THE SHOW WILL GO ON
Junos return to in-person ceremony for first time since pandemic hit
It took a few years, but it appears the Juno Awards are finally (almost) back to normal. The 51st annual ceremony honouring the best in Canadian music will see the return of an in-person crowd for the first time since 2019 when it hits the open air at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on Sunday.
The 2020 Junos set for Saskatoon were outright cancelled when the country went into lockdown in March of that year, with prizes eventually being handed out virtually in late June. Last year’s Toronto-set 50th anniversary broadcast was also virtual for the most part, taking place in June after being postponed twice due to changes in Ontario COVID restrictions.
As in pre-pandemic fashion, Juno festivities included a week’s worth of concerts, a songwriters’ circle and panels culminating with Saturday’s opening night awards (where the bulk of the Junos will be handed out) and Sunday’s gala — outdoors instead of in — to be broadcasted live on CBC.
Major Junos such as album of the year, group of the year and breakthrough artist will be handed out during the closing night ceremony, which also includes singer Deborah Cox’s induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and an appearance by international achievement award winner Shawn Mendes. Canadian faves Arcade Fire, Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Charlotte Cardin and Haviah Mighty are among those set to perform, and Mississauga-raised Marvel star Simu Liu will host Sunday’s festivities.
“Canadian entertainment and culture hold a very important place in my heart and getting the chance to experience the festivities in my hometown makes the experience even more special to me,” Liu said in a media release.
As for the nominees? Montreal singer-songwriter Cardin tops the list with six nominations. Cardin’s album Phoenix was released last April and topped the charts for several weeks. Justin Bieber and The Weeknd follow with five nods each, while Mendes, Vancouver songstress Jessia and first-time nominee Pressa have four mentions apiece. Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s key Juno nominees:
Tiktok Juno fan choice
■ 347aidan
■ bbno$
■ Charlotte Cardin
■ Forest Blakk
■ Jessia
■ Justin Bieber
■ Loud Luxury
■ Pressa
■ Shawn Mendes
■ The Weeknd
Single of the year
■ I’m not Pretty, Jessia
■ Make a Life, not a Living, Brett Kissel
■ Meaningless, Charlotte Cardin
■ Peaches, Justin Bieber and Daniel Caesar feat. Giveon
■ Take my Breath, the Weeknd
International album of the year
■ 30, Adele
■ Evermore, Taylor Swift
■ F--k Love 3+: Over You, the Kid Laroi
■ Planet Her, Doja Cat
■ Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
Album of the year
■ Dangerous Levels of Introspection, JP Saxe
■ Justice, Justin Bieber
■ Phoenix, Charlotte Cardin
■ Too Young to be Sad, Tate Mcrae
■ Wonder, Shawn Mendes
Artist of the year
■ Charlotte Cardin
■ JP Saxe
■ Justin Bieber
■ Shawn Mendes
■ The Weeknd
Group of the year
■ Arkells
■ Loud Luxury
■ Mother Mother
■ The Reklaws
■ Valley
Breakthrough artist of the year
■ 347aidan
■ Faouzia
■ Jessia
■ Pressa
■ Tesher
Breakthrough group of the year
■ Black Pistol Fire
■ Cleopatrick
■ Monowhales
■ Ocie Elliott
■ Spiritbox
Songwriter of the year
■ Abel Tesfaye — Hurricane, Moth to a Flame, Take My Breath
■ Allison Russell — 4th Day Prayer, Montreal, Nightflyer
■ Charlotte Day Wilson — I Can Only Whisper, If I Could, Wish It Was Easy
■ Mustafa Ahmed — Air Forces, The Hearse, What About Heaven
■ Tobi — Off The Drugs, Shall I Continue, Too Hot
Country album of the year
■ Boys, Dean Brody
■ Campfire Troubadour, Tim Hicks
■ Girl to Girl, Tenille Arts
■ Sophomore Slump, the Reklaws
■ What is Life?, Brett Kissel
Adult alternative album of the year
■ All That Emotion, Hannah Georgas
■ Ignorance, the Weather Station
■ Inwards & Onwards, Half Moon Run
■ Live to Tape: Vol. I – EP, Bahamas
■ Wilds, Andy Shauf
Alternative album of the year
■ Death of an Optimist, grandson
■ Hope for Sale, Chiiild
■ If it Comes Down to It, Ruby Waters
■ The Fool, Sate
■ When Smoke Rises, Mustafa
Pop album of the year
■ How are You?, Jessia
■ Justice, Justin Bieber
■ Phoenix, Charlotte Cardin
■ Too Young to be Sad, Tate Mcrae
■ Wonder, Shawn Mendes
Rock album of the year
■ Blink Once, Arkells
■ F--k Art, the Dirty Nil
■ Hidden Gems, the Blue Stones
■ Look Alive, Black Pistol Fire
■ Sisters not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album), The Beaches
Rap album/ep of the year
■ Emergency Tsunami, NAV
■ Gardner Express (Deluxe), Pressa
■ See You Next Wednesday, Belly
■ Stock Exchange, Haviah Mighty
■ The Extravagant Collection, Northsidebenji
Contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year
■ Life After, Snotty Nose Rez Kids
■ Shawnee Kish, Shawnee Kish
■ War Club, DJ Shub
■ When the Magic Hits, Adrian Sutherland
■ Wild Whisper, Jayli Wolf
Blues album of the year
■ BLOW, Colin Linden
■ Hope Dies Last, Steve Marriner
■ Live at the Isabel, Miss Emily
■ Open Road, Colin James
■ Pinky’s Blues, Sue Foley