'Reggae is not soul': Jah'Mila makes appeal for change after East Coast Music Awards win

Reggae musician Jah'Mila delivered a powerful speech on the East Coast Music Awards stage in St. John's on May 8, offering a hopeful appeal for collaboration and change from an association that has faced turmoil for months.

The Halifax-based Jamaican Canadian singer's reggae song Never Fail won in the R&B/soul category, which she said is an indication of what needs to change at the East Coast Music Association.

"This category, having been won by a reggae song, is a very clear example of the kind of reform that I'm excited for the ECMA to take on," she said in her acceptance speech, after thanking her collaborators. "Because reggae is not soul. I am grateful for it, but it is not soul. It's been a tough year for us, all of us at the ECMAs ... and without having to belabour what we've gone through, what I am is excited about what's to come. And I would love to play a part in that in any way that I can. I want to have those hard conversations. I want to ensure that a reggae song is in the correct category, right?"

The awards show and five-day conference has been dealing with a reckoning within its membership since last fall, when some association members complained about a lack of transparency and representation. The East Coast Music Association ousted CEO Blanche Israël in January, prompting outcry among members who said she had meaningfully moved the needle on much-needed diversity and inclusivity within the association.

Several musicians then withdrew their nominations in protest, including Wolastoqiyik tenor Jeremy Dutcher, who said he stood in solidarity with those calling for more clarity on the direction of the organization, singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, and rappers Stephen Hero, Aquakultre and Wolf Castle.

The non-profit was formed more than 30 years ago to support local artists and run the awards show, but critics have suggested it's fallen out of step with the times. Some claim organizers lean too heavily into folk and rock music, downplaying the region's burgeoning community of musicians who represent other music genres.

As musicians were withdrawing their nominations when they were announcd in March, Jah'Mila shared with CBC Music that Israël had asked her directly to perform at the awards just before the CEO was fired and she still planned on attending. At the time, Jah'Mila said she hoped to share her thoughts with the association and membership onstage.

"Something happened with the ECMAs over the past few months. And without being embarrassed of it or pushing it under the rug, it is a blessed glorious opportunity for all of us to leave our ego at the door and have those hard, clear conversations," she said onstage in St. John's, two months later. "Because we are sick. We shouldn't feel bad, nothing's wrong with us, we just have to go and get the help that we need. There are thousands of artists in the East Coast that are looking to us as an example, as the standard. Please don't let them down."

"I'm shaking right now because it took a lot of balls to share what I did onstage," the artist told reporters backstage after her address, tears streaming down her face. "But I felt like it was very necessary, because I love being a part of this community. And if we don't all come together to fix it and we just sweep it under the rug, it will keep on persisting."

An awards night in remembrance of Mark Hiscock

The biggest night in Atlantic Canadian music began with an emotional tribute to Mark Hiscock, a beloved accordionist who died this week in St. John's.

Folk band Shanneyganock took the stage to kick off the night without Hiscock, their longtime member, and dedicated their performance to him.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians took early awards, with Kellie Loder snagging the Fans' Choice awards for entertainer of the year and video of the year, and Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds winning Indigenous artist of the year.

Edmunds also won the Juno in March for classical composition of the year for her piece Angmalukisaa.

"This award means to me more than I can actually say in words ... as an Indigenous artist who is in classical music," Edmunds told reporters after her win. "To be an Indigenous artist, you can be any genre, any style."

Maggie Andrew, a singer-songwriter based in Nova Scotia, picked up the award for African Canadian artist of the year for the second year in a row.

"I had a hard time actually being recognized when I first moved back to Nova Scotia," Andrew told reporters. "I'm here and I am Black, and this is a really cool award to win."

Other winners included rapper Classified, for solo artist of the year, and Newfoundland band Rum Ragged's song Paddy Hyde, for traditional release of the year.

The traditional Newfoundland song Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's, written by Otto P. Kelland, was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

With files from the Canadian Press