Stevie Jewel - 'I Told You So'

A Billboard Canada cover marks a moment when an artist, a career or an industry story reaches a point worth reflecting on. Across 2025, those moments ranged from chart-defining comebacks and first-ever interviews to farewell tours and leadership milestones that shaped Canada’s live and recorded music landscape. Each cover reflected not just who was in focus, but why that story mattered at that specific time.

This year was bookended by big Canadian rock comeback stories: Sum 41 calling it quits after one of their most successful albums, and Three Days Grace entering one of their highest-charting phases after a reunion with original lead singer Adam Gontier. It was a year of rising stars entering the next level, like The Beaches, and artists returning to their roots, like Daniel Caesar and his intimate show at NXNE 2025. And it was a major year for Live Nation, the dominant live promotions company that has helped turn Toronto into one of the biggest global touring markets.