Exco Levi ‘sad’ as axe poised on JUNO Awards reggae category

Five-time JUNO Awards winner Exco Levi is hoping that there is no truth to information circulating online that Canada’s most prestigious music honour is set to chop the reggae category for 2025. Multiple sources have quoted a letter from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the organisers of the JUNO Awards, regarding plans to put four categories, including reggae, on hiatus.

In a September 9 article, the website www.cbc.ca stated that “In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, organisers told committee members last week of plans to put on ‘hiatus’ Reggae Recording, Children’s Album, Christian/Gospel Album and International Album of the Year. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences says the decision is part of a “broader set of updates” yet to be announced.”

The article added that “representatives for CARAS declined to comment on the changes”.

On the JUNO Awards website, no mention is made of the impending changes, and all four of the highlighted categories remain. Like reggae, the Children’s Album, Christian/Gospel Album and International Album of the Year categories are not a part of the televised ceremony. The JUNO Awards is Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys.

“I have yet to see an official statement from the JUNO Awards about them dropping the reggae category. I see a lot of people quoting from a letter that was sent out to committee members,” Exco Levi told The Sunday Gleaner.

“But, if the JUNOs really eliminate reggae, that would be very sad,” he added.

Exco Levi has been nominated a whopping 13 times for the JUNO Awards, and he noted that quite a bit of work was put in to get the reggae category in place. The award has honoured the best Canadian single or album for the last 40 years, with the exception of 1992 and 1993, when the category was pulled and the entries were absorbed into the World Music Category.

“There will be a pushback if the reggae category is pulled … we are not going to let it slide,” the singer emphasised. “Reggae music is big globally and cannot be ignored. And, check this: two of Canada’s biggest artistes, Justin Bieber and Drake, are known for their reggae songs, which do exceptionally well.”

Jason Wilson, a two-time Juno nominee whose bio describes him as a “Canadian historian and reggae musician from North York, Ontario … and the protégé of Studio One keyboardist Jackie Mittoo”, reportedly told ctvnews.ca in a September 10 article that “a decision to remove the reggae category from next year’s JUNOs can only ring alarms of racism”.

“There’s a lot of anger among us reggae folks. While [the JUNOs] might be saying the right things about inclusion, in the very same breath, they’re ditching reggae and gospel. How can this be reconciled?” Wilson is quoted in the article headlined ‘Elimination of reggae, gospel awards raises concern JUNOs backtracking on inclusivity’.

Wilson, a two-time Juno Awards nominee, has written eight books, including the award-winning King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae (UBC Press, 2020). He has done more than 2,500 performances across Canada, the United States, the UK and Jamaica.

The article noted that Wilson “says the genre is intrinsically tied to the country and has had a tremendous effect on the way all music was played in Canada … I think there’s a very compelling argument that there’s no Drake and no Weeknd without reggae, that’s how foundational this music is to Canadian music at large”.

CONCERN

Exco Levi dismissed as baseless the “low streams and repetitive winners” arguments being bandied about as possible reasons for the proposed hiatus.

“People have been conjecturing. The JUNOs is not based on streaming because, if it were, I would win every year. There is no other Canadian reggae artiste whose streaming numbers are as high as or higher than mine. The facts are there … check it,” the singer challenged.

Exco Levi, however, does have a concern with how the judging panel for the reggae category is chosen. He is of the opinion that the best song or album is not necessarily always chosen because some of the judges lack the requisite musical skills to do the job properly.

“Sometimes the song that wins the category is not produced or mastered properly, and the sonic quality is important in reggae. You cannot just choose a person who keeps a dance or brings up some artiste from Jamaica for a concert to be a member of the judging panel. You have to have real musicians who have good ears who are capable of making such important decisions,” the Save the Music singer said.

Exco Levi was nominated in the Reggae Recording of the Year category at the 2024 JUNO awards for the track Feel Like Home, which was also his entry in the 2023 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Festival Song Competition. The other nominations in the JUNO reggae category were Stir This Thing by Ammoye, featuring Turbulence; Roots Girl by Jah’Mila; Dread by Kirk Diamond and Finn; and Rush Dem by Omega Mighty, featuring 4Korners and Haviah Mighty. Kirk Diamond was the winner.

The 54th Juno Awards is scheduled for the Rogers Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com