Junos 2025 highlights: Michael Bublé says Canada is 'not for sale,' Anne Murray talks pressure to move to U.S.

Yahoo

31-03-2025

Canadian music artists were celebrated at the 2025 Junos, which took place in Vancouver, led by three-time host Michael Bublé. While the night was a moment to recognize Canadian talent, we couldn't forget the existing Canada, U.S. tensions.
Ahead of the award presentations and music performances from Canada's most celebrated music artists, Bublé took a jab at U.S. President Donald Trump. Specifically the threat that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
"We are the greatest nation on earth and we are not for sale," Bublé said to the crowd.
"I'm proud to be Canadian. I'm proud that when they go low, … we go high," he also said at the Juno Awards.
The rest of Bublé's opening remarks were largely centred around being a proud Canadian.
'We love this country. We love it and when you love it you show up for it. And we always will," he said. "We will because we're formidable. Because we're fearless. Because we don't just acknowledge our differences, we embrace them.'
Ahead of the 2025 Junos, Bublé expressed that he was "stressed" about the current relationship between Canada and the U.S.
"I'm so happy that I'm a singer and my job is not to be political," Bublé told The Canadian Press. "My job is to brighten people's lives with music and hopefully humour, and to infuse it with a little more love than I got here with."
"But I understand, because I'm one of those Canadians who's stressed."
Canadian music legend Anne Murray to be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by the National Arts Centre.
While she spoke about the journey to success in her career, including growing up in Nova Scotia, she also took the time to talk about the pressure she felt to move to the U.S. as she gained success.
"I was pressured very early in my career to move to New York or Los Angeles," Murray said. "And I just couldn't do it."
"I knew instantly that I needed a place to go, to escape when my work was done. Canada's my safe haven, my safety blanket, my light at the end of the tunnel. And it still is."
Palestinian-Canadian musician Nemahsis was a big winner at the 2025 Junos.
At the pre-telecast ceremony on Saturday, she received the award for best alternative album of the year, and she won her second Juno on Sunday for breakthrough artist or group of the year.
'This is dedicated to all the hijabis that are," Nemahsis said. "I've been wearing hijab for 20-plus years and all I ever wanted was to turn on Family Channel, YTV and just see somebody that looks like me."
"I didn't think it would take this long and I didn't think I would be the one to do it. But I'm happy it got to this."
When accepting her award on Saturday, Nemahsis recognized that the winners have "failed to mention the elephant in the room. The Palestinian in the room."
"I look around in this room and the people I relate most to are the Indigenous people, because I too am Indigenous somewhere," she said. "And I can't even perform this album there yet."
"The people of Palestine. I will perform this album there and I love you."
The 2025 Junos were also used to celebrate the Canadian punk band Sum 41, who were inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame, and closed out the awards ceremony with their last ever performance.
Although not Canadians, Joel and Benji Madden took the Junos stage to praise some of their "longest, closest friends," Sum 41.
"These guys are legends. They hold a very special place in punk rock music," Benji said.
Then Sum 41 frontman, Deryck Whibley, then thanked the band's fans for sticking with them through "all the ups and the down."
"This moment is surreal for us because we've not really an awards show band," he said. "We've always just focused on being our best, not paying attention to anyone else, except for Iron Maiden, of course."
"But if I had to sum up our journey in one word it would persistence."