'I was in shock': R&B star Aqyila on winning a Juno after finding viral success
The singer-songwriter reflects on her win and where her career will go next
Aqyila took home her first Juno Award in March for traditional R&B/soul recording of the year. "It was really cool and very surreal," she told The Block's host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe about winning for her self-love anthem, "Hello."
When she released the track in 2023, it caught fire on TikTok and racked up thousands of likes. It currently has more than 25 million streams on Spotify.
Aqyila recently released "Most Wanted," a new sultry single that celebrates her Jamaican heritage. She opened up to Tetteh-Wayoe about the new song and what she hopes for the next chapter in her career after going viral and winning a Juno.
The full interview is available above and you can read an excerpt of their conversation below.
It was almost four years ago now that ["Vibe for Me (Bob for Me)"] took off. So just setting the stage for everybody that's listening, we're coming around to where Aqyila is now after viral success. So talk a little bit about first the Juno Awards, 'cause it's not the first time you were nominated. The first time you were nominated was way back then when "Bob for Me" became "Vibe for Me" and then "Vibe for Me" was nominated.
Yeah.
So tell me about your experience actually winning this time.
Oh, wow, I was in shock. I can't lie, I was just prepping myself mainly for the performance because I got to perform at the [Opening Night Awards] to "Hello," which was awesome. And then my category came up after that [performance], and I was in complete shock. I kind of just froze. And my brother, my cousin, they all flew down to obviously support [me], everybody came out. It was really cool and very surreal.
They had to kind of shake you out of it.
Because I just stood there for a second like, "Oh!" And then all of a sudden, the Sony team stood up. They were clapping. Some people were crying. It felt really gratifying I guess, because you do work hard at what you do and then it's just always good to be recognized for the work that you put in. I think ... everybody kind of wants to feel like, "Okay, I've achieved something and I've impacted people in a way." And so I felt like I made my impact that night and I was very, very proud of myself.
Yeah. But can you maybe talk about the difference between going [the first time], because I feel like the second time you go to the Junos, it's like you're a veteran. You've figured it [out]. You've learned from the first experience. So yeah, the first time at the Junos versus the second time.
It was so cool, because the first time I went was in Toronto. That was fun. And we stayed in this really nice hotel. It was dope, I can't lie. I think I was nervous about the red carpet the most, to do all the questions and stuff like that. But the second time around, like you said, I was more prepared. And I already knew "this is what I'm going to talk about." And it was kind of like speed dating.
That's hilarious.
It was cool though, because this time, my brother and cousin were also on the sidelines of the carpet. So they're watching me talk to all these different people and they're like, "Wow, this is so interesting to see, live and direct."
So you talked about your family. Now, are you familiar with Honey Jam?
I am.
OK, so I was at an event for Honey Jam. It was the launch event. And the speaker at that event was Leila Dey. And during that conversation, she revealed, like it was this big secret, "Aqyila is my sister." And I was like, hold up, wait a minute, everyone. And then I think somebody even got on Instagram or something and [said], "I was today years old when I learned that Aqyila and Leila Dey are sisters." So maybe you can talk a little bit about that relationship or [if] you two are planning on making music together or, you know, maybe, one of the things she talked about was how you were kind of inspirational to her [on] social media.
We'd always chat on FaceTime, and we see each other and hang out, but yeah, that is my sister. And it's so funny because we've always been [calling each other] "sis," but I think people [assume it's about my] homegirls. But we're genuinely related by blood. I think people just didn't believe it.
But yeah, [it was] such a fun childhood with her too. I remember her and my older brother Dave, me [and] my grandma, we'd always be chilling in the summer. They used to sneak me chocolate bars as a kid when I didn't want to eat my food. They would take me out to the grocery store and we'd get snacks. [It was] your everyday, average childhood that you'd want to just experience. And I was really inspired by her because she did a lot of songwriting too. And my cousin, Rian, is pHoenix Pagliacci. So, we're all just doing music in Toronto, which is really cool. I don't think people know that.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. To hear the full interview, listen to The Block on CBC Music.