Record Precision is committing to keeping prices stable for U.S. clients.
“We understand that recent tariff announcements may raise concerns, and we want to assure our US-based customers that any tariffs imposed by the US government on Canadian exports will be paid by and fully absorbed by PRP,” says a statement from CEO Shawn Johnson.
With manufacturing based in Burlington, Ontario, the company bills itself as one of the largest pressing plants in North America. The company was established in 2016 as a partnership between the massive Czech-owned vinyl manufacturer GZ Media and Canadian music distributor Isotope Music.
Some customers welcomed the decision, but the top comment on Instagram disagrees with the company.
“But the American clients SHOULD be paying the tariffs. Not the Canadian company. I understand the desire to not lose business but this is disappointing from a Canadian company and makes me question if I want to use Precision Pressing again thin [sic] the future,” the comment reads.
The trade battle between the U.S. and Canada, as well as persistent threats by the American President to annex Canada, have prompted uncertainty in the Canadian cultural industries as well as a wave of nationalism.
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Canadian Artists Hold the Top Two Spots on Billboard Albums Charts
Tate McRae is so close to superstardom.
The Calgary pop singer has notched her first No. 1 album with So Close To What, topping the Billboard Canadian Albums chart on the chart dated March 8. She bumps Drake and PartyNextDoor’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U to no. 2, on that Canadian chart and on the Billboard 200 — a rare occasion where Canadians have the top 2 albums in both Canada and the U.S.
It marks a major ascension for the Canadian star, who has been building her profile since her breakthrough with 2020’s “You Broke Me First.” In the five years since, McRae has evolved into one of Gen Z’s biggest singers and performers.
McRae expressed her excitement at the No. 1 debut on Instagram. “????????? Are you kidding meeeeeeee Thank you Thank you Thank you 😭’” she wrote.
McRae also has 15 songs in total on the Canadian Hot 100 this week. Her highest placement is the sultry “Sports Car,” which she performed on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. That track sits at No. 11 on the Canadian Hot 100 and No. 16 in the U.S.
Drake and PartyNextDoor, meanwhile, have 16 tracks on the Canadian Hot 100 this week, though they are not as high as in the first week. The top placed song, “Nokia” drops 5-10, and “Gimme a Hug” moves down 10-39.
Overall, it’s a big week for Canadian artists on the charts.
Last Week In Canada: Billboard Live Stage Coming to NXNE
Canadian music producer Bob Ezrin is coming home.
Ezrin plans to renounce his U.S. citizenship. He’s made a full return to Canada from his most recent U.S. base, Nashville.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail‘s Brad Wheeler, Ezrin explains that the current polarized state of American politics and society is the driving force behind this move.
“In the last few years, it seems as if America is split in half,” Ezrin says. “The voices of a radical right have become so much louder. Conspiracy theories abound, people are armed to the teeth, and it’s just a different place than the place I went to.”
Already a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Ezrin was recently named as a recipient of the lifetime artistic achievement award by The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation, honoured for a legendary discography that includes milestone albums by such international stars as Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, U2, Deep Purple, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Swift, Alice Cooper, Nine Inch Nails, Kiss, Lou Reed and many more.
Ezrin and his family moved to Los Angeles from Toronto in 1985, and he became heavily involved in the community of that area. The following decade, he became a U.S. citizen in order to vote.
“I was very engaged, very committed,” he tells Wheeler. “I believed in the country and I believed in the American people, in spite of things like the Iraq War and the income inequality I saw growing, and in spite of the racism that was knitted into the fabric of American life. I still believed the goodness of the majority of Americans would prevail.”
His decision to move back to Canada predated Donald Trump’s inflammatory remarks about annexing this country and his decision to impose excessive trade tariffs, but Ezrin states, “All that underscored the rightness of what I’d decided to do,” he says. “If I’m going to spend time fighting the good fight anywhere, I should do it here.”
Even while spending much of his time in the U.S., Ezrin retained close ties to the Canadian music community. In addition to producing records by Canadian artists, he has contributed immensely to the cause of music education in Canada.
After his induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004, he became involved with the MusiCounts charity, and he helped initiate the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award at the Junos. He and his wife Jan are also founding donors of the MusiCounts Leadership Circle.
In the U.S., Bob Ezrin teamed up with The Edge from U2 to co-found Music Rising, an initiative to replace musical instruments lost in natural disasters. He is also a board member of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a national initiative that supports music in U.S. schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs.
It is symbolically fitting that one of the blockbuster albums produced by Ezrin was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. With this decision to give up his American citizenship, he has now made it crystal clear which side of the symbolic Canada/U.S. wall he has chosen.
Even while spending much of his time in the U.S., Ezrin retained close ties to the Canadian music community. In addition to producing records by Canadian artists, he has contributed immensely to the cause of music education in Canada.
After his induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004, he became involved with the MusiCounts charity, and he helped initiate the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award at the Junos. He and his wife Jan are also founding donors of the MusiCounts Leadership Circle.
In the U.S., Bob Ezrin teamed up with the Edge from U2 to co-found Music Rising, an initiative to replace musical instruments lost in natural disasters. He is also a board member of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a national initiative that supports music in U.S. schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs.
It is symbolically fitting that one of the blockbuster albums produced by Ezrin was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. With this decision to give up his American citizenship, he has now made it crystal clear which side of the symbolic Canada/U.S. wall he has chosen.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
The Billboard Live Stage is coming to Canada, and it will happen at the site of NXNE’s most beloved performances.
On June 12, 2025, Billboard Canada will present a performance of major chart-topping artists, culminating in a highly anticipated headlining performance by a global music icon. The show will take place at Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square), the bustling public square at the heart of downtown Toronto.
It’s a fitting return to the place where NXNE presented some of its biggest shows on the festival’s 30th anniversary, and it marks the festival’s first show in partnership with Billboard Canada and its parent company, ArtsHouse Media Group.
“For 30 years, NXNE has been a defining force in Canada’s music landscape, championing talent and shaping the future of live performance,” said Amanda Dorenberg, CEO of ArtsHouse Media Group and Billboard Canada, in a statement. “As Billboard Canada and ArtsHouse Media Group continue to support music’s evolution, we’re proud to celebrate NXNE’s 30th anniversary with the Billboard Live Stage at Sankofa Square, further extending its legacy by giving artists a platform to reach new audiences and make a global impact.”
NXNE is no stranger to the square. It’s been the site of performances by massive acts including The National, The Flaming Lips, Sloan, multiple members of Wu-Tang Clan, Devo, Ludacris and many more, including a legendary blowout free public performance by Iggy Pop & The Stooges in 2010. The festival’s history goes way back to the opening of the public square, remembers co-founding NXNE president/CEO Michael Hollett.
“We were honoured to present the first ever concert in the Square when Gord Downie [of the Tragically Hip] played NXNE in 2003 and we had the biggest crowd ever for Iggy and the Stooges in 2010,” he says. “With Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Raekwon and so many great shows, we have a great history at Yonge and Dundas, and we are thrilled to return on our 30th anniversary to the freshly named Sankofa Square to again bring incredible, free live music to the city and the world.”
The show will take place on Thursday (June 12). As previously announced, NXNE will also be home to this year’s Billboard Canada Power Players event.
NXNE has already unveiled its first wave of showcasing artists, which includes more than 100 emerging acts from Canada and across the globe. The festival will take over 23 venues throughout Toronto. – Richard Trapunski
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Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR Debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart with ‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’
Drake is back on top of the world — or, at least, the CN Tower.
The Toronto superstar and his collaborator PARTYNEXTDOOR have the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart dated March 1 with their new R&B album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.
It’s Drake’s first full-length release since his reputation took a beating during his beef with Kendrick Lamar in 2024. The latter went on to win record and song of the year at the 2025 Grammys for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” which went to No. 1 in Canada when he performed it at the Super Bowl halftime show.
The joint album has flooded the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 this week, with every single one of the album’s 21 songs charting on the tally, as they did on the U.S. Hot 100.
The upbeat flip phone nostalgia track “Nokia” is charting highest at No. 5, followed by the high energy (and disconcertingly titled) “Gimme A Hug” at No. 10.
While Drake is leading the albums chart, Kendrick has fallen off the top of the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, where his song “Not Like Us” rose to No. 1 for the first time last week. On the Hot 100 in the U.S., Kendrick Lamar’s SZA collab “Luther” has the top spot, but on the Canadian Hot 100 for the week dated March 1, No. 1 belongs to Bruno Mars and ROSÉ’s “APT” — a new peak for the song in its 18th week on the chart.
Read more on the Canadian charts here. – Rosie Long Decter
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Allison Russell Affirms the Power of Community at Montreal’s Folk Alliance International
For Allison Russell, the 37th Folk Alliance International conference was a homecoming.
The annual gathering, which takes place in a different city each year, took over Montreal’s downtown Sheraton Centre from Feb. 19 to 23.
The Nashville-based singer-songwriter gave the conference’s keynote presentation in conversation with NPR’s Ann Powers — which, for the Grammy-winning singer, meant returning to her hometown of Montreal. At a conference themed around the idea of illumination, Russell was a beacon of light.
Russell opened the keynote by sharing that as a teen, she would sleep in the pews of a cathedral less than a kilometre away from the conference centre where the gathering was held. Her high school was just down the road, too.
“We bring with us every version of ourselves,” Russell said. “All the ages of myself are so present in this town.”
But Montreal wasn’t the only home Russell returned to, as the conference has also been a constant for the singer-songwriter across more than two decades of her professional music career.
Speaking with Billboard Canada after the keynote, Russell recalls that her first Folk International Alliance conference was the 2001 edition in Vancouver. At the time, she was a roadie for Canadian folk group The Be Good Tanyas, who were having a breakout year.
“I was still in the closet as a songwriter,” she remembers.
That conference was where Russell would meet JT Nero — her partner in life, child-rearing and music-making. And now, 24 years later, she’s one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary songwriters.
Russell was still coming down from Hadestown, the musical she’s been starring in on Broadway — 15 weeks, 8 shows a week, without missing a day — when she landed in Montreal. At the conference, she spoke about the danger that comes from living in denial of trauma and hardship on a micro and macro level.
“We are going through a phase of unfortunately a fascist resurfacing, rooted in fear, rooted in denialism, rooted in trying to hide the past or re-write it instead of simply facing it,” she said in her keynote. “Nothing can be changed unless it’s faced.”
She linked the current American administration to her performance in Hadestown, a musical about an authoritarian leader who builds a wall to keep newcomers out.
“These fearful demagogues who root their hoarding of power in fear, in othering, in scapegoating,” she said, “they are not originals. They are following a very, very boring and terrible playbook.”
Russell currently has a third solo album in the works, with singles coming soon. Titled In The Hour of Chaos, Russell says it’s an album for her community, inspired by mutual aid during tough times. In the studio with Nero and her Returner collaborators, she says she’s having a blast working on new material.
“It’s my community that has been uplifting and upholding me,” she says. “I hopefully do the same for them.”
Read more from Russell’s Folk Alliance International keynote and interview with Billboard Canada here. – RLD
Billboard Canada Power Players is returning in 2025, and it’s moving to Toronto’s NXNE.
The authoritative ranking of the music business’s most powerful executives — an official extension of Billboard’s Power 100 list — expanded to Canada in 2024. The event brought a who’s-who of industry leaders to a packed celebration at Toronto’s tallest building, the CN Tower. This year, the event will grow even bigger at its new home at NXNE, the beloved music festival celebrating its 30th anniversary amidst a new strategic partnership with Billboard Canada.
Nominations officially opened this week and will close on March 7, 2025.
“We’re thrilled to bring Power Players to the country’s most vibrant music conference and festival,” says Mo Ghoneim, president of Billboard Canada. “Power Players is a crucial spotlight of the executives leading the charge in Canada on a global scale, and we can’t wait to bring it to new heights in 2025.”
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Canada is home to some of the most impactful people in music, both at home and internationally. In 2024, Billboard Canada celebrated Arthur Fogel, Live Nation’s CEO of global touring, at No. 1. The Canadian industry icon who shaped the modern global touring market attended the event and spoke about the impact Canada’s live music scene had on his career.
As Canada’s market for stadium concerts and festivals continues to expand and Canadian Content regulations continue to be debated, there are many factors and stories that could play a role in this year’s Power Players list.
Billboard Canada Power Players celebrates people across the industry, including record labels, publishing, legal, streaming and radio, creative media, and more. The extremely competitive honour reflects market share, industry impact, achievements and other metrics.
The Power Players list is peer-nominated and selected by the Billboard Canada team.
Find the submissions form here. It’s also available in French here. – Richard Trapunski
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Canadian Independent Music Association Pulls Out of SXSW Amidst ‘Instability’ In the United States
One of the top showcase opportunities for Canadian musicians at SXSW will not take place this year.
The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has canceled its Canada House event at the upcoming Austin music festival amidst rising political and economic tensions between Canada and the United States.
Andrew Cash, CIMA’s president and CEO, describes the decision as a confluence of various factors, mostly related to the relationship between the two countries since Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. President.
That includes the 25% tariffs placed on goods from Canada set to kick in on March 12, which falls during the dates of this year’s SXSW (which runs from March 7-15), as well as Trump’s repeated threats to annex the country.
“The growing instability of everything in the United States right now, plus the high cost [of putting on events in the United States] and the low [Canadian] dollar — all of these things combined made it so we couldn’t feel confident or good about what we were getting ourselves into at this particular moment,” Cash tells Billboard Canada.
“The timing is not great,” he continues. “We would be going down there just after the 30-day tariff pause has expired. We’re going to have a new Prime Minister [in Canada, following the resignation of Justin Trudeau]. I just didn’t feel comfortable putting CIMA out there in that context of instability.”
For more than a decade, Canada House has been a pivotal exporting opportunity for Canadian bands and artists at the influential American music festival. Taking over the Swan Dive music venue, it offers opportunities for Canadian musicians and entrepreneurs to network and showcase at an event well-attended by members of the local and international music industry. CIMA had planned to host a one-day daytime music showcase on March 12.
CIMA made the decision to pull out of SXSW on Feb. 13, sending emails to partners and invited artists informing them that they would not be producing the event this year.
Applications opened last fall, and four Canadian and Indigenous acts had been sent offers to play CIMA’s Canada House showcase. They learned of the cancellation last week.
“We don’t know what the climate is going to be,” Cash says. “It felt potentially dissonant to be going down to Texas and hosting an event called Canada House while the President of that country is essentially stating his intent to annex our country…We made the decision based on what we could control, because there’s so much about this situation that we can’t.”
CIMA is still offering Canadian bands spots at networking events with other international music offices and export partners from Australia, England, New Zealand and other markets. And though the Canada House showcase is on pause for 2025, they could still bring it back in future years depending on the geopolitical situation.
In the meantime, Cash says CIMA will focus its resources and investments on other international markets and opportunities within Canada. This will not affect the organization’s other Canada House activations at the German festival Reeperbahn, British festival The Great Escape or SXSW Australia.
Cash says he hopes the situation in the U.S. is resolved soon, as the country is Canada’s biggest export market — not just for music but many sectors of the economy.
“I think everyone understands that we’re in unprecedented times,” says Cash. “And I think everyone is unsure exactly how to react.”
For more on the cancellation, and how it affected artists who were invited to play, head here. – Richard Trapunski
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Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Hits No. 1 In Canada for The First Time After Super Bowl Performance
Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” is the No. 1 song in Canada this week — for the first time.
The diss track never managed to claim the top spot on the charts in Drake‘s home country like it did in the U.S. last year during the height of the stars’ heated rap beef. But after a Super Bowl halftime performance that saw record viewership, Canadians have pushed the controversial single to a new peak on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the chart dated Feb. 22, 2025.
Going into the Super Bowl, it wasn’t clear if Lamar was even legally allowed to perform the track, as Drake is suing Universal Music Group, the label that released it. But after teasing it throughout the night, Lamar not only played the song, he included the lines that name-drop Drake and accuse him of predatory behaviour. Serena Williams, Drake’s ex, danced alongside Lamar on the field.
Following the success of “Not Like Us” last year, Lamar dropped a surprise album, GNX, which is at No. 2 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart this week. Lamar is also all over the Canadian Hot 100, with 11 of his tracks charting there.
He performed his SZA collab from that album, “Luther,” at the halftime show as well, with the R&B star joining for the duet. That track also got a post-show boost, rising 18-2 on the Canadian Hot 100, as did SZA’s 2017 album Ctrl, which re-enters the Canadian Albums chart at No. 91. SZA’s SOS, meanwhile, drops from 2-3 behind GNX.
The two will perform together on the Grand National tour this summer, which stops in Toronto on June 12 and 13. – Rosie Long Decter
There’s a new category at the Juno Awards this year and for first-time nominee Lowell, it’s been a long time coming.
Lowell (Elizabeth Lowell Boland) has been in the industry for a decade, first as a performing artist and then as a songwriter and artist development expert. In the last two years, she’s helped break Canadian rockers The Beaches internationally and contributed to Beyoncé‘s first-ever album of the year win at the Grammys, co-writing several tracks on Cowboy Carter.
Now, she receives her first-ever Juno nomination, in the inaugural year of the new songwriter of the year (non-performer) category. The introduction of the category means that behind-the-scenes songwriters who would normally get squeezed out of the songwriter of the year category by big names like Abel Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd) are getting their due.
Last year, Billboard Canada and SOCAN introduced the Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award, which Lowell won and accepted at the Billboard Canada Power Players celebration. Lowell was a fitting first winner, as she’s also been pushing the Junos to add the category for years.
Trending on Billboard
At a Junos media conference this week following the nominations announcement, Lowell spoke about how it’s been a long road to get here, but that songwriters are starting to get some recognition.
“I’m so glad that we have this category now,” Lowell said. “I think that if it didn’t exist I probably wouldn’t be nominated at the Junos — and I always said if I get Grammys before I get Junos you know there’s something wrong.”
Lowell added that in the past, Juno nominations have been bittersweet for songwriters.
“Usually we see a lot of artists that we maybe have developed or written their hits, but know that our name won’t be up there, just kind of having to live in it,” she reflected. “I’m a fighter so I kind of took the lead on it. One thing about songwriters is we’re so used to just being walked all over, we don’t often think we can do anything about it, and I refuse to think that way.”
As songwriter royalties have declined, it’s harder to make a living, Lowell pointed out, making this kind of recognition even more significant.
“All of these labels — Universal Canada, Warner Canada — we could be in L.A. but we’re here, we’re working on your artists, and we’re writing you guys hits and we’re bringing you money and allowing you to sign more artists, so the respect that we need and have earned needs to be at the Junos too,” she continued. “And here we are. It’s good — it’s a good day.”
She’s excited to be nominated in the category alongside Nate Ferraro, her songwriting partner on Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Also nominated are Evan Blair, for work with Maren Morris and Benson Boone (including co-writing the No. 1 hit “Beautiful Things”); Shaun Frank, for work with Dua Lipa and Morgan Wallen; and Tobias Jesso Jr., for work with Camila Cabello, Morris and Lipa.
Producer Aaron Paris and recording engineer/producer Hill Kourkoutis also spoke about the importance of industry recognition for those working behind the scenes. Read more here. – Rosie Long Decter
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Junos and Polaris Prize Release Statements on Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Awards Following Order of Canada Cancellation
Though most focus was on the new Juno nominees this week, one prior winner was also under the spotlight: Buffy Sainte-Marie.
The acclaimed singer-songwriter’s Order of Canada appointment was canceled last week by The Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon. The decision came a year and a half after the CBC’s investigation into her claims of Indigenous ancestry and Canadian citizenship. Since then, there has been scrutiny into other awards Sainte-Marie has earned in the country.
CARAS, the body that governs the Junos, released a statement, saying they are aware of the decision to terminate her Order of Canada.
“We continue to consult with our Indigenous Music Advisory Committee and Indigenous stakeholders on how to best proceed as it relates to Sainte-Marie’s Juno Awards,” the organization said in a statement. “We recognize the importance of Indigenous music as a category and remain deeply committed to promoting, celebrating and honouring the contributions of Indigenous artists to the Canadian music industry.”
In 2023, a group named the Indigenous Women’s Collective called on CARAS to rescind Sainte-Marie’s 2018 Juno for Indigenous album of the year, which she won for the album Medicine Songs. The group pointed to the win over artist Kelly Fraser, who died a year later.
“We invite the Juno Awards Committee to revisit this 2018 category and explore ways of righting a past wrong,” they wrote. “All Indigenous Artists in this 2018 category, including Kelly Fraser, should be reconsidered for this rightful honour.”
Sainte-Marie won the Polaris Music Prize, which awards one album as the best in Canada of the year based solely on artistic merit, for her 2015 album, Power in the Blood. For her victory, Sainte-Marie earned a cash prize of $50,000.
The Polaris Music Prize Board released a statement.
“The Polaris Board is aware of the ongoing conversation around Buffy Sainte Marie’s Canadian status,” they said in a statement. “We have and continue to follow as new information is shared.”
Sainte-Marie has said that she has never lied about her identity. – Richard Trapunski
Tate McRae and Josh Ross have received the most nominations for the 2025 Juno Awards, with five apiece. The two artists will compete against each other in single of the year, album of the year, artist of the year and TikTok fan choice award.
Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd follow with four nominations each, while Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon each score three.
McRae — the Alberta pop singer whose “Greedy” took her to global heights in 2023 — won single of the year and artist of the year at the 2024 Junos. She was not in attendance to accept either award. This year, she could sweep all the major categories except for breakthrough artist, in which she was nominated in 2021.
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Ross is a breakout country singer from Ontario, and his five nominations show the strength of the genre in Canada. He joins McRae in the artist of the year category, alongside dance music producer Kaytranada, who was up for three Grammys this year with his third LP, Timeless; Mendes, who made a highly anticipated comeback with folk album Shawn; and The Weeknd, who released several charting singles in 2024. (His Hurry Up Tomorrow doesn’t qualify for this year’s awards, so he could be primed for another big year next year.)
Ross has had a major year, with his track “Single Again” — up for single of the year — charting on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and topping the Canadian Country Airplay chart. He picked up five Canadian Country Music Association Awards in 2024, but if he prevails in one or more of his highly competitive categories, it would mark his first Juno win(s).
Beyond McRae’s domination and Ross’ breakthrough, the nominations show the continued rise of the Punjabi Wave in Canada. Last year, Karan Aujla took home the fan choice award, which showed belated industry recognition for the exploding genre. This year, Aujla is up for single of the year as well with the aptly-titled “Winning Speech.”
This year, the Junos are introducing a South Asian music recording category, with AP Dhillon; Chani Nattan, Inderpal Moga & Jazz B; Jonita Gandhi; and Sandeep Narayan and Yanchal Produced all up for the inaugural award alongside Aujla.
But it’s not just that category where South Asian music is shining through — Dhillon is nominated for breakthrough artist and songwriter of the year.
AR Paisley is also up for breakthrough artist, as is Sukha, who also scored a nomination in best album with Undisputed. That’s a marked increase in representation for South Asian music and, in particular, Punjabi artists, from last year, as the wave continues to crest.
Canadian pop-rock icons and Billboard Canada cover stars Sum 41 are up for group of the year, where they’ll compete against Crash Adams, Mother Mother, Spiritbox and last year’s winner, The Beaches. They also picked up a nomination for rock album of the year with their final album, Heaven :x: Hell, and they will receive a special induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the ceremony.
In the big categories, it’s not as strong a year for women nominees — McRae is the only woman nominated for single of the year, artist of the year, and fan choice (especially notable in fan choice, which has 10 total nominees). In album of the year, Inuk singer Elisapie and Quebecois artist Roxane Bruneau compete alongside McRae against Ross and Sukha.
The breakthrough artist category is where things get the most interesting. The Junos have increased that category from five to 10 nominees this year, and the move allows for a real breadth of talent to shine through, with nominees ranging from country to soul to Punjabi hip-hop and more. Palestinian-Canadian alt-pop auteur Nemahsis is up for the category (she’s also nominated in alternative album of the year), as is Vancouver emo-pop artist Ekkstacy and Montreal R&B-pop artist Zeina, who broke through with Billboard Canadian Hot 100-charting “Hooked.”
In the genre-specific categories, three categories that were reportedly in danger of disappearing did return this year. Following public outcry last fall, the Junos recommitted to the reggae recording of the year; contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year; and children’s album of the year categories.
The nominees in reggae recording include the late trailblazer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry for his work with Bob Riddim on Destiny and Canadian reggae leader Exco Levi’s Born To Be Free. In children’s album, Lheidli T’enneh singer-songwriter Kym Gouchie is nominated for Shun Beh Nats’ujeh: We Are Healing Through Songs as well as iconic entertainer Raffi for his Good Lovelies collaboration, Penny Penguin.
The 2025 Juno Awards, hosted by Michael Bublé, will be held March 30 in Vancouver, broadcast on CBC at 8 P.M. ET.
Here’s the full list of nominations for the 2025 Juno Awards.
TikTok Juno Fan Choice
bbno$, Independent*Stem
Dean Brody, Starseed
Jade Eagleson, Starseed
Josh Ross, Universal
Karan Aujla, Independent
Les Cowboys Fringants, Les Disques de La Tribu*Propagande
Preston Pablo, Universal
Shawn Mendes, Universal
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Artist of the year
Josh Ross, Universal
Kaytranada, RCA*Sony
Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Group of the year
Crash Adams, Warner
Mother Mother, Warner
Spiritbox, BMG*Universal
Sum 41, Rise/BMG*Universal
The Beaches, Independent*AWAL
Single of the year
“Single Again,” Josh Ross, Universal
“Winning Speech,” Karan Aujla, Independent
“Why Why Why,” Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
“exes,” Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
“Timeless,” The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, XO*Universal
Album of the year
Inuktitut, Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony
Complicated, Josh Ross, Universal
Submergé, Roxane Bruneau, Disques Artic*Sony
UNDISPUTED, Sukha, GK*Universal
THINK LATER, Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
Breakthrough artist or group of the year
Alexander Stewart, FAE*The Orchard
AP Dhillon, Republic*Universal
AR Paisley, Warner
Chris Grey, Rebellion Records
EKKSTACY, Dine Alone*The Orchard
Nemahsis, Independent
Owen Riegling, Universal
Sukha, GK*Universal
Tony Ann, Decca*Universal
Zeina, Artist Partner Group
Songwriter of the year
Abel Tesfaye
AP Dhillon
Jessie Reyez
Mustafa
Nemah Hasan (Nemahsis)
Songwriter of the year (non-performer)
Evan Blair
Lowell
Nathan Ferraro
Shaun Frank
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Jack Richardson producer of the year
Aaron Paris
Akeel Henry
Evan Blair
Jack Rochon
Shawn Everett
Recording engineer of the year
George Seara
Hill Kourkoutis
Mitch McCarthy
Serban Ghenea
Shawn Everett
Classical album of the year (solo artist)
Signature Philip Glass, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard
Messiaen, Barbara Hannigan, Alpha Classics*Naxos
freezing, Emily D’Angelo, Deutsche Grammophon*Universal
Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth, India Gailey, Red Shift*Believe
Williams Violin Concerto No. 1; Bernstein Serenade, James Ehnes, Pentatone*Naxos/The Orchard
Classical album of the year (small ensemble)
Known To Dreamers: Black Voices in Canadian Art Song, Canadian Art Song Project, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
Rituæls, collectif9, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard
East is East, Infusion Baroque, Leaf*Naxos
Marie Hubert: Fille du Roy, Karina Gauvin, ATMA*Universal
Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars, St. John–Mercer–Park Trio, Leaf*Naxos
Classical album of the year (large ensemble)
Ispiciwin, Luminous Voices, Leaf*Naxos
Alikeness, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra Sinfonia, conducted by/dirigé par Mark Fewer featuring Aiyun Huang, Deantha Edmunds and Mark Fewer, Leaf*Naxos
Sibelius 2 & 5, Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by/dirigé par Yannick Nézet-Séguin, ATMA*Universal
Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande & Verklärte Nacht, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conducted by/dirigé par Rafael Payare, Pentatone*Naxos/PIAS
Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by/dirigé par Gustavo Gimeno featuring Marc-André Hamelin and Nathalie Forget, Harmonia Mundi
Jazz album of the year (solo)
Montreal Jazz Series 1 (Échanges Synaptiques), André Leroux, Disques BG*Believe
The Head of a Mouse, Audrey Ochoa, Chronograph*Fontana North
Portrait of Right Now, Jocelyn Gould, Independent
Slice of Life, Larnell Lewis, Independent
The Antrim Coast, Mark Kelso, Modica
Jazz album of the year (group)
Time Will Tell, Andy Milne and Unison, Sunnyside*AMPED
Reverence, Carn Davidson 9, Independent
Harbour, Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, Justin Time*F.A.B./Nettwerk
Gravity, Jeremy Ledbetter Trio, Independent
Jaya, Raagaverse, Independent
Vocal jazz album of the year
Oh Mother, Andrea Superstein, Cellar*La Reserve
Hello! How Are You?, Caity Gyorgy, La Reserve*The Orchard
Winter Song, Kellylee Evans, Independent
Wintersongs, Laila Biali, Independent/Believe
Magpie, Sarah Jerrom, TPR*Outside In
Instrumental album of the year
Disaster Pony, Disaster Pony, Independent*The Orchard
Distant Places, Eric Bearclaw, Independent
Ginger Beef, Ginger Beef, Independent
memory palace, Intervals, Independent*Believe
Confluencias, Melón Jimenez & Lara Wong, Independent
Blues album of the year
This Old Life, Big Dave McLean, Cordova Bay*Fontana North
New Orleans Sessions, Blue Moon Marquee, Independent
YEAH!, David Gogo, Cordova Bay*Fontana North
Samantha King and the Midnight Outfit, Samantha King & The Midnight Outfit, Independent
One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley, Stony Plain*Fontana North
Traditional roots album of the year
Hemispheres, Inn Echo, Independent
Retro Man … More and More (Expanded Edition), Jake Vaadeland, Jayward*The Orchard Domino!, La Bottine Souriante, LABE*Sony/The Orchard
The Road Back Home (Live), Loreena McKennitt, Independent*Universal
At The End of the Day, Sylvia Tyson, Stony Plain*Fontana North
Contemporary roots album of the year
Anniversary, Abigail Lapell, Outside
For Eden, Boy Golden, Six Shooter*The Orchard
Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, Donovan Woods, End Times*The Orchard Pathways, Julian Taylor, Howling Turtle*ADA
Strange Medicine, Kaia Kate,r acronym*The Orchard
Country album of the year
The Compass Project – West Album, Brett Kissel, Independent*Universal
Dallas Smith, Dallas Smith, Big Loud*Universal
Complicated, Josh Ross, Universal
Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart, MacKenzie Porter, Big Loud*Universal
Going Home, Tyler Joe Miller, Independent*The Orchard
Adult alternative album of the year
Inuktitut, Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Revelation, Leif Vollebekk, Secret City*F.A.B.
Healing Power, Terra Lightfoot, Sonic Unyon*Universal
We were born here, what’s your excuse?, The Secret Beach, Victory Pool*The Orchard
Never Better, Wild Rivers, Nettwerk*F.A.B./Nettwerk
Alternative album of the year
When a Thought Grows Wings, Luna Li, In Real Life*AWAL
Verbathim, Nemahsis, Independent
Magpie, Peach Pit, Columbia*Sony
What’s The Point, Ruby Waters, Independent*Dine Alone
Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, Valley, Universal
Rock album of the year
Pages, Big Wreck, Sonic Unyon*Universal
Vices, JJ Wilde, Black Box
Grief Chapter, Mother Mother, Warner
Set Your Pussy Free, NOBRO, Dine Alone*The Orchard
Heaven :x: Hell, Sum 41, Rise/BMG*Universal
Metal/hard music album of the year
Beyond the Reach of the Sun, Anciients, Season of Mist*The Orchard
PowerNerd, Devin Townsend, InsideOutMusic*Sony
Fire, Kittie, Sumerian*Virgin
The Fear of Fear, Spiritbox, BMG*Universal
ULTRAPOWER, Striker, Independent
Adult contemporary album of the year
Roses, Aphrose, Independent
Boundless Possibilities, Celeigh Cardinal, Independent
Transitions, Kellie Loder, Independent*Warner
Songs of Love & Death, Maddee Ritter, Independent*Universal
Lovers’ Gothic, Maïa Davies, acronym
Pop album of the year
bleeding heart, Alexander Stewart, FAE*The Orchard
if this is it…, Jamie Fine, Universal
Anywhere But Here, Preston Pablo, 31 East*Universal
Shawn, Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
THINK LATER, Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
Dance recording of the year
UH HUH, DijahSB, Never Worry*The Orchard
No Time, Interplanetary Criminal & SadBo,i Room Two*Columbia
Give in to you, REZZ, Virtual Riot & One True God, Monstercat
Call Me When, So Sus, Independent
FOUL TASTE, WAWA, Independent
Underground dance single of the year
“Bamboo,” Ciel, Independent
“Keepsake,” Destrata, Independent
“Distant Memories,” Hernan Cattaneo, Hicky & Kalo, Independent
“La Vérité,” Jesse Mac Cormack, Charlie Houston & Brö, Secret City*F.A.B
“WTP,” Suray Sertin, Altered States*Universal
Electronic album of the year
Honey, Caribou, Merge*F.A.B
Union, ÈBONY, Independent*ADA
Love, Care, Kindness & Hope, Fred Everything, Lazy Days*Prime Direct
Timeless, Kaytranada, RCA*Sony
This but More, Priori, NAFF*One Eye Witness
Rap single of the year
“People,” Classified, Independent
“Double the Fun,” Haviah Mighty, Independent
“SHUT UP,” Jessie Reyez, FMLY/Island*Universal
“BBE,” Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Sony
“Hier encore,” Souldia & Lost, Disques 7ième Ciel
Rap album/EP of the year
96 Miles From Bethlehem, Belly, SALXCO*Universal
Luke’s View, Classified, Independent
The Flower That Knew DijahSB, Lowly
See You When I See You…, Dom Vallie, Awesome*The Orchard
RED FUTURE, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Sony
Traditional R&B/soul recording of the year
“Limbo,” Aqyila, Sony
“The Worst,” Benita, Independent*Believe
“Cyan Blue,” Charlotte Day Wilson, Independent*The Orchard
“Halfway Broken,” Luna Elle, Hot Freestyle*Independent
“VELVET SOUL,” THEHONESTGUY, Independent*Believe
Contemporary R&B recording of the year
“Bloom,” Aqyila, Sony
“Noire,” Avenoir, Independent*LISTEN TO THE KIDS
“FOR THE BOY IN ME,” Dylan Sinclair ,Five Stone*The Orchard
“LOONY, LOONY,” Independent*AWAL
“Eastend Confessions,” Zeina, Artist Partner Group
Reggae recording of the year
“Born to Be Free,” Exco Levi, Independent
“FALLBACK,” King Cruff & Runkus, Tuff Gong*Universal
“Destiny,” Lee “Scratch” Perry & Bob Riddim, Independent
“Sky’s the Limit,” Skystar, Independent
“Rise,” Tonya P, Independent
Children’s album of the year
Shun Beh Nats’ujeh: We Are Healing Through Songs, Kym Gouchie, Independent
Penny Penguin, Raffi & Good Lovelies, Independent*Universal
Riley Rocket: Songs From Season One, Riley Rocket and Megablast, Independent
Buon Appetito, Walk off the Earth & Romeo Eats, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Young Maestro “Rhyme Travellers”, Young Maestro, Independent
Comedy album of the year
Wonder Woman, Courtney Gilmour, Comedy Records*Downtown
Honourable Intentions, Debra DiGiovanni, Independent
Popcorn, Ivan Decker, Independent
Sad Witch, Jess Salomon, Independent
Down With Tech, Nathan Macintosh, Comedy Records*Downtown
Traditional indigenous artist or group of the year
New Comings, Black Bear Singers, Independent
Winston & I, Brianna Lizotte, Independent
Travelling Home, Cree Confederation, Independent
REZilience, Northern Cree, Independent
Ostesihtowin-“Brotherhood”, Young Spirit, Independent
Contemporary indigenous artist or group of the year
Precious Diamonds, Adrian Sutherland, Independent
Boundless Possibilities, Celeigh Cardinal, Independent
Brown Man, Sebastian Gaskin, Ishkōdé*Universal
RED FUTURE, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Sony
Pretty Red Bird, Tia Wood, Sony
Album Francophone De L’année
Aliocha Schneider, Aliocha Schneider, Les Disques Audiogramme*Sony/The Orchard
Demain il fera beau, Fredz, La Taniere*Believe
Toutes les rues sont silencieuses, Jay Scøtt, Disques 7ième Ciel*Believe
Abracadabra, Klô Pelgag, Secret City*F.A.B.
Pub Royal, Les Cowboys Fringants, Les Disques de La Tribu*Propagande/Believe
Contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year
elenee., Elenee, Independent
My Foundation, Jordan St. Cyr, Independent*The Orchard
Restore, Ryan Ofei, Independent*Platoon/Believe
Miracle in the Making, Tehillah Worship, Independent
Hymns Alive (Live), Toronto Mass Choir, Independent*Believe
Global music album of the year
Aarambh, Abby V, Sufiscore
Kanzafula, Ahmed Moneka, Lulaworld*Independent
Malak, Didon, Electrofone*Independent
Dankoroba, Djely Tapa, Independent*Believe
Niebla, Ramon Chicharron, Independent*Believe
South Asian music recording of the year
“The Brownprint,” AP Dhillon, Republic *Universal
“COOLIN,” Chani Nattan, Inderpal Moga & Jazzy B, Warner
“Love Like That,” Jonita Gandhi, Warner
“Tauba Tauba (From Bad Newz),” Karan Aujla, T-Series
“Arul,” Yanchan, Produced & Sandeep Narayan, Independent
Album artwork of the year
Erik M. Grice (Art Director), Vanessa Elizabeth Heins (Photographer); Chandler – Wyatt C. Louis, Independent*Universal
Gabriel Noel Altrows (Art Director/Illustrator); Good Kid 4 – Good Kid, Independent/The Orchard
Kee Avil, Jacqueline Beaumont (Art Director), Fatine-Violette Sabiri (Photographer); Spine – Kee Avil Constellation*Secretly Canadian
Keenan Gregory (Art Director); Altruistic – Royal Tusk MNRK
Kevin Hearn, Lauchlan Reid (Art Director), Antoine Jean Moonen (Designer), Lauchlan Reid (Illustrator); Basement Days – The Glacials Celery*IDLA
Music video of the year
“Human,” Adrian Villagomez, Apashe & Wasiu, Kannibalen*Create
“Nasty,” Jonah Haber, Tinashe, Independent
“GRAVITY,” Jorden Lee, Sean Leon, Independent
“Name of God,” Mustafa, Mustafa, Arts & Crafts*Universal
“Jump Cut,” Winston Hacking, Corridor, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Classical composition of the year
“Angmalukisaa,” Deantha Edmunds, Independent*Leaf/Naxos
“the fog in our poise,” Gabriel Dharmoo, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
“L’écoute du perdu : III. « Voix jetées »,” Keiko Devaux, ATMA*Universal
“Dark Flowe,” Linda Catlin Smith, Redshift*Independent
“String Quartet No. 4 ‘Insects and Machines,’” Vivian Fung, Independent
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is no longer appointed to the Order of Canada.
Her appointment to one of the country’s highest honors has been terminated by the Governor General, as announced in the Canada Gazette on Feb. 8. The termination Ordinance was signed on Jan. 3.
Sainte-Marie is one of the country’s most-celebrated musicians and has been a leader on Indigenous issues for decades, but her reputation has shifted over the last year. In the fall of 2023, a CBC Fifth Estate investigation cast doubt on her claims of Indigenous ancestry.
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Sainte-Marie had previously claimed she believed she was born on the Piapot First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan. She said she had been adopted by the Santamaria family that raised her in Wakefield, Massachusetts, attributing her adoption to the Sixties Scoop, a period in the 1960s when many Indigenous babies were taken from their parents and adopted by white families.
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CBC‘s investigation produced a birth certificate for Sainte-Marie which lists her presumed adoptive parents as her birth parents. It also features interviews with Sainte-Marie’s family members calling her claim to Indigenous identity “an elaborate fabrication,” and contextualizes Sainte-Marie’s career within a phenomenon of high-profile public figures who have fabricated Indigenous identity.
As a young adult, Sainte-Marie was adopted by Emile Piapot and Clara Starblanket Piapot of the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan in accordance with Cree law and customs.
Sainte-Marie issued a statement around the investigation. “For a long time, I tried to discover information about my background,” she wrote. “Through that research what became clear, and what I’ve always been honest about, is that I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know.”
In a follow-up statement, she affirmed her truth. “I have never lied about my identity,” Sainte-Marie said, adding that the investigation included “mistakes and omissions.”
The investigation prompted calls from some Indigenous groups and artists for major organizations to rethink their celebration of Sainte-Marie.
In a career spanning six decades, Sainte-Marie has won an Oscar and a Golden Globe (both for co-writing “Up Where We Belong” from An Officer and a Gentleman), the Polaris Music Prize, seven Juno Awards (including four in categories honoring aboriginal or indigenous music), and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, in addition to her appointment to the Order of Canada. She was first appointed to the Order in 1997, and in 2019 was made a Companion of the Order, the highest level within the Order.
Sainte-Marie, 83, had a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 with “Mister Can’t You See.”
A group called the Indigenous Women’s Collective called on the Junos to rescind Sainte-Marie’s 2018 award for Indigenous Album of the Year, with Cree opera singer Rhonda Head supporting the call.
The Canada Gazette provides no detail on the termination of Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada. The Order of Canada Termination Policy states that an Advisory Council can recommend termination to the Governor General if an appointee’s conduct departs significantly from their standard of public behavior and may undermine the credibility of the Order.
CBC reports that in its 50-year history, Sainte-Marie is the ninth person to have their appointment to the Order terminated.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.