Word on the beat: Junos mark a milestone with language diversity in album of the year

Elisapie, an Inuk singer-songwriter from Salluit, Nunavik, poses for a portrait in Toronto, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

When Inuk singer Elisapie set out to record her pop covers album “Inuktitut,” she wasn’t planning to be a part of history at the Juno Awards.

Yet this weekend, the Montreal singer-songwriter will head to Vancouver to help mark a significant milestone for language representation.

For the first time in its 55-year history, the Junos have elevated projects featuring four different languages to one of its highest pedestals.

In the album of the year category, this year’s nominees are sung in English, French, Punjabi, and Inuktitut.

There are two albums by English-language nominees — country artist Joss Ross’ “Complicated” and Calgary pop star Tate McRae’s “Think Later” — as well as a francophone album by Quebec singer Roxane Bruneau titled “Submergé.”

Toronto rapper Sukha’s debut EP “Undisputed” is performed in Punjabi, while “Inuktitut” is a collection of songs made famous by English rock acts but performed by Elisapie in an Indigenous language the Canadian government once tried to eradicate.

“It is a little bit of a miracle,” she suggested as she reflected on her album’s spot among the nominees. “This is a big category, right? It’s a big deal.”

The award will be handed out at a gala dinner on Saturday rather than the main Junos show, which airs Sunday on CBC and CBC Gem.

Still, it’s an achievement in diversity that some may suggest is long overdue at an awards show that celebrates Canadian music.

But even more significant is that all four languages secured their Juno nomination based on support from listeners.

According to the Junos website, album of the year nominees are determined entirely by sales and streaming numbers compiled through data tracker Luminate.

Final decisions on category eligibility are made “at the discretion” of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

That means each nominated Canadian album has already proven itself by building an audience of local listeners.

Bruneau was floored when her manager told her “Submergé” was vying for album of the year with McRae, one of the biggest names in global pop music right now.

She had expected to see her name alongside other artists from Quebec.

“I’m like, ‘No, no, no. It’s the wrong category.’ Then she says, ‘No, no, it’s album of the year,‘” Bruneau said. “I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t in the francophone album category.”

Bruneau called herself “spoiled rotten” for having benefited from “good exposure” on streaming platforms.

The singer, who hails from Montreal’s South Shore, first made a name by posting humorous videos and music on websites like YouTube, where they racked up millions of views.

“Submergé” is only the seventh French-language album to be nominated in the album of the year category.

Others include Céline Dion twice, Daniel Bélanger and Hubert Lenoir.

Bruneau wondered if her inclusion reflects a greater movement.

The political landscape in Canada has shifted significantly in recent years, which may have influenced listener taste.

“I think a kind of unity is being created,” she said in a French interview. “Even on TikTok, I see people across Canada saying to French Canadians: we feel like you’re happier being with us. With Quebec separatism, it seems like there’s always been a climate hanging over our heads. And now, I feel like Canada is really uniting.”

Other factors may be at play for Sukha’s “Undisputed,” one of the breakout albums from Canada’s thriving Punjabi music scene.

Its single “8 Asle” debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and was one of YouTube’s most popular songs in Canada last year, racking up 104 million views.

Universal Music Canada’s CEO Julie Adam pegged Sukha’s popularity to fundamental changes in technology, including how easy it has become for musicians to create music at home and distribute it online.

“Because of that, there are different genres that are jumping up,” said Adam.

“Music and art is all about reflecting our communities, our population and our culture. And I think that’s really what we’re seeing.”

Out of nearly 37 million people in Canada, almost 10.7 million can converse in French while more than half a million speak predominantly Punjabi at home, according to a 2021 report by Statistics Canada.

Federal data also shows there are roughly 40,000 speakers of Inuktut, a broad family of dialects that includes Inuktitut.

Connecting with those listeners has been a priority for Junos organizers, especially in recent years.

“I think it’s really representative of what Canada is right now and that’s exciting,” said Junos head Allan Reid. “This music, it’s happening in Canada. It’s also going beyond these borders. And that’s something I think we should be really proud of as a nation.”

For decades, the majority of the non-English language Juno nominees found their recognition mostly in culture-specific corners of the ceremony, such as global music album, francophone and the Indigenous categories.

This year, the Junos also added a South Asian music award to recognize artists who perform in an array of languages that originated in the region, including Punjabi, Hindi, Tamil and Urdu.

The power of language is the centrepiece of Elisapie’s 2023 album “Inuktitut,” which takes well-known songs from the likes of Metallica, Cyndi Lauper and Queen, and translates them into her native tongue.

The concept adds layered meaning and aural texture to each track, and connects Elisapie’s childhood in one of Quebec’s northernmost Inuit communities with her memories of beloved English radio hits.

At last year’s awards, the record helped her win the Juno for contemporary Indigenous artist.

She also performed her version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” called “Uummati Attanarsimat,” on the live broadcast.

She’s called the experience one of the most empowering moments in her career.

Now she wonders if other artists may feel the same way when they sing in their own languages on a national stage.

“There’s so much more beauty in different languages that we must pay attention to,” she said. “Something is shifting ... I think it’s about time. Maybe it’s going to be like that every year now. Hopefully.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.