Earlier this week, the JUNO Awards announced 2016’s nominees, recognizing globally renowned Canadian artists like the Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber, as well as some under the radar talent like BADBADNOTGOOD and Kaytranada.
After internal review, the JUNOs spoke too soon on Kaytranada’s nomination for Best Dance Recording of the Year. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences learned after the fact that his nominated track, “At All,” was first released on SoundCloud in 2013, before officially being released on iTunes on April 20, 2015, which in their eyes made it ineligible for this year’s awards. According to a press release, CARAS “adjusted the category affected,” replacing Kaytranada’s nomination with “Zero Gravity” by Borgeous & Lights.
Frustrated with the news that this much-deserved recognition had been taken away, Kaytranada sounded off on Twitter:
Kaytranada makes a few good points here. If “At All” must be disqualified, it might have been more fair to recognize any one of the many excellent tracks he released during the eligibility period—"Whateva U Want" or "Go Ahead" are both more than worthy. Hopefully this doesn’t distract Kaytranada from his creative process, because we’re still waiting on that album.
Check out the revised list of JUNO nominees for the Best Dance Recording of the Year below:
A-Trak - "We All Fall Down" (ft. Jamie Lidell)
Autoerotique & Max Styler - "Badman" (Torro Torro Remix)
Borgeous & Lights - "Zero Gravity"
Keys N Krates - "Save Me" (ft. Katy B)
Sleepy Tom & Diplo - "Be Right There"