Everything you missed at the 2025 Juno Awards Gala

The 2025 Juno Awards Gala took place on March 29, co-hosted by CBC Music Mornings host Damhnait Doyle and actor Supinder Wraich. In total, 42 awards were given out on Saturday night, including some history-making wins and some firsts for Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Lowell.

There were also performances by Christie Lee, Nobro, Celeigh Cardinal, Haley Blais and Sebastian Gaskin. Below, CBC Music breaks down everything you missed, from the unforgettable acceptance speeches to exclusive backstage moments.

Spoken-word and hip-hop artist Christie Charles, a.k.a. Miss Christie Lee, opened with some verses inspired by the weekend's nominees. "My kids, our Red Future looking pretty bright, so now I know everything's gonna be all right," she rapped, referencing Snotty Nose Rez Kids' Red Future, which would go on to win rap album of the year a few minutes later.

Elisapie accepted the first award of the night, for adult alternative album of the year, rushing up to the stage for her acceptance.

"Junos, this is so beautiful and so heavy," she said, laughing. "I'm so proud to be an Inuk woman, I'm so proud to be singing in my language and I would just like to say thank you to all the artists who accepted for me to translate their songs, who meant so much to us for the last 40 years."

"I just feel there's a lot of resilience and a lot of joy," she said about recording the covers for her album, Inuktitut, in the media room.

When asked if her relationship to the songs has changed since touring and performing them, she told CBC Music about a recent shift almost two months ago.

"We usually start the show with Time After Time, Taimangalimaaq, by Cyndi Lauper, and I never cry to this song, it's more like a song that I feel people love, so I'm really connected to the audience. But one day I just couldn't sing it, I couldn't get my voice straight, I was crying, secretly. And you know my sister had just recently died, so I realized, oh that's how people hear it. Because it's a very poetic song, it's a very almost spiritual song if you think about it."

Snotty Nose Rez Kids celebrates their 1st Juno Award win

Snotty Nose Rez Kids finally won their first Juno Award, for rap album/EP of the year, after five cumulative nominations. It also makes them the first Indigenous artists to win in the category. 

"We really love rap music man, we really love hip-hop, which is why this award means so much to us right now. We made this album to add voices for Indigenous people," Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce said after they won.

"Our people come from oral traditions where storytelling is important, our voices are important, and that's why we are honoured to be guests in this culture … and we are thankful that this is just as important to you."

The duo, who is from Kitamaat Village, B.C., said that it "feels like it was meant to be," to win the award in their home province. 

"This is where it all started for us, this is where we got our first momentum in the city, we do our absolute best to put on for the city," said Darren "Young D" Metz. "We've been honoured to call this place our second home, home of the coast Salish and they've welcomed us with open arms and lifted us up and pushed us to be the best that we can be, so it only feels right to win it in the city where it all started."

Montreal producer Priori beat out Kaytranada, Caribou and more for electronic album of the year, for his album This But More. A bit out of breath after a delayed flight, he started his speech by mentioning how surprised he was to win: "I can't say I was expecting this honestly. I make pretty introspective and subdued music so for people to take the time these days, in a world where TikTok and Spotify dictate the music trends, for people to sit down and listen to a long album like this, it's really flattering and a means a lot to be recognized for that." 

Spencer Chandra Herbert shares his love for Cancon

In an unexpected highlight of the show, Spencer Chandra Herbert, the B.C. minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, gave a passionate speech about his love for Cancon, asking the audience if they're proud to be Canadian. "Are you proud that we have Canadian content rules so we can hear your music on our radio stations — I love Cancon, sorry, it's a passion of mine." 

"Our government loves Canadian culture, we took B.C. from the worst in Canada for investing in culture to No. 1, so tell your governments it's the thing to do," he continued. 

Chandra Herbert loves Canadian music so much, he even named his son after the Juno Awards: "My husband and I named our son Dev Juno Chandra Herbert because we love music, we love culture. Juno is also the goddess of childbirth, give it up for women."

Lowell nabs the 1st songwriter of the year, non-performer Juno

Producer and artist Lowell, who co-wrote Beyoncé's Texas Hold 'Em and Bodyguard, made history as the first person to win the new category of songwriter of the year, non-performer.

"I'm a little emosh right now to be honest," she said, slightly out of breath. "Definitely never thought this would happen, I've been here eight or nine times and watched a lot of my hits that I wrote get Junos but not moi, so thank you."

"I want to thank Jennifer Brown and Allan Reid for making this category happen," she continued. "My beautiful, beautiful life partner Kieran Roy fought so hard for this category to happen, need a man in the room, feminist hubbies let's go. Also just for supporting me, always travelling…. And then most of all, Nate Ferraro, all of these amazing songwriters who should've gotten this award once, at least once, everyone before me. So thank you."

Although she reflected on being proud of working on Cowboy Carter, back in the media room Lowell talked about the work she's doing in artist development at home.

"So I'm like a staunch Canadian, all the way. I've had to go to L.A. a lot and that's how I pursued my career, but every time I've had success I've brought it home … I think I'm even maybe more proud of the work I do developing artists in Canada, and finding talent here because I think it's so important to find people in places that other people aren't looking. And working in L.A., it's a very, very fancy, privileged place where a lot of people have opportunity anyway. And I think here, like working with Lu Kala, the Beaches, Bülow, like all these artists that I think otherwise would have never been found — Sadboi is one of my new prospects. And I think that it's just so important. We come back, we come to Canada, there's just something in the water, and I love being able to be a bridge for that."

Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds also made history, as the first Indigenous woman composer to win the Juno for classical composition of the year for her album Angmalukisaa.

"I am just so grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to share my vision and my views through my music and through my voice," she later said in the media room. "And this song cycle, Angmalukisaa, refers to — it's the Inuktitut word for round, or rings, and the song cycle is about how we related to one another and to the planet, and how we all need to take so much better care of ourselves, of each other, and our planet. And we do that with love. It's very personal work, and I'm just so honoured."

Klô Pelgag took home francophone album of the year for her album Abracadabra — her first ever Juno Award. In the media room she reflected on how much it meant to her.

"I think to be someone making French music, francophone music, in Canada it's not easy," she said. "I think often we are not considered like real music, or not the same level that maybe English music [is at]. So I'm happy to come here and take my project with me and say that I exist and francophone music exists and that there's a lot of good music in Quebec. [I'm] very happy to share it."

Montreal punk band Nobro won rock album of the year for their album Set Your Pussy Free. Earlier in the night, they took the stage for a riot of a performance, and lead singer Kathryn McCaughey introduced Set That Pussy Free with a no-holds-barred proclamation: "So nice seeing all of your beautiful faces at the Junos but I gotta confess one thing: I'm tired of my pussy being in a cage. I want my pussy on the street, I want my pussy to dance, I want my pussy to sashay. I want my pussy to get equal representation, I want my dang pussy to get equal pay and then I want my pussy to get a raise. Don't talk down to pussy, we all came from pussy."   

Riley O'Connor receives the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award

Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy presented the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award to concert promoter and production manager Riley O'Connor, noting how O'Connor had never lost his passion for music.

"Riley is long-deserving of this award, he has strengthened the Canadian music scene," Cuddy said, adding that he has especially during this time when "Canadian music is under attack."

"I am very proud to call Riley O'Connor my friend," he added.

O'Connor raised his fists in the air enthusiastically before taking the stage. "I hate being in the limelight, so I'm just letting you know," he said.

"Not sure how you sum up a 48-year career in three minutes, what is true though, is I wouldn't be here without my beautiful wife Kate cheering me on every single day.

"This is not a time to retreat, this is an opportunity to show our neighbours to the south and around the world, the uniqueness of our artistic talent, our production, innovation, [and] entrepreneurship in music."

Raffi and Good Lovelies won for children's album of the year for their collaboration on Penny Penguin, which Raffi said he was honoured to share with the trio of Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore. 

"I was really hoping I'd get this award because it's not just my award," he said in the media room. "The Good Lovelies, Sue, Caroline and Kerri, who are back in Ontario, they gave an old guy new life on this album."

"I'm going to write a democracy song. Elbows up!" he stated, and then he started to sing: "A-B-C D-emocracy. It's really important that kids know what that is from a young age. Really important. So I think I'm up to the task."

Ryan Ofei, who already has won a Grammy Award as a singer in Maverick City Music, won his first Juno for contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year. He said, "I think I define success as lives being impacted" after receiving his statuette.

Caity Gyorgy, who won her third Juno for vocal jazz, shared that she thinks swing is on its way back in. "If we had more spaces to perform the music and for the music to be heard, there would be more [jazz fans].

Montreal's Kaïa Kater won her first Juno Award, for contemporary roots album of the year. 

"Strange Medicine, it was an album about joy, about resilience," she said onstage. "It was an album that speaks to being more than your trauma, we are more than our trauma. Man, this is incredible. Thank you to everyone who's been part of this record process, I love you, I love you."

Sebastian Gaskin, who won his first Juno for contemporary Indigenous artist of the year and performed at the gala, said, "This means the world to me, I worked really f--king hard to get here, so thank you so much."'

Later on backstage, he elaborated: "I'm sort of a part of this new wave of Indigenous artists here in Canada. My father, he passed in November, he was originally part of this group in the '90s called Eagle & Hawk, so I feel like I'm kind of continuing on his dream."

AP Dhillon won his first Juno tonight, for the inaugural South Asian music recording of the year. He wasn't able to attend the gala, but actor Neeru Bajwa, who presented the award, accepted it for him.

Co-host Doyle got quite excited for the presenter of the next honour, the Humanitarian Award, calling him "environmental daddy." David Suzuki then walked onstage to award friend and partner in environmentalism, Sarah Harmer, her honours.

"I was thrilled to meet Sarah Harmer at an event opposing a gravel pit on the Niagara Escarpment, and when she sang Escarpment Blues I saw that she understood the message of environmentalism … but what moved me most was her love of the Escarpment as part of her home, and her passion to fulfill a responsibility to protect that bit of the planet."

He ended by saying he could go on listing Harmer's record of activism — "but you can see why she richly deserves the Juno Humanitarian Award. On behalf of all who love our children, and this earth, and hope for a better future for them both, thank you Sarah for your dedication and your music that touches our hearts and reminds us what really matters most."

"We can do this together, there's so much to achieve. We have a climate crisis staring at us, we have a big need to get together and strengthen our communities, strengthen our Canadian culture," Harmer said in her acceptance speech. 

"It feels wild to hear David Suzuki say my name," Harmer later said in the media room, shortly after Suzuki said: "I'm absolutely sure the music industry is wasteful as shit."

One of the final awards of the night went to Nemahsis, who won for alternative album of the year for her debut record, Verbathim.

"Tonight we've covered feminism, we've covered the effects we've had on global warming, but everybody's failed to mention the elephant in the room, the Palestinian that's in the room," she said, during an emotional speech. "I look around in this room and the people I relate most to are the Indigenous people, 'cause I too am Indigenous somewhere and I can't even perform this album there yet."

When asked in the media room what she wants people to know about Palestinian artists, Nemahsis answered with: "Don't let it be too late to listen." 

She also thanked her producer, Noah "40" Shebib, in the media room. She described how he reached out to her repeatedly after she was dropped from her original label, but she wasn't sure what he wanted from her. "I was literally not responding to his messages and texts … I was like, 'What's the catch?'"

"It's been over a year since, and there was no catch," she said. "I got bang for my buck: no buck, big bang!"