Arts·Commotion

Is the new South Asian Music category at the Junos a step in the right direction?

Jeevan Sangha has been covering the rise of Punjabi hip-hop in Canada. She discusses what this new award means to the music community.

Journalist Jeevan Sangha discusses what this new award means to the music community

Karan Aujla stands centre stage, in an all-white suit, with four dancers behind him wearing pink and red dresses.
Karan Aujla and Ikky performed two of their hits at the 2024 Juno Awards in Halifax. (CARAS/Ryan Bolton Photography)

The JUNO Awards have added a new prize for 2025: South Asian Music Recording of the Year.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced that the change, which also includes the addition of a Songwriter of the Year (Non-Performer) category, comes following "a strategic review" conducted with input from the Nominating and Voting Committee.

Today on Commotion, culture critc Jeevan Sangha joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to dig into why, though she can see this being a positive step forward, she still has some reservations about the category.

WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube (this segment begins at 17:25): 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Jeevan Sangha produced by Jane van Koeverden.