JUNO NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
JESSIE REYEZ, ARCADE FIRE LEAD WAY WITH FOUR NOMINATIONS
Reyez up for best R&B/soul recording, best video, breakthrough artist of year, fan choice award
Arcade Fire and Jessie Reyez are the leading nominees for this year’s Juno Awards in Vancouver. Arcade Fire is in the running for best group, single, album and alternative album. Toronto-born Reyez is nominated for best R&B/soul recording, best music video, breakthrough artist of the year and the Juno Fan Choice award.
The late Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, the Arkells, Ruth B and Hedley have three nominations apiece.
The Juno Awards will be hosted by pop crooner Michael Buble and airs March 25 on CBC-TV.
Performers are set to include Reyez, Daniel Caeser and Hedley, while a tribute to Downie is also planned.
During Tuesday’s announcement, Junos president Allan Reid acknowledged criticisms that the Canadian music industry suffers from a lack of female representation.
Last year’s nominations spawned the Twitter hashtag #JunosSoMale while the show’s host Russell Peters came under fire for calling Heritage Minister Melanie Joly “hot” and making jokes that critics said sexualized women. Junos organizers later apologized and said they did not “in any way support, nor did we sanction, the off-script remarks.”
“There are very important conversations happening in our world right now around gender equality and sexual harassment,” said Reid, who is also president of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
“It is critical that we work collectively as an industry to support a larger representation of women in music and encourage a culture that nurtures their participation and success.”
He said CARAS is working to open up technical career paths for women in the industry and better support artist development.
Notably absent from the nominations is charttopping rapper Drake — organizers said he did not submit for consideration.
Reyez’s four nominations are linked to her debut “Kiddo,” which was released last April and also led to best new Canadian artist and fan fave video nominations at the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards. She closed the year with a performance on the CBC’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
Last month she was featured by her label Universal Music Group at a pre-Grammys showcase in New York with other artists including Luis Fonsi, Logic, Migos, Julia Michaels and Kacey Musgraves.
Here’s a look at the nominees in some of the top categories:
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“How Far I’ll Go” by Alessia Cara “Everything Now” by Arcade Fire “Knocking at the Door” by the Arkells “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” by Shawn Mendes “I Feel It Coming” by the Weeknd
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Everything Now” by Arcade Fire “Nobody But Me” by Michael Buble “Revival” by Johnny Reid “Safe Haven” by Ruth B “Now” by Shania Twain
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Daniel Caesar Gord Downie Lights Ruth B Shania Twain
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alvvays Arcade Fire Broken Social Scene Hedley A Tribe Called Red
JUNO FAN CHOICE
Shawn Hook Shawn Mendes The Weeknd Theory Walk Off The Earth Justin Bieber Hedley Arkells Alessia Cara
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jessie Reyez NAV Virginia to Vegas Allan Rayman Charlotte Cardin
BREAKTHROUGH GROUP OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters James Barker Band The Beaches The Dead South The Franklin Electric The Jerry Cans
COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Game On, James Barker Band Past the Past, Jess Moskaluke Shake These Walls, Tim Hicks Beautiful Freakshow, Dean Brody Dear Life, High Valley
ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Life After Youth, Land of Talk Retribution, Tanya Tagaq Everything Now, Arcade Fire Wide Open, Weaves Antisocialites, Alvvays
POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Skin & Earth, Lights My Love, Ria Mae Safe Haven, Ruth B Hȏtel de Ville, Scott Helman Cageless, Hedley
ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Feed The Machine, Nickelback Young Beauties and Fools, The Glorious Sons Wake Up Call, Theory Grace Street, Big Wreck Outrage! Is Now, Death From Above
BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Time to Roll, MonkeyJunk No Time Like Now, Steve Strongman Big City, Back Country Blues, Williams, Wayne and Isaak
Better the Devil You Know, Big Dave McLean
Something I’ve Done, Downchild
INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
DAMN., Kendrick Lamar Stoney, Post Malone reputation, Taylor Swift 24K Magic, Bruno Mars ÷, Ed Sheeran