2025 Juno Awards Breakdown
The biggest winner at the 2025 Juno Awards wasn’t there to accept her awards. Rising star Tate McRae won four awards for artist, single, album, and pop album of the year, but was not able to make it to the Vancouver, British Columbia awards ceremony on Sunday or the untelevised gala the night before to accept. That happens to be an on-going issue at the Juno Awards where the responsibilities of the biggest international superstars often keep them from their home country’s award show.
Stars like Drake, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes were not at Rogers Arena for the show, but there was a nonstop theme of Canadian prestige.
McRae won four out of five of her nominations, taking artist of the year for the second year in a. row, single of the year for the second year in a row (“Exes” took the award this year and “Greedy” won it the year prior) and album of the year as well as pop album of the year for the first time (with Think Later). She missed out only on the fan choice award. That was won by the perpetually viral rapper bbno$, a hit on TikTok, which sponsored the award. He used the acceptance speech to create another viral moment, using his time to call billionaire and top Trump advisor Elon Musk a “piece of garbage.”
That was a more direct criticism to American administration than what ran through most of the show, where a more nationalistic “Canada is not for sale” message rang through.
Accepting the award for country album of the year, breakout Ontario Singer Josh Ross thanked his label Universal Music both in Canada ad south of the borderm reminding them that “friends are better than enemies.”
Host Michael Bublé began the show with a medley of his hits in four different languages, duetting with Canadian artists Elisapie, Jonita Gandhi, Roxane Bruneau and Maestro Fresh Wes. That recognized the diversity of sounds and genres, while his opening monologue recalled the famous “I Am Canadian” ad with Canadian pride and an affirmation that Canada is “the greatest nation on Earth.”