The debut album of 12 songs by Jamaican singer Naomi Cowan, “Welcome to Paradise”, won the JUNO award 2026 for Reggae Recording of the Year, tenth woman to win this scepter in its history. The award was presented at the 50th ceremony held on Saturday at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Canada.
Upon receiving the award, Cowan expressed his gratitude to several people, including Toddla T, the album's producer, his parents Tommy Cowan and Carlene Davis, as well as his team of representatives.
“It has been the honor of my life to be a reggae artist. Reggae is a genre that has healed thousands of people around the world and has transcended many borders.. Therefore, this award is for the reggae music genre. to my parents, Thank you so much for choosing each other again and again., for loving me unconditionally, because you guys inspired this album. Bye, my supreme creative director, gracias”, Cowan said..
And he added: “I also want to thank the Government of Canada, to my producer partners, to my team, a Rob, a Jeff, to Nate the Great and everyone who participated. Greetings to Jamaica!”.
The other productions nominated in the category were “Oh yeah” by Kirk Diamond; “Dagga Riddim Cypher” by Jojo, You Made That, The 2Ruff, Erin B, CEO Meeko, One Don y Enzooo; “Ready For You” by Exco Levi and Kheilstone; Y “More Reggae (Funk it Up)” of Samora and Ammoye.
10 women in 50 editions
This is the tenth time a woman has won the Reggae Recording of the Year category., formerly known as Best Reggae/Calypso Recording and Best Reggae Recording, a reality that is not different from that of other long-standing awards where it is mostly men who have historically received the corresponding award annually..
On the list of women who have won the Juno Awards is Liberty Silver, who won in 1985 with “Heaven Must Have Sent You”, while the dub singer and poet, Lillian Allen, won in 1986 with “Revolutionary Tea Party” and in 1989 with “Conditions Critical”.
In the nineties, Carla Marshall won with “Class and Credential” in 1995, and subsequently Nana McLean took the trophy in 1997 for his self-titled album. Sonia Collymore won in 2003 with “You Won’t See Me Cry” and then in 2005 with “What You See is What You Get”.
“Likkle Bit But Mi Tallawah”, of Elaine ‘Lil Bit’ Shepherd, won the victory in 2011, Y Tome won in 2021 with “I Pay”, a collaboration with Sean Kingston.
The Juno Awards (Juno Awards) They are the most prestigious awards in the Canadian music industry., equivalent to the Grammys in the United States. Awarded annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GUYS), recognize artistic and technical excellence in various musical genres of artists and groups from Canada.
