Ruth B and the Nominees
The Juno Awards will once again celebrate Canadian music with a starstudded ceremony this spring. The trophies will be handed out in Vancouver on March 25, with Arcade Fire and Jessie Reyez leading the pack with four nods each. Daniel Caesar, Arkells and the late Gord Downie each earned three nominations, while Alvvays, Charlo e Cardin, Alessia Cara, the Weeknd, Shania Twain, Michael Bublé and Shawn Mendes have all been nominated in two categories.
Edmonton’s Ruth B is a nominee to watch, having received a nod for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. Born Ruth Berhe, the singer/songwriter first made a name for herself on video hosting service Vine in 2013, singing cover songs and original material. She parlayed her social media star status into a recording deal with Columbia, releasing four-track EP TheIntro through the label in 2015.
Berhe delivered her debut LP SafeHaven last year, producing the record alongside Joel Li le (Lorde, Sam Smith) and Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, 50 Cent). The album achieved Gold certification in Canada with 40,000 sales. Berhe is no stranger to the Juno Awards stage, having performed at the 2017 ceremonies in addition to taking home the award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. She was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year and the Fan Choice Award.
Other nominees looking to bring home the hardware include NAV, the Weather Station, Tanya Tagaq, Justin Bieber, Maestro Fresh Wes, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Whitehorse, Kid Koala, Iskwé, Bruce Cockburn, Timber Timbre, Fred Penner, Allan Rayman, Belly, Lou Phelps and more.
In addition to celebrating recorded works, the JUNO Awards will give Gary Slaight the Humanitarian Award for his ongoing support of healthcare, social services, culture and at-risk youth at home and abroad through the Slaight Family Foundation, and his support of the Canadian music industry and emerging artists through Slaight Music.