While the next week will rightfully see plenty of focus on the upcoming Grammy Awards, our neighbors up north have announced the nominees for their equivalent, the Junos. Sorry Canadians, but “Canadian Grammys” is pretty much the most convenient metaphor to get Americans to grasp the importance of the Junos — blame G.W. Bush.
The field is led (again) this year by Canada’s number-one pop export, The Weeknd, who’s nominated for Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Pop Album Of The Year, Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year for “Sacrifice,” and Songwriter Of The Year awards. Meanwhile, resurgent rocker Avril Lavigne and pop neophyte Tate McRae follow with five apiece. They’re followed by Preston Pablo and The Reklaws, with three nominations each.
Lavigne’s nominations include Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year (“Bite Me”), Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, and Pop Album Of The Year. McRae is up for the same awards, with “She’s All I Wanna Be” nominated for Single Of The Year.
The Junos will be held on March 13 and broadcast live from Rogers Place in Edmonton on CBC Television, hosted by back-to-back emcee Simu Liu. You can check out the full list of nominees on JunoAwards.CA.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.