Submitting to the Juno Awards? Juno-nominated singer Zenesoul has 4 tips
The R&B musician breaks down everything to know before the deadline on Nov. 2
Submissions are open now for the 2024 Juno Awards, and for musicians hoping to score a Juno nomination on Feb. 6, 2024, they must go through the process of submitting their work for contention here by Nov. 2 at 11:59 pm ET.
Zenesoul, the R&B singer who earned her first Juno nomination in 2022 for traditional R&B/soul recording of the year wants first-time artists to have the smoothest process possible when submitting.
As an independent artist, she has gone through the process without the assistance of a label, and has rounded up her key tips.
Submit early
Independent musicians from underrepresented communities have until Nov. 2 to apply for financial support with their submission fees through TD's Junos Submissions Access Program. Applications will be reviewed by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences on a first come, first served basis, and artists who are approved will have their submission fees waived.
"It's best to submit earlier if you would like to get your submission [fee] covered because you don't want to be part of the [group] where [funding] runs out," she says.
Have all assets ready
She recommends getting all your links for your songs prepared in advance, from each platform such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc. She also says to have the credits for everyone who was involved in the song or project, as they'll be needed for the application.
Key things to have on hand, according to Zenesoul, include:
- Links to your songs.
- Song credits.
- Cover artwork.
- Contact information for your management, publicist, etc.
Understand each category
Zenesoul explains that sometimes the genre of your music might span multiple categories, and so it's important to read and understand the definitions of each one to decide where to submit. As an R&B/soul singer, she needed to note the differences between the contemporary and traditional R&B categories when submitting.
"Reading the categories and making sure your song aligns with that category is very, very important, because it could be an amazing song [that's] just in the wrong category," she says.
Artists may make multiple submissions, but only in specific categories, which can be viewed here.
Don't let impostor syndrome hinder you
Having felt like an impostor after receiving her nomination and walking the red carpet at the awards ceremony, Zenesoul says to remember you have put in the work to get where you are.
"It's not random people that are just looking at the application. It's people who love music. It's people who are in the music world that are picking," she says, adding that "your talent can speak for itself."