From AP Dhillon's genre-defining win to Jazzy B's on-stage swagger, the Junos were a stage for Punjabi pop powerhouses. But beneath the fireworks, a cultural reset is in motion—South Asians aren't just part of Canadian music, they're rewriting it.

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We Are Not For Sale: Michael Bublé Said It Best.

And as the house lights beamed down on a jam-packed Rogers Arena in Vancouver, the mood was electric. Canada wasn't just hosting another awards night—it was flexing its multicultural might. And nobody made that point louder (or prouder) than the South Asian artists who didn't just attend the Junos—they owned it.

When Bublé opened the show with a medley in four languages—including Punjabi—before dropping his now-iconic mic check moment: "We are not for sale," the crowd went wild. What followed was a cultural canon blast, and Desis were front and centre.

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AP Dhillon Took Home Gold — Even If He Wasn't in the Building

In a landmark moment, AP Dhillon's Brownprint won South Asian Recording of the Year — a new category that feels long overdue in a country where brown beats blast from every second car on the highway. The award is more than a nod. It's a statement: Punjabi pop isn't niche. It's mainstream.

Though AP couldn't be there in person, his presence was felt. The win wasn't just for him. It was for Surrey. For Brampton. For every brown kid who grew up with Sidhu Moose Wala posters and Spotify playlists that jumped from Drake to Diljit.

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Desi Stage Takeover: Moga, Nattan, Jazzy B = Triple Threat

The energy went nuclear when Inderpal Moga, Chani Nattan, and Jazzy B hit the stage.

• Inder came out guns blazing, spitting verses with the kind of stage control that felt less performance, more prophecy.
• Chani Nattan's set was pure stadium energy, his vocals punching through bass drops like fireworks at a Punjabi wedding.
• And then Jazzy Paaji, the godfather of the scene, stomped in with his signature swagger, rocking a bedazzled mohawk and sunglasses so sharp they probably had their own security clearance!

Backstage? Word is Jazzy B was giving bhangra lessons to Michael Bublé. Now we really wish we were there.

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Fashion Recap: Brown Boys & Girls Did Not Come to Blend In

From Indo-western fits to designer desi drip, the orange carpet was a vibe:

• Jonita Gandhi floated in wearing a pastel fusion saree with metallic accents — East met West, and they both said "yaaas."
• Chani Nattan had elements of battle gear meets Burberry—and it worked.

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“Sure, bbno$ wrapped himself in what looked like couture toilet paper and Anne Murray gave us timeless grace in her ‘daughter of the soil’ realness — and yeah, everyone else will talk about that. But let’s be real: the brown munde and kudis straight-up owned the night.”

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South Asians Are Canada’s Coolest Cultural Export. Fight Us.

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Here’s the thing: Punjabi pop isn’t rising. It’s already here. From Karan Aujla (last year’s Juno Fan Choice Award winner) to Tesher, Jonita Gandhi, NAV, Raghav, Harmanpreet, Shubh, Intense, DJ Heer, Rika, and Sartaj Virk — South Asian voices are defining what Canadian music is in 2025.

And it’s not just Canada. The diaspora bounce is real. AP Dhillon tours pack stadiums from London to LA. Spotify Wrapped lists are brown AF. The algorithm has been colonised, and we’re not mad about it.

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Other Big Junos Wins (We See You, Tate)

• Tate McRae dominated the night with four major wins, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. Gen Z's Canadian princess came correct.
• Anne Murray received the Lifetime Achievement Award, with an emotional tribute that had boomers and TikTokers equally misty-eyed.

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And then came the moment that sent Twitter/X and Reddit into overdrive: bbno$, Vancouver’s very own rap wildcard, walked up to accept the Fan Choice Award and ended his speech with this spicy mic drop: “Elon Musk is a piece of garbage.”

The Rogers Arena erupted. Wild cheers. Audible gasps. And the internet? It lost its collective mind.

One more sign that Canadian music isn't here to play it safe.

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‍What This Means for Canadian South Asians

Representation isn't a buzzword. It's a beat. It's a bass drop. It's a mic grab. For every immigrant parent still calling it "DJ music," and every brown teen remixing their identity one track at a time, the Junos were a moment.

Brownprint just got a page in the Canadian music textbook.

And The Chaos Drop? We’ll keep writing the footnotes.

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