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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

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.

Trending on Billboard

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.

Warner Music Group announced changes to its division overseeing Argentina and Chile on Tuesday (Feb. 11), bringing in Tomás Talarico as the new managing director of Warner Music Southern Cone (née Cono Sur), effective immediately. He succeeds Guillermo Castellani, who will stay on as a consultant during the transition. Talarico will report to Alejandro Duque, president of Warner Music Latin America.
Talarico brings extensive industry experience, having founded MOJO, an independent record label and digital distributor, in 2014. Under his leadership, MOJO expanded across Argentina, Chile and Peru, becoming a key player in the tropical and urban music markets. The company has collaborated with approximately 150 artists and labels, managing audiovisual production and music publishing. According to the hiring announcement, MOJO’s success includes more than 50 Gold and Platinum certified singles and multiple industry awards, including eight Gardel Awards and two Pulsar Awards.

Throughout his career, Talarico has played a significant role in developing emerging artists such as ECKO, Grupo Zumbale Primo, Kaleb Di Masi, Papichamp and Uriel Lozano, among others. He was also a key contributor to the collaborative project Un Poco de Ruido. He’s also a musician, having released five rock and pop albums as a guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Trending on Billboard

Before founding MOJO, Talarico was a pioneer in digital music distribution, working with companies focused on MP3 and ringtone sales. His early career included a role as a supervisor at Tower Records.

Duque praised Talarico’s entrepreneurial mindset and ability to bridge music and technology “to the service of artists,” also praising Castellani role in developing the careers of major Warner artists such as Maria Becerra and Tiago PZK.

Talarico expressed excitement about joining WMG, highlighting the opportunity to utilize the resources of an international label to support the region. 

“To be able to tap into the resources of a major label to superserve the exceptional talent in this region is an incredible opportunity,” he said. “I also want to pay tribute to the remarkable Guillermo Castellani who has nurtured such a strong team and played a huge role in the wider music industry. He leaves big shoes to fill, and I’m looking forward to building on his legacy!”

Castellani reflected on his time at Warner Music, which dates back to early 2002, and lauded the support of Duque and the Warner Music Southern Cone team.

“I am grateful to the family of Warner Music Southern Cone for allowing me to enjoy my work every day: without them it would have been impossible to reach the goals we achieved,” he said. “I wish Tomás success in writing the following chapter in the Southern Cone. I am sure that he will lead Warner Music in its continuous growth so that it will remain a magnet for new music talent in this part of the world.”

Canadians loomed large at Sunday’s Grammy Awards — even some who weren’t actually there in person — heading into it with many nominations for songwriting and producing.
The Weeknd’s surprise performance, ending his Grammys boycott, was probably the most notable, though Kendrick Lamar’s multiple wins for “Not Like Us” — accepted in a Canadian tuxedo, no less — made Drake a major talking point.

The most-decorated Grammy-winner of all time finally scored her white whale. Beyoncé, who holds 35 wins and 99 career nominations, had been denied album of the year four times before, losing to Taylor Swift in 2010, Beck in 2015, Adele in 2020 and Harry Styles in 2023. Each of those losses was for a culture-shaking album, from I Am…Sasha Fierce to her self-titled record, to Lemonade and Renaissance.

Trending on Billboard

This year, Beyoncé took home album of the year for her country record Cowboy Carter, also winning best country album. It was a historic win for Billboard’s greatest pop star of the 21st century, recognizing her for an album that honours the contributions of Black musicians to country as well as blurring the lines between country, pop, dance and R&B. (Not to mention, she seemed genuinely surprised by the country album win, in a reaction that has already been meme’d — a rare moment of fluster from Queen Bey).

Cowboy featured some major Canadian contributions — songwriting team Nate Ferraro, Bulow and Lowell (who also won the inaugural Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award) wrote the album’s lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em” while Dave Hamelin of The Stills co-wrote and produced a half-dozen songs. For his work, Hamelin will also receive an album of the year Grammy.

Another Canadian songwriter did well in a different category — Toronto’s Scott Zhang picked up a win in best R&B song for his work on SZA’s “Saturn.” Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin was the other big Canadian winner of the night, taking home best compilation soundtrack for his work on Bradley Cooper’s Maestro.

Canadian singer and Broadway star Deborah Cox helped kick off the Premiere Ceremony, which takes place before the evening Grammy Awards. That ceremony is where the majority of awards are handed out, and Cox was nominated this year as part of the cast of Broadway musical The Wiz, up for best musical theater album.

Though the cast of Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen took home the award — Keys was also honoured during the evening ceremony with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Grammy — Cox and her Wiz co-star Wayne Brady opened up the Premiere Ceremony with a heartfelt rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Read all of Canada’s impact on the awards here. – Rosie Long Decter

Charlotte Cardin Scores A New ‘Feel Good’ Hit On The Billboard Canadian Hot 100

Canadian pop singer Charlotte Cardin can feel good this week.

The Quebec star has a new entry on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, with her 2023 single “Feel Good” arriving at No. 94 on the chart dated Feb. 8, 2025.

It marks her first new entry on the chart since last year’s “99 Nights” — and like that track, “Feel Good” enters well after it was initially released, making its chart debut a year and a half after it appeared on her 2023 EP Une semaine à Paris.

The song is a mellow dance-pop track in a similar vein to her top ten hit “Confetti,” but where that one was driven by party malaise, “Feel Good” finds thrills in pleasure.

With lyrics in both French and English, the song has taken on a new life throughout her international tours and with a global, especially French-speaking, audience on TikTok and other social media platforms. 

The new chart entry gives Cardin some good momentum as 2025 kicks off, and the Canadian singer — and Billboard Canada inaugural Woman of the Year — continues to expand her reach globally.

Read more on this week’s chart here. – RLD

Executive Turntable: UMG announced a major move at the top of its Canadian office on Friday (Feb. 7), with Julie Adam succeeding longtime CEO Jeffrey Remedios in the top leadership role. Full story from Billboard Canada here.

Remembering Artist Manager/Musician Jane McGarrigle

(Laury) Jane McGarrigle, a Canadian songwriter, musician, music publisher, artist manager and author who worked extensively with her sisters, folk legends Kate & Anna McGarrigle, died on Jan. 24 of ovarian cancer. She was 84.

Jane McGarrigle managed her younger sisters’ music careers from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. As well as co-writing some songs with the duo, she performed with them in the studio and on tours of Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

In 2015, Anna and Jane McGarrigle co-wrote Mountain City Girls, a book detailing their Quebec upbringing. Commenting on the book (published by Penguin Random House), Emmylou Harris, a longtime friend of the McGarrigle clan, wrote that “From the moment I met The Mountain City Girls, Kate, Anna and Jane, I wanted to be a part of that magical McGarrigle circle — the songs, the suppers, the families and fellow travellers, and they blessed me with it all.”

Jane McGarrigle was long active in music publishing and copyright advocacy. She served as a board member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) where she defended publishing rights for musical authors. She also served on the board of the Songwriters Association of Canada for a number of years.

McGarrigle and her family spent long periods of time living in California, and she often performed with local musicians, including s Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band. In recent years in Montreal, she played dobro and piano with her partner Peter Weldon in their band, The What Four. – Kerry Doole

Last Week: Live Industry Faces Venue Shortages Despite $10B Economic Impact

Irama continues to grow, and very rapidly too – like a stone that rolls slowly and picks up speed, as he himself defined the way he would like his songs to go. His participation in the Sanremo Festival, scheduled for February 11-15, is already the 29-year-old’s sixth. For bookmakers he is among the potential winners. However, the song he presents in Sanremo – which will also be released in Spanish for the Latin American market – is titled “Lentamente,” which means “Slowly.”

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“It tells a carnal story: the destruction of a love that is seen as eternal and instead ends. Slowly, and on both sides,” is how he introduced it. “It has a British atmosphere given by the Hammond organ, but also a very Italian melody: I wanted to present a song different from the usual.”

Irama (stage name of Filippo Maria Fanti) may seem cold and distant only if you look at it from afar. Up close, this multi-platinum artist is humorous and kind. He has his very precise ideas, especially when it comes to music. He says: “This song simply moves me deeply, which is why I presented it for the contest. In the studio I wrote down the melodies with my authors and producers, but without thinking about Sanremo.”

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Didn’t you have [Sanremo] as your goal?

No, I wouldn’t have wanted to go back to Sanremo. My record company [Warner Music Italy, ed.] and my team were warned. But then I kept listening to the song, even at night, and I liked it more and more. So at a meeting – where it is rare for me to participate – I played this song. Everyone cheered.

You had other plans at first?

Right. I wanted to focus on the tour and my new album, but Sanremo is a great opportunity to make everyone listen to your music. I’m interested in that.

“Lentamente” will also be published in Spanish for the Latin American market. How do you think you will be perceived there?

I still have to build everything in that world, but I sense a certain interest. I would like my music to have as international a vision as possible.

Have you read the journalists’ reviews?

Just because they sent them to me. It’s not something I like to do.

Was there anything that wasn’t understood, in your opinion?

Someone wrote that the songwriter is only Blanco, and this in itself is madness, because I always co-write my own songs. Then I read other things that didn’t convince me. Perhaps journalists have always seen me as too distant, which happens much less with normal people. It’s a shame. I would like to communicate well with everyone.

What does it depend on?

Sometimes we focus too much on appearances. It seems to me that we look more at aesthetics than emotion. But my songs are way more linked to the latter. I would like my songs to be conceived as boulders that roll slowly and gain speed. This was the case for my previous song “Ovunque Sarai.” However, if they had given me excellent reviews, I would have been worried: all my successes were born from low marks.

Maybe you’re not a person who opens up to everyone.

When I was a child, they taught me a certain type of education and respect for each other’s space. I don’t allow myself to joke too much with those I don’t know well, and this lack of lightness is interpreted as coldness or even arrogance. But I don’t think I’m cold.

Irama

Andrea Ariano/Billboard Italia

At the Sanremo Festival you will also sing the cover of “Say Something” by A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera. Was it difficult to choose the song to reinterpret?

A lot, because I’m not an interpreter: there are never covers in my albums. It’s a completely different sport. For this reason, I looked for a song with a style not too different from mine.

When will you release your new album?

I don’t know yet. Many people, when they meet me on the street, no longer ask me for a photo but ask me when my album gets released. There was also a WhatsApp group called “Album 2024” which quickly became “Album 2025.” Until it’s perfect, an album shouldn’t be released. And, for me, albums are never perfect. When I really think I’ve done everything possible to publish the best work possible, then I release it.

Do you want to explore any genre in particular?

It will be a more serious record, I think. However, it will be played a lot with analog instruments, because it is influenced by live performances which are growing more and more.

Where are you writing now? Once upon a time you went to Salento, in Southern Italy, for many days.

True. Years ago, we went there, to places that didn’t cost much. I remember that in a house we even had a stable with a pig inside! Now I love going to beautiful places, perhaps with a swimming pool and a garden, also because I generally don’t take holidays. But then I lock myself in a closet to write. I tried to write in Sardinia, for example, but how do you do it? If you find yourself in front of a sunset you look at it, not write! I think the same thing about concerts: why shoot a video without actually watching the live performance?

Who did you see in concert last year?

Just friends of mine. I went to support them, even singing myself: Annalisa, Riccardo Cocciante, Blanco.

How come you don’t like to go on holiday?

I really can’t. I’ve done it in the past, I went to Thailand, for example. At most I can last four days. After that, I feel useless, I feel like I’m wasting my time.

Would you like to change?

My dream is to get to make music inside a nature reserve, surrounded by the animals I love so much. I wish I could get to a point where I make music more slowly and sporadically.

No one ever answers yes — are you going to Sanremo to win?

I believe that there really isn’t anyone from the new generation who is too attached to the competition. Maybe it was once important to someone, but now it really isn’t. Of course, it’s a great moment if you do win and then go to Eurovision, with that incredible opportunity to make yourself known there too, like Måneskin did. But the challenge is the last thing on your mind.

Irama

Andrea Ariano/Billboard Italia

Ibiza‘s newest club is aiming to make a big impact, with the club today (Feb. 4) announcing that it will host the newest gargantuan production from Eric Prydz during a 14-week residency this summer.

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The Swedish producer will debut Holosphere 2 at [UNVRS], the new club from The Night League, the group behind the concept along with Ibiza clubbing institutions Hï and Ushuaïa. Shows will begin on June 2 and extend through Sept. 1.

Calling itself “Ibiza’s most technologically advanced venue,” [UNVRS] should prove an apt venue for Prydz, who has long pushed technological boundaries with shows including the much-lauded Holo and the first edition of Holosphere, which debuted in 2019 and found Prydz playing within an eight-ton sphere that was more than two stories tall, big enough that Belgian mega-festival Tomorrowland had to reconfigure its festival grounds to accommodate the structure. 

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Holosphere 2 is set to be even bigger, with organizers calling it “the island’s biggest production and most high-tech residency to date.” See imagery from the show below.

“Eric Prydz possesses an extraordinary vision and talent for crafting otherworldly experiences—pushing the boundaries of innovation with every show,” says Yann Pissenem, the owner, founder and CEO of The Night League and Ushuaïa Entertainment. “With Holosphere 2.0, he has reached an entirely new level, seamlessly blending cutting-edge technology with an ambitious scale like never before. I can’t wait to present this new chapter of Eric Prydz at [UNVRS], where audiences will witness something truly unprecedented—transforming this residency into a one-of-a-kind future-forward show that will redefine the global audiovisual experience in 2025.”

With the announcement, Prydz joins a list of previously announced [UNVRS] residents that includes Carl Cox, Fisher and events from the island’s longstanding party company Elrow.

Pissenem announced the opening of [UNVRS] last August, telling Billboard that with the new space “we’re taking everything we’ve learned from creating Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza—venues ranked among the world’s best—and pushing the boundaries even further… Imagine seeing your favorite artists in a space that offers the best elements of a club, the infrastructure of an arena, and the best hospitality in the world.[UNVRS] is about attention to granular detail, from the finishes across the venue to the unique experiences our guests will never forget. It’s a space that retains the raw energy of a rave, connecting the present and future within the walls of stunning architecture.”

The wait is over. In 2025, Billboard U.K. will be hosting its inaugural Power Players list, also known as the Power 100, for the U.K. and Ireland’s world-beating music industry professionals. 
While Billboard’s Power 100 ranks the music industry’s most influential executives globally, this list will celebrate and recognise the executives and members that are at the forefront of the U.K. and Ireland’s music scene, and boosting the region’s hugely talented artists on a global scale

Billboard U.K.’s Power Players list will be published in June 2025, and will be celebrated with an exclusive event at the upcoming inaugural SXSW London.

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Further details will be shared in the coming months.

“The U.K. and Ireland has long been home to some of the most influential figures in global music, shaping the industry and driving artists to new heights,” says Mo Ghoneim, president of Billboard U.K. “We look forward to spotlighting the executives leading this charge with Billboard U.K.’s Power Players, from labels to live, streaming to rights, and beyond.”

The news follows a period of success for British and Irish artists in recent years. In 2024, there were appearances for Hozier, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran on Billboard’s Year-End Top Artists charts. Rising stars, meanwhile, like Lola Young, Aretmas, Myles Smith and more are growing their audiences domestically and internationally.

2025 will also be a bumper year for concert-goers with the U.K. hosting some of the most in-demand tours and live experiences: Oasis will kick off their reunion tour in Wales before heading around the globe, and superstars like Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Usher and more come into market for huge shows.

There are challenges to be met, too: Grassroots music venues face decimation without urgent action; legislation on artificial intelligence is paramount to the government’s agenda on growth; artists are finding touring a loss-making endeavour; the live and festival landscape continues to evolve and bring new obstacles. These themes will shape the inaugural U.K. Power Players, but the doors are wide open. 

The Power Players list will be peer-nominated and selected by the Billboard U.K. team. Nominations open Feb. 4 and will close in two weeks on Feb. 17. Interested parties can fill in the nominations form here. For any queries, please contact power100@uk.billboard.com or tsmith@uk.billboard.com.

Perhaps the most asked question in the Arabic music landscape in 2024 was, “What’s the story with Al Shami?” Those who hadn’t tracked his rise over the past four years suddenly found themselves caught in the whirlwind of his explosive success last year, marked by hit releases, smashed records, electrifying live shows and a trove of awards. As the industry watched Al Shami’s YouTube channel soar to a billion views with just five tracks, the spotlight intensified, and his rapid ascent became a case study of unprecedented success, closely watched by both his peers and experienced artists.

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Billboard Arabia first took notice of the young star in the summer of 2023, leading to an in-depth interview at the start of 2024. In the time between, Al Shami’s rise accelerated, with record-breaking numbers and artistic milestones keeping us engaged week after week. At just 22, he became one of the year’s most talked-about artists.

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Al Shami

Patrick Mechekany/Billboard Arabia

Al Shami’s Milestones in 2024

He topped the Billboard Arabia Hot 100 after releasing the summer hit “Wein,” making our headline that week “Al Shami did it and became the youngest artist to top the charts.” His songs never left the top five in both of Billboard Arabia’s main charts, Hot 100 and Top 100 Artists, throughout the year and he remained at the top of the Top 50 Levantine Songs chart most weeks. At the end of the year, he walked away from the Billboard Arabia Music Awards with four trophies: Top Levantine Song and Top Indie Arab Song for his track “Sabra,” Best Levantine Artist, and Artist of the Year – Levantine Dialect, making him one of the most celebrated artists of the evening alongside superstar Sherine Abdel Wahab.

Alongside these pivotal achievements, 2024 marked a major milestone for Al Shami as he took the stage for the first time, officially launching his live performance career. While this might seem routine for seasoned musicians, it represents a significant shift in today’s evolving music landscape. It underscores the contrast between certain Gen Z artists—who rise to fame through platforms like TikTok and streaming services—and earlier generations, who built their careers through more traditional methods. For artists like Al Shami, performing live and connecting with an audience is a defining moment, revealing whether their art, creative process and collaboration with their teams can successfully transition into the realm of live music or remain confined to digital streams and online success.

This remarkable shift in Al Shami’s career journey saw him move from preparing for his debut concerts in Beirut, as he shared in our first interview, to completing a global tour that extended beyond the Arab world to Europe, America and Canada. Along the way, we witnessed his incredible growth, including a memorable joint concert in Dubai with Levantine music legend George Wassouf. During our conversation with Al Shami, we played a clip from his previous interview and asked for his thoughts. Al-Shami reflected, “Today, after roughly 12 months, I’ve done 30 or more concerts around the world, and so many wild things have happened. When I was singing in Dubai at the Global Village, I was standing in front of almost 35,000 people trying to see the end of this crowd, thinking about how a year ago I was scared of my first concert! What’s happening?” He continued: “Sometimes I don’t know if anyone notices, but while I’m singing I freeze… thinking about how this year has been insane. After performing ‘Ya Leil W Yal Ein,’ I think about how I don’t want to be just a one-hit artist, but how I want my music to be an identity and a genre in itself.”

Future Collabs With Music Icons

Even though his 2023 release, “Ya Leil W Yal Ein,” wasn’t his first song, it was the one that officially put Al Shami on the map. Before that, he was simply experimenting with friends, blending rap and pop in tracks he uploaded to YouTube. He steadily built a fanbase within his generation through TikTok, staying connected by frequently going live, sharing his music and opening up about his dreams. Today, he commands a devoted fan army, much like global pop and K-pop icons in recent years. His rise exemplifies how the new generation of artists are rewriting the rules of success—leveraging social media to cultivate a following before stepping into the traditional industry spotlight.

Al Shami

Patrick Mechekany/Billboard Arabia

As with any new artistic phenomenon, there are voices of criticism alongside those of celebration and support. In Al Shami’s case, however, the scales seem to tip more toward appreciation. Many established artists have praised his journey, while some have taken it a step further by collaborating with him. Just weeks ago, we saw Al Shami in the studio with Melhem Zein, recording a new duet written and composed by Al Shami himself. This collaboration marks a significant moment for both artists. Melhem Zein, one of the standout voices of the Millennial generation and among the top talents from the Levant in the past two decades, chose to embrace the new wave of artists instead of competing with them or pushing them aside. Al Shami reflected on this collaboration, saying, “He was open to the kind of music I create and even encouraged me to write and compose something for us. That’s a bold move on his part because he comes from a different background.” For Al Shami, this was a meaningful acknowledgement from a great artist that what he presents is indeed “art.”

Al Shami hinted at the possibility of collaborating on a new duet with superstar Tamer Hosny, sparking excitement after a photo of the two surfaced following a private family gathering and some intriguing conversations. If this collaboration comes to life, it will be a dream come true for countless young fans across Egypt and the Levant. Nearly two decades before Al Shami’s rise, Tamer Hosny was the ultimate youth icon, seamlessly blending music and cinema, earning him the title “Star of the Generation” from his devoted audience. Al-Shami shared his thoughts on the meeting, saying, “I never show up in the media with people I don’t genuinely like. For me, I have to admire them, listen to their music, and feel a real connection to say that I am excited to meet them and work together, whether it is through writing or composing for them. And surely Tamer Hosny is one of the people I love,” he continued, explaining that he has been a fan of Tamer since the start of his fame and used to hang his picture on the wardrobe in his childhood home.

Between our first and second interviews with Al-Shami, the conversation evolved significantly. In our initial discussion, he shared his journey as a young man who fled Syria for Turkey, turning to the internet—especially TikTok—in search of his passion. Once he found it, he pursued professionalism step by step.

For this cover interview, however, we spoke with a confident star at the peak of his career, navigating a future filled with tours, awards and new artistic milestones—all while striving to maintain his mental well-being and balance. Yet, through it all, Al-Shami remained calm and humble, calling Billboard Arabia his “family.” His gratitude was evident as he reflected on the support from our platform and the media, acknowledging how Billboard Arabia’s charts and weekly data not only amplified his music and journey but also played a pivotal role in shaping his success and securing his well-deserved accolades.

A new report by the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) reveals that live music contributes billions to the Canadian economy.
That’s over $10 billion in GDP during 2023 alone to be precise. Hear and Now: Understanding the economic power and potential of Canada’s live music industry is the first-ever economic impact assessment of Canada’s live music industry, identifying the significance of live music in Canada at the same time as it emphasizes major challenges.

The study, which is led by research firm Nordicity and commissioned by the CLMA, notes that these numbers have been achieved largely without a dedicated fiscal policy framework incentivizing live music. “$10.92B in combined impact from live music and tourism spending… without trying.”

Erin Benjamin, CLMA president & CEO, emphasizes that these numbers show the importance of supporting music venues.

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“More live music activity — an increase in live music activity at every rung of the venue ladder — will mean more folks spending their income in that space. It generates the tax revenue, it generates the labour income,” she told Billboard Canada at a press launch for the study at Allied Music Centre in Toronto this week (Jan. 30). “Live music is the vehicle that stimulates that kind of economic activity.”

Though the Canadian live industry is a big part of the country’s economy, it faces serious challenges.

In Canada, venues are closing down. Toronto saw roughly 15% of venues close permanently during 2020-2021 alone. A venue shortage especially impacts emerging artists, who need a venue ladder — a scale of increasingly-large venues they can work up to — as they grow their career. “The critical shortage of small and mid-sized venues restricts access to local live music,” the report states.

Benjamin tells Billboard Canada that on a policy level, she would love to see more support for the sustainability and growth of small venues. “The first few rungs on the venue ladder are the most vulnerable. We want to make sure we’re not losing our incubator spaces and our discovery spaces.” She mentions CLMA’s pilot initiative with FACTOR Canada, the Promoters Program, which supports companies presenting live music in Canada. She hopes to see the program made permanent.

Musicians and industry members are also facing increasingly tough conditions when it comes to making a living. The report estimates that in 2023, the average salary for a full-time employee in the Canadian live music industry was around $31,000 — putting music industry workers below the poverty line.

Read more on the report here.

Canadian Airplay Charts Find a Home on Billboard Canada

Seven charts are debuting on Billboard Canada.

The Canadian Airplay Charts, all of which track Canadian radio airplay, have found a new exclusive home at Billboard Canada’s charts hub.

They’ll be updated every Thursday and live alongside the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

The charts cover seven different types of radio airplay, diving into what’s performing well in adult contemporary, country and rock across Canadian radio.

“Billboard Canada is the official home for Canadian music charts,” says Mo Ghoneim, President of Billboard Canada. “Making these airplay rankings available on our platform is part of our commitment to providing deeper insight into what’s shaping radio and music across the country.”

Together, the new charts provide a snapshot of the radio landscape, which provides a new angle on music distinct from the Canadian Hot 100.

While Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars hold the top spot on Canadian Hot 100 with “Die With a Smile,” Myles Smith’s “Stargazing” holds the No. 1 spot on the Canadian All Format Airplay chart at launch.

The radio charts regularly feature Canadian artists, thanks in part to Canadian content regulation. In Billboard Canada‘s breakdown of the 2024 year-end charts, radio’s influence on Canadian pop was clear, uplifting rising Canadian artists like LU KALA, Preston Pablo, Josh Ross, Alexander Stewart and Jamie Fine.

Weekly analysis of the radio charts will now accompany Billboard Canada’s regular chart beat stories tracking the Canadian Albums and Canadian Hot 100 charts.

The seven charts include: All Format Airplay, AC Airplay, CHR Airplay, Hot AC Airplay, Country Airplay, Mainstream Rock Airplay, and Modern Rock Airplay.

AI-Generated Album Appears On Nova Scotia Musician Ian Janes’ Spotify Profile Without His Permission

Nova Scotia musician Ian Janes is speaking out against music by Ian Janes.

Janes, a Music Nova Scotia Award winner, says an AI-generated album was falsely added to his Spotify profile, under his name.

He tells CTV that he found out when Spotify sent him a notification urging him to promote his new release — but he hadn’t released anything new.

When he went to his Spotify profile, he says, there was indeed a new album, but not one he had recorded.

“It’s AI-generated music that you would listen to when you’re on hold,” he describes to Global. The album was removed from his profile but remains on Spotify under a separate profile, also using the name ‘Ian Janes.’ Janes’ lawyer says that it’s not technically a copyright violation unless the music uses Janes’ likeness or his actual compositions.

The album bears the hallmarks of fraudulent music designed to score streams. It has a title that means nothing but seems poetic, Street Alone, and a large number of tracks (20). Several of the songs are named after popular hits but are not actually covers of those songs, like “Ho Hey,” “Summertime Sadness,” and “Give Your Heart A Break.” The music sounds like it could be made entirely within Ableton or Logic Pro.

Last year, nine Canada-based music streaming sites were taken down for streaming manipulation. IFPI, the worldwide recording industry association, and Music Canada had filed a complaint stating that the sites were selling fake streams to boost play counts. 

It’s not clear how the distributor who uploaded Street Alone was able to gain access to Janes’ profile. But Janes’ situation demonstrates a clear risk for independent musicians as these tactics proliferate.

“If a name isn’t proprietary, and titles aren’t proprietary, what’s going to keep an AI music company from using the name of existing musicians and using the names of the songs they’ve released?” Janes says.

Last Week: How Music Companies Are Fighting the ‘Streaming Tax’

It’s finally starting to dawn on the members of Sum 41. This is really it.
“For the first time, this really feels like the end,” says Deryck Whibley in an exclusive interview with Billboard Canada.

The frontman of the quintessential Canadian pop-punk band is speaking over Zoom from his studio in Las Vegas during a rare break from Sum 41’s “Tour of the Setting Sum.”

Back from Australia and looking ahead to the final leg of the tour in the band’s home country, Whibley is coming to terms with the finality of a decision he announced in 2023: after more than two decades together, Sum 41 is coming to an end.

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Now — following a world tour that has stretched on for nearly a year and a final album that has brought them some of the biggest success since their years as high schoolers breaking out of the garages of the Toronto suburb of Ajax, Ontario in the early 2000s — the band has just one concert left, Jan. 30 at their hometown Scotiabank Arena.

“I never had an idea of when to end it or how to end it or if I’d even end it,” Whibley admits. “There were lots of times I thought this is going to be the thing I do forever. But I just couldn’t deny the feeling that this was the time. Something internally was telling me it was time to move on. It even surprised me.”

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It surprised his bandmates, too. “Blindsided” is the word Whibley uses.

Two of those members, bassist Jason “Cone” McCaslin and lead guitarist Dave “Brownsound” Baksh, he’s known since his first year of high school. The others, drummer Frank Zummo and guitarist Tom Thacker (also of vital Vancouver punk band Gob), have been with the band for years. They all had settled into a locked-in performance peak and momentum that had brought them through the pandemic and towards an album they all recognized as one of the best in their sizable discography.

That now-final album, Heaven :X: Hell, has exceeded those expectations. It hit No. 37 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and No. 23 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart. In 2024, “Landmines” hit No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart, breaking the record for the longest gap between No. 1 hits – 22 years after “Fat Lip” ruled in 2001. Another single, “Dopamine,” soon followed, hitting No. 1 on the same chart near the end of the year.

But ending the band now gives Sum 41 the opportunity, for the first time since those early days, to control their own fate. The band, and especially Whibley, has had an unbelievably eventful career – from record-breaking album deals to struggles with addiction, tabloid infamy to multiple near death experiences. And now, they are going out on a high, ending with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame on March 30 with a final televised performance in Vancouver on the Juno Awards broadcast.

“There’s a story there, and I’m proud of the whole story,” says Whibley. “It’s a validation of everything we’ve been working for, from playing in the basement as teenagers to now – here we are. We’ve gone through all the ups and downs, sticking through it all and getting to a point where we could write our own ending the way we wanted to.”

For Whibley, writing that ending has meant coming to terms and processing everything Sum 41 has been through as a band, and everything he has been through personally. And doing so has also cast what we know about the band in new light.

In 2024, while Sum 41 was basking in the success of “Landmines,” Whibley set off another explosion.

In his autobiography, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell, published by Simon & Shuster in March, Whibley revisits the band’s whole history. He writes about going from high school to becoming one of the biggest Canadian punk bands of all time, mixing rock star tales with introspective and raw reflections on living with addiction and possible PTSD.

As he re-explored the band’s history, he kept coming back to something he had not spoken about publicly and had only shared with a few people in his life, not even his bandmates.

Greig Nori, Whibley’s mentor and Sum 41’s manager from their early days until his eventual firing in 2005, he writes, groomed and sexually abused him over the course of many years. It started when Nori was 35 and Whibley was 16, he says in the book, and it often made it hard for him to celebrate the band’s biggest successes.

It took him many years to recognize what he went through as misconduct, he says, and it was his then-partner Avril Lavigne and his now-wife Ariana Cooper who told him that what he went through was abuse. He still won’t use a specific word to describe it, instead choosing to just recount what he went through without labelling it.

“This was my first time truly confronting it [in the book],” Whibley says. “I have heard other people’s stories of grooming and abuse and thought, is that what happened to me? It was still a question mark, but the stories were similar. I couldn’t deny that it felt manipulative. As an adult now in this position that I’m in, I can see how easily that 16-year-old kid could have been manipulated. I see how I fell into it.”

Nori, the former leader of the band Treble Charger, has denied the allegations. As SooToday has reported, Nori has filed a notice of action seeking more than $6 million in damages from Whibley and Simon & Schuster for “libel, breach of confidence, intrusion upon seclusion, wrongful disclosure of private facts, and placing the plaintiff in a false light.” Whibley has reportedly responded with his own notice of action seeking $3 million in damages from Nori for accusing him of lying in his memoir and damaging his reputation.

Through representatives, Whibley declined to comment on the legal actions, which were filed shortly after our initial interview. However, in that conversation, he did talk about the possibility his accusations could make their way to the courtroom.

“In a way, I hope it does,” he says. “I’d love for him to go under oath and talk about it in front of a jury and a judge. I have nothing to hide at this point. It’s all out there. I already went public with it. Let’s see what you have to say, Greig.”

Though he accepts the possibility of a legal battle, Whibley says writing about his experiences was as much about Nori as about himself. Going public means he no longer has to hold his story in and deal with its effects on his own. But it’s also about helping others who may have had similar experiences.

After the book came out, Whibley went and read all of his Instagram comments and messages. He’d checked his personal DMs so rarely in the past that he had to ask his wife to show him how. But he wanted to be there for people who recognized something in his writing.

“I’ve had so many messages of people messaging me on social media, and also people who I know who have come up to me and said, ‘I went through something similar,’” he says. “People who have never said anything in their lives. No matter what happens, it’s worth it if I can help people.”

When he was first approached about writing a book, Whibley didn’t quite get it.

“I thought it was going to be really boring,” he says. “‘High school band makes it.’ Cool, that’s fun. But what else is there to say?”

As he started putting it all on paper, he realized just how consistently eventful and unpredictable Sum 41 has been.

“There’s always something good or bad happening, and we’ve never really taken a break.”

Left to right: Dave “Brownsound” Baksh, Jason “Cone” McCaslin, Deryck Whibley, Tom Thacker, Frank Zummo, .

Lane Dorsey/Billboard Canada

Whibley met McCaslin and Baksh along with original drummer (and occasional rapper) Steve “Stevo32” Jocz as high school students in Ajax in the ‘90s.

They played their first official show as Sum 41 at a battle of the bands at the Opera House in Toronto. They hatched a scheme to sell the most tickets, which would guarantee them a professional photo shoot, but despite the school bus full of friends they brought to the show, they were made to play first on the 5 pm slot and were subsequently ghosted on the prize.

But it was there they solidified their relationship with Nori (who Whibley had invited after sneaking backstage at a Treble Charger show) and Marc Costanzo of the band Len (famous for the Billboard Hot 100 No. 9 hit, “Steal My Sunshine”).

Those connections helped Whibley sign a publishing deal with EMI Publishing Canada when he was still 17. That helped them record their demos, which they sent out to all the major labels in Canada, getting a hard pass from all of them. Whibley writes in Walking Disaster that Universal Music Canada called them the worst band they had heard in a decade. (The only bite was from a smaller Canadian label called Aquarius Records, run by music industry legend Donald K. Tarlton, who they gave exclusive Canadian rights to when they eventually signed a worldwide major label deal.)

The key, they thought, was to get the labels to see them live, where they went all out in every show, which included trampolines and roman candles and flaming drumsticks. Instead of playing private shows in sterile label offices, they arranged a five-week residency at a venue called Ted’s Wrecking Yard and invited all of the industry bigwigs to see them there – and this time, they thought beyond Canada.

The shows became the stuff of local legend, and it became the spot for other thirsty bands to try to make deals too.

“There were all these other bands who thought, who’s this young kid band out of high school that’s getting all this attention? We’ve been doing this forever, we’re more punk rock than them,” Whibley remembers. “Then when all these labels started coming out to see us, every band in Toronto was all of a sudden our best friend. I remember this one band, Robin Black & The Intergalactic Rock Stars, coming to out to our shows and trying to get a record deal, like ‘f-ck this Sum 41 band, you need to sign us.’”

By the end of 1999, Sum 41 had signed a $3.5 million record deal as the first rock act on the major label Island Def Jam. At the time, it was the biggest deal ever signed by a Canadian band.

The band’s debut on the label, 2001’s All Killer No Filler, became a big hit on both sides of the border, going platinum in Canada and the United States. “Fat Lip,” with its iconic video that perfectly captures the burgeoning counterculture of the era, topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, joining videos for the endlessly catchy “In Too Deep” and “Makes No Difference” (from their debut EP, Half Hour of Power, the video featured an out-of-nowhere cameo from DMX) in heavy rotation on MuchMusic and MTV.

Sum 41 were the right band at the right time. It was an era when bands like Blink-182 and Green Day were hitting the mainstream, Warped Tour was providing a home for teenagers to see punk bands on a yearly basis, skate culture was hitting its peak and Jackass was becoming a home for unapologetic juvenile humor.

They were four high school punks from the suburb, playing pranks and having house parties – and they gave their fans a front row seat. In a time before social media and YouTube, they took a camcorder everywhere they went, filming their pranks (usually involving petty property damage with eggs or fire extinguishers, though also often piss and shit) and used them as their VHS calling cards.

It resonated with fans and music media, but not so much with critics. They were often written off in the media as goofy burnout kids, trend-folllowers or mainstream rip-offs of underground bands. They were covered for their antics, but not as much for the songs.

“In a way, I think you set the tone for the way people are going to receive you. When you come in and everything’s a joke, then nothing really gets taken seriously,” says Whibley. “For the longest time, that was a pet peeve for me. I have a sense of humour, but I’m not the funny person in the band. I’m the writer and I’ve always been the writer, and I’ve always wanted to talk more about the lyrics and the music and the inspiration. I do love the humour of the band in the early days. I just always wished there could have been some kind of balance. It was very personal to me and I was very serious about it, but it did get overlooked or overshadowed.”

As the band progressed, their music got darker and heavier. Songs on 2002’s Does This Look Infected? and 2004’s Chuck often covered themes of depression and existential angst, alienation, health and societal unrest. Looking back, Whibley recognizes lyrics, like the “dead end situation,” he sings about being stuck in on “No Brains,” that may have subconsciously touched his private struggle with his feelings about what he was going through with Nori.

Chuck was also informed by a near death experience the band had while on a War Child trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gunfire broke out while they were there, and they named the album after the Canadian UN peacekeeper who saved them, Charles “Chuck” Pelletier. The album often felt far removed from the pop-punk hijinks of just a few years ago.

Around this time, Whibley dated Paris Hilton and then spent four years married to Avril Lavigne from 2006 to 2010. While Whibley was a regular of the celebrity-filled L.A. party scene, he was often mocked for his height and his unconventional rock star looks, which he says took a toll. He became an unlikely fixture of celebrity tabloids, which were rampant and often vicious in the 2000s era.

“I hated that kind of stuff,” he says. “The funny thing is as much as Avril and I ended up in some of it, we avoided it at all costs. The amount of times we were able to go in and out of back entrances to avoid being photographed was amazing. We were out quite a bit, and I would say 90% of the time we were never photographed – but we had to work at it. There’s some times we couldn’t, and that’s when you saw us.”

He was still in the public eye, but frustratingly rarely for his music.

Sum 41 photographed on Jan. 27, 2025 at Canada Life Place in London, Ontario. Left to right: Tom Thacker, Frank Zummo, Deryck Whibley, Dave “Brownsound” Baksh, Jason “Cone” McCaslin

Lane Dorsey/Billboard Canada

Over the years, Whibley struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol and had multiple near-death experiences, sometimes in the midst of Sum 41 tours. After being hospitalized for liver and kidney failure in 2014, Whibley and his wife Ariana dedicated themselves to getting clean. He’s now been sober for 11 years.

Sum 41 took their only break during that time, though Whibley says it was barely a break – really only the length of one album cycle, with a five-year gap between 2011’s Screaming Bloody Murder and 2016’s 13 Voices.

The lineup shifted, with first Baksh (in 2006) and then Jocz (in 2013) parting ways with the band, replaced by drummer Zummo and guitarist Thacker. Baksh later returned to the band in 2015, giving the band a three guitar attack and often freeing up Whibley to focus on singing and become a more theatrical frontman in live shows. They went independent, signing in 2016 to Hopeless Records then the semi-indie Rise Records for Heaven :X: Hell.

Though no longer in the cultural zeitgeist like they were in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the band kept releasing solid albums and playing for a consistently engaged audience of diehard fans.

Then eventually, things started to change.

“It felt like things started getting taken more seriously,” says Whibley.

After outlasting the hype and the antics, the health issues and the record label feeding frenzies, Sum 41 were finally being covered on their own merits, as songwriters and performers. When Sum 41 got called for interviews, journalists actually wanted to talk about the music.

Whibley, who had done some production work for Avril Lavigne and other artists, started getting asked to write songs for other artists – some smaller and some more household names (he won’t divulge who). When Covid lockdowns paused the band’s touring schedule, he decided to give it a shot. But he was surprised at what he was being recruited to do.

“Everyone was asking for pop-punk style songs,” he says. “I thought, pop-punk? Why does anyone want pop-punk? It’s been like 15 years since I’ve written a pop-punk song.”

As he started writing, it came surprisingly easy to him. One of the first songs he wrote was “Landmines,” which he says only took him about 10 minutes to write. He kept writing, and the songs kept coming.

“After about seven songs, I thought, you know what, I actually kind of like all these songs. I don’t know if people will see them as Sum 41 songs, but I don’t want to give them away either.”

He decided to turn them into a double album, with one side pop-punk and one side metal – the two sides of Sum 41. The album, Heaven :X: Hell, has been their most successful in years. After “Landmines” brought them back to No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart, they followed it with another No. 1 in “Dopamine.”

“We didn’t think we would chart on radio or even get played on a single station on this record,” Whibley says. “It’s pretty phenomenal. It feels like a miracle.”

Now, it’s starting to feel a lot like 2001. Pop-punkand emo are hot again, with bands like Blink-182 and Green Day headlining festivals and Warped Tour making a 30th anniversary resurgence featuring Sum 41’s friends and fellow Canadians Simple Plan. Festivals like When We Were Young and Canada’s All Your Friends Fest are drawing nostalgic 30 and 40-somethings back to the angsty music of their youth.

Mainstream pop and hip-hop acts like MGK and Willow Smith and Machine Gun Kelly have also ‘gone’ pop-punk, fusing throwback riffs and hooks with more modern sounds. There’s a newfound appetite for Sum 41 as a touring and recording project, but this is the moment they’re taking their final bow.

“It never felt to us like we were trying to do anything except for what we loved to do. And over time, I felt like we proved that,” Whibley says. “You know, we’re leaving the music business at the time when our genre is at a peak, because we just do what’s right for us.”

Sum 41 went from being labeled a flash-in-the-pan to becoming nearly three-decade veterans of rock. They witnessed multiple music industry shifts and grew old within a scene that many other bands flamed out in.

So what is their legacy? What do they want to be their epitaph?

Whibley sums it up with one word: honesty.

“Everything for us has just always been honest,” he says. “We never gave a f-ck about anything other than what we wanted to do. That’s who we are.”

This article originally appeared on Billboard Canada.

Sum 41

Lane Dorsey/Billboard Canada