Naomi Cowan earns JUNO nomination for ‘Welcome to Paradise’

Reggae artiste and actress Naomi Cowan has landed her first career JUNO Award nomination in the Reggae Recording of the Year category for her critically praised album, Welcome to Paradise. The nomination, announced by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), celebrates outstanding achievements in Canada’s music industry.

The JUNO Awards are Canada’s most prestigious music awards, akin to the United States’ Grammy Awards. The 2026 JUNO Awards ceremony will take place in Hamilton, Ontario, with the main broadcast held live from the TD Coliseum on Sunday, March 29.

Welcome to Paradise was released on October 10, 2025, independently under Cowan’s own label, 7th C Records, and distributed by Easy Star Records in collaboration with Dreamspace in Canada.

The album has received rave reviews from the global reggae community, being hailed for its intentionality and musical depth. Reggae Tastemaker raved that the project is “a record to feel, reflect on and return to, again and again”, noting that Cowan “paints pictures with her lyrics” while remaining true to the genre’s essence Reggae Tastemaker.

WDR Cosmo, Germany, selected the project as its “Album of the Week” earlier this year, describing it as a “powerful, modern Lovers Rock” that combines Cowan’s “R’n’B and soul-trained voice with the gentle groove of Jamaica” WDR COSMO.

Reggaeville highlighted the album’s unique sonic landscape, noting it is “anchored in reggae” with foundation sounds and “ethereal” textures Reggaeville.

Cowan is extremely excited to share this body of work on the live performance scene during Reggae Month. After weeks of speculation, she is now officially announced for Protoje’s Lost in Time Festival, taking place February 28th and March 1st in Kingston. Cowan will be performing on Day 2 alongside a powerhouse line-up including Chronixx, Jesse Royal, Jah-9, and D’Yani.

Amidst her own JUNO recognition, Cowan has been supportive of her close friends Jesse Royal and Lila Iké, who head to the Grammy Awards this weekend as nominees in the reggae category.

“It’s an exciting time for the genre; we’ve all been honing our craft, playing our part, and now we get to share these moments with everyone who has been with us along the way,” said Cowan.

Born and raised in Kingston, Naomi Cowan holds dual citizenship in Canada, where she completed her academic studies at both the undergraduate and master,s levels at the renowned Toronto Metropolitan University. Cowan began crafting the album while filming the Paramount Pictures biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, in which she portrayed Marcia Griffiths. She describes the album as her own social commentary piece, a full-blown love album in an era where relationships are often labelled ‘toxic’ or ‘embarrassing’, offering a refreshing, authentic narrative on human connection.