AP Dhillon’s Historic JUNO Win Signals a New Era for South Asian Music in Canada

Canadian rapper and global Punjabi music icon AP Dhillon has made history by winning the first-ever JUNO Award for South Asian Music Recording of the Year—marking a major milestone for the genre in Canada. Known for his meteoric rise since arriving in Vancouver as an international student in 2015, Dhillon’s win not only cements his own legacy but also opens the door wider for a wave of South Asian talent shaping the country’s music future.

Dhillon’s journey, captured in his 2023 Amazon documentary First of a Kind, traces his early days uploading music to YouTube and Spotify, eventually catching the attention of Universal Music Canada. His victory at the 2025 JUNO Awards is more than symbolic—it reflects the growing mainstream influence of South Asian urban music in Canada. “AP Dhillon is a pioneer in the Punjabi hip-hop space,” said Charnjot Shokar, Hip-Hop and South Asian Marketing Manager at Universal Music Canada, calling the new JUNO category a powerful recognition of the genre’s expanding footprint.

Notably, Dhillon was also among the first artists to perform in Punjabi at the JUNOs, helping normalize linguistic and cultural diversity on one of Canada’s biggest music stages. This move follows in the footsteps of fellow Punjabi artist Karan Aujla, who won the TikTok Fan Choice Award at the same ceremony, even amid controversy about his citizenship status.

The JUNO Award for South Asian Recording of the Year underwent the same rigorous selection process as other categories, according to the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), with 10 anonymous judges, all Canadian citizens or permanent residents actively involved in the industry.

Veteran rapper Blitzkrieg, a Mississauga native and one of the first Punjabi artists to make waves in Canadian hip-hop, believes this is a critical moment. “We could either make it blow up and continue to be here, or it could end up being like reggaeton in early 2000s America—briefly explosive but unsustained,” he said. Blitzkrieg, who once collaborated with legends like Choclair and Saukrates and was signed to Universal Music India, reflected on the struggles of earlier days when few South Asian artists were seen or heard in Toronto’s hip-hop scene.

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Today, however, the story is changing. Blitzkrieg and others like Sathish Bala, founder of Desifest—the largest South Asian music festival in Canada—are now mentoring the next generation. Desifest has helped launch careers for artists like Jonita Gandhi, Yanchan, and Spitty, and Bala emphasizes that the festival must reflect the full spectrum of South Asian identity—from Punjabis to Tamils to Fijians and Sri Lankans.

“This is the beautiful side of immigration,” Bala said. “It brings in new sounds and strengthens the system. But we also need to create space for all corners of South Asian music, not just the loudest voices.” Bala now also runs a community open mic in Toronto, which attracts nearly 100 South Asian performers monthly.

As the digital age continues to break barriers, social media and platforms like YouTube remain critical in connecting Canadian artists to a global Desi audience. With the backing of both industry veterans and community platforms, South Asian music in Canada is not just having a moment—it’s building a movement. And with AP Dhillon’s historic JUNO win, that movement is finally being recognized on the biggest stage.