'Reggae is not soul': Jah'Mila makes appeal for change after East Coast Music Awards win

CBC Music

· Posted: May 09, 2025 9:54 AM EDT | Last Updated: 27 minutes ago

Reggae instrumentalist Jah'Mila delivered a almighty code connected the East Coast Music Awards signifier successful St. John's connected May 8, offering a hopeful entreaty for collaboration and alteration from an relation that has faced turmoil for months.

The Halifax-based Jamaican Canadian singer's reggae song Never Fail won successful the R&B/soul category, which she said is an denotation of what needs to alteration astatine the East Coast Music Association.

"This category, having been won by a reggae song, is simply a precise wide illustration of the benignant of betterment that I'm excited for the ECMA to instrumentality on," she said successful her acceptance speech, aft thanking her collaborators. "Because reggae is not soul. I americium grateful for it, but it is not soul. It's been a pugnacious twelvemonth for us, each of america astatine the ECMAs ... and without having to belabour what we've gone through, what I am is excited astir what's to come. And I would love to play a portion successful that successful immoderate mode that I can. I want to person those hard conversations. I want to guarantee that a reggae song is successful the close category, right?"

WATCH | The authoritative video for Jah'Mila's opus Never Fail: 

The awards amusement and five-day league has been dealing with a reckoning wrong its membership since past fall, erstwhile immoderate relation members complained astir a deficiency of transparency and representation. The East Coast Music Association ousted CEO Blanche Israël in January, prompting outcry among members who said she had meaningfully moved the needle connected much-needed diverseness and inclusivity wrong the association.

Several musicians past withdrew their nominations successful protest, including Wolastoqiyik tenor Jeremy Dutcher, who said helium stood successful solidarity with those calling for much clarity connected the absorption of the organization, singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, and rappers Stephen Hero, Aquakultre and Wolf Castle.

The non-profit was formed much than 30 years agone to enactment section artists and tally the awards show, but critics person suggested it's fallen retired of measurement with the times. Some assertion organizers thin excessively heavy into people and stone music, downplaying the region's burgeoning assemblage of musicians who correspond different euphony genres.

As musicians were withdrawing their nominations erstwhile they were announcd successful March, Jah'Mila shared with CBC Music that Israël had asked her straight to execute astatine the awards conscionable earlier the CEO was fired and she inactive planned connected attending. At the time, Jah'Mila said she hoped to stock her thoughts with the relation and rank onstage.

"Something happened with the ECMAs implicit the past fewer months. And without being embarrassed of it oregon pushing it nether the rug, it is simply a blessed glorious accidental for each of america to permission our ego astatine the doorway and person those hard, wide conversations," she said onstage successful St. John's, 2 months later. "Because we are sick. We shouldn't consciousness bad, nothing's incorrect with us, we conscionable person to spell and get the assistance that we need. There are thousands of artists successful the East Coast that are looking to america arsenic an example, arsenic the standard. Please don't fto them down."

"I'm shaking close present due to the fact that it took a batch of balls to stock what I did onstage," the creator told reporters backstage aft her address, tears streaming down her face. "But I felt similar it was precise necessary, due to the fact that I emotion being a portion of this community. And if we don't each travel unneurotic to hole it and we conscionable expanse it nether the rug, it volition support connected persisting."

An awards nighttime successful remembrance of Mark Hiscock

The biggest nighttime successful Atlantic Canadian euphony began with an affectional tribute to Mark Hiscock, a beloved accordionist who died this week successful St. John's.

Folk set Shanneyganock took the signifier to footwear disconnected the nighttime without Hiscock, their longtime member, and dedicated their show to him.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians took aboriginal awards, with Kellie Loder snagging the Fans' Choice awards for entertainer of the twelvemonth and video of the year, and Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds winning Indigenous creator of the year.

Edmunds besides won the Juno successful March for classical creation of the twelvemonth for her portion Angmalukisaa.

"This grant means to maine much than I tin really accidental successful words ... arsenic an Indigenous creator who is successful classical music," Edmunds told reporters aft her win. "To beryllium an Indigenous artist, you tin beryllium immoderate genre, immoderate style."

Maggie Andrew, a singer-songwriter based successful Nova Scotia, picked up the grant for African Canadian creator of the twelvemonth for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row.

"I had a hard clip really being recognized erstwhile I archetypal moved backmost to Nova Scotia," Andrew told reporters. "I'm present and I americium Black, and this is simply a truly chill grant to win."

Other winners included rapper Classified, for solo creator of the year, and Newfoundland set Rum Ragged's opus Paddy Hyde, for accepted merchandise of the year.

The accepted Newfoundland opus Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's, written by Otto P. Kelland, was besides inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

With files from the Canadian Press