The 2025 winner of the Juno Award for Contemporary Gospel/Christian Album of the Year for his album is honoured to be recognized.
On Saturday, Ryan Ofei, a Ghanaian-Canadian artist from Ottawa, Ontario, took home the award for his album Restore, which he released in June 2024.
"Being recognized in Canada is deeply meaningful," said Ofei in a post on Instagram. "ALL GLORY TO GOD!"
This isn't his first time being awarded for his music. In 2021, Ofei joined the Atlanta-based collective Maverick City Music as a songwriter and performer. He has since appeared on GRAMMY award-winning albums and toured across the world before releasing his debut solo album.
Naomi Raine of Maverick City Music was quick to congratulate Ryan, saying the award was well deserved.
He says it's been a journey to get to this point and complete his debut album.
"Creating Restore required another level of vulnerability and inner healing," said Ofei. "I didn’t have a clear blueprint on what it would look like, but kept trusting the Lord to lead the way. This journey has been special because of the people I get to do life with."
For Ryan, seeing people resonate with his music has truly humbled him.
"I’m grateful that authenticity has been embraced, and I’m deeply moved by the stories and miracles connected to this album. This is just the beginning!"
The Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year, alongside Reggae and Children's Album of the Year, almost didn't happen after they were put on a short hiatus following the 2024 Junos. However, after receiving plenty of backlash, the decision was made to continue handing out these awards.
The Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year was handed out at a gala Saturday evening.
The remaining awards were handed out on March 30, 2025, in Vancouver in an event hosted by Canadian icon Michael Bublé.