Krall grabs two awards at music gala
VANCOUVER — Nanaimo-raised Diana Krall emerged a double winner at Saturday’s Juno Awards pre-telecast ceremony in a night that carried a number of political and social undercurrents.
Some musicians took time to recognize the huge protests against gun violence in the United States earlier in the day, which captured headlines and left some musicians voicing their support.
“I just want to give a shout out to all of our brothers and sisters down South that are protesting today — protesting gun laws,” said Arcade Fire’s Win Butler as he accepted the international achievement award.
“Canada is a beautiful example of how it doesn’t have to be like that.”
Krall came away with two awards for her album Turn Up the Quiet. She scored vocal jazz album, beating out Sidney’s Michael Kaeshammer in the category, and also won producer of the year.
Denise Donlon, a former MuchMusic VJ in the 1980s, received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for a career that also includes years as a record industry executive.
In her speech, she addressed the lack of female representation in the music industry, which has been a much-discussed subject in recent years at the Junos. She finished by calling on men in the audience to rise from their chairs as a symbolic commitment of support for more women in music.
“I really did feel like we’re actually starting to move the needle a little bit on this,” Donlon said afterward, acknowledging the idea was partly inspired by Frances McDormand’s rousing Oscar speech on “inclusion riders.”
Other winners included Vancouver-area product Michael Bublé, who hosted the televised Junos show on Sunday. He took home adult contemporary album for Nobody But Me.
The Shawn Mendes hit There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back won single of the year, though he was absent from the event.
Ivan Decker became the first comedy album winner in 33 years with I Wanted to Be a Dinosaur. The prize was last given in 1984 to Bob and Doug McKenzie — the pair of iconic beer-swigging hosers played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas.
Fred Penner snagged children’s album of the year for Hear the Music, his collaborative project that features appearances by Canadian artists including Basia Bulat and Ron Sexsmith.
Buffy Sainte-Marie’s politically charged album of songs about unity and resistance, Medicine Songs, won the Indigenous music album award.
Bruce Cockburn’s Bone on Bone, which dabbled in political commentary at times, grabbed contemporary roots album.