Four of the nominees in the Reggae Recording of the Year category of the 2025 JUNO awards are quite upbeat about their nominations.

This year’s nominees are Destiny, a 9-track album by the late Lee “Scratch” Perry, which was produced by Canadian producer Bob Riddim; Sky’s the Limit, a 6-song EP by Skystar; Born to be Free, the fifth studio album by multi-JUNO nominee Exco Levi; Fallback, a collaboration by King Cruff and Runkus; and Rise by Tonya P.

The JUNO is recognised as Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards.

Exco Levi, who has to date received 12 nominations, five of them wins, said Born to be Free, which was produced by Penthouse Records, was recorded in Jamaica.

“The songs were put together by me and my band in Canada and we just added the finishing touches at Penthouse Records in Jamaica. I worked with a lot of great musicians on the project,” Exco Levi told the
Jamaica Observer’s Splash on Tuesday.

The artiste said he’s elated the award programme continues: “Last year, we weren’t sure whether the reggae category would still be a part of the JUNO awards. There are a lot of artistes all over Canada who have never submitted for the awards. However, this year’s nomination has some new names that I am not familiar with and that’s a good thing. This nomination signifies that people are still streaming my music in Canada.”

In September last year a decision by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to scrap the Reggae Recording of the Year category and others was rescinded after backlash from the music industry.

Exco Levi, who is originally from Clarendon, is currently in the island participating in Reggae Month activities. The singjay says he has new music on the horizon.

King Cruff’s nomination has given the Tuff Gong label its first JUNO nomination for a collective artiste signed to the label.

“To me, the nomination itself shows us we’re moving in the right direction. Hopefully by March I’ll be leaving Vancouver with the JUNO in hand,” said the artiste, whose mother is Stephanie Marley.

“I see it [the nomination] as a testament to my resiliency. People are just now learning about King Cruff, but I’ve been making music for a long time. And music is a game of attrition. Being able to consistently have your foot on the gas is what will set you apart from most artistes. That is not an easy thing to do,” King Cruff shared, adding “When they made the announcement I was there cooking breakfast. My publicist, Stephanie Horak, was the one to tell me. Big up to her, because we wouldn’t have gotten this far without her due diligence.”

Fall Back was recorded at the famous Big Yard studio in Kingston. It was produced by Banx and Ranx.

Asked what it was like working with Runkus, King Cruff said: “It was inspirational. There are few artistes who I feel I can learn from, and Runkus is one of them. He’s determined to take reggae music to new heights, and that’s a goal I strongly align with. He’s criminally underrated.”

This is the first JUNO nomination for western Canada-based singjay Skystar.

“To be nominated for the JUNO I felt like I was reborn. Tears fell from my eyes to see that my hard work is finally getting recognition on a national level in Canada,” Skystar told the Splash.

He said he learnt about the nomination from his manager, but he thought it was a prank. It wasn’t until he received an e-mail from a fellow recording artiste that he was convinced.

“I ran from my car to my house shouting and celebrating,” he said.

Skystar is originally from the Kingston 20 community of Patrick Gardens. For the past 11 years he has resided in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sky’s the Limit features production work by Vigilanti Entertainment, Diet Monkey Entertainment, and Cornatrendz Music.

Although she was born in Canada to Jamaican parents (her father is the late Clive “Kubba” Pringle who operated MX3, the home of the Bob Marley Bash in Negril), Tonya P has consistently highlighted the music of her heritage.

Last year she won two awards in the Reggae North Awards. This is her second JUNO nomination.

“Wow, it feels amazing. It’s an incredible accomplishment to know that I am still being recognised for my musical works 14 years after my first nomination,” she said. “This nomination signifies that anything is possible with hard work, consistency and faith.”

She too was in disbelief when she learnt about the JUNO nomination.

“When I got the news I was in disbelief, if I’m being perfectly honest. I’m still in shock,” she said of the nomination for the song
Rise, which was produced by Radford “Dr Rad” Ettienne.

Released in August last year, she shared the inspiration behind the song.

“Someone very near and dear to me was going through one of the toughest times in their life. It was hard to witness. I think the song was my way of telling them that, although all seemed lost, giving up was not an option. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall; it’s how you rise,” said Tonya P.

The 54th JUNO Awards will take place on March 29 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Jamaican-born, Toronto-based producer Boi-1da, who has produced an array of hit hip hop songs, will receive the International Achievement Award.