The annual edition of the Juno Awards are finally here, and like every year they will celebrate the best in Canadian music. The event is once again hosted in Ottawa, and although there will be two days of awards on April 1st and 2nd, only the event at the Canadian Tire Centre on the 2nd will be televised. Here’s what else you need to know about the 2017 Juno Awards.
Hosts: Originally Micheal Buble was scheduled to host the event, but after his son was diagnosed with cancer he cancelled all public appearances. It was still unknown at that time if he would host the event or not, and it wasn’t until the start of March that Canadian legend Bryan Adams and comedian Russell Peters were going to step in to co-host the event. This will be the first time Adams has hosted any sort of awards show. Peters on the other hand hosted the Junos in 2008 and 2009, as well as several other shows.
Performers: This year several A-List talent has been announced to perform during the show, including Alessia Cara who opened the show last year. Other performers include the Arkells, Billy Talent, Dallas Smith, July Talk, Ruth B, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Mendes, The Strumbellas and A Tribe Called Red. They’ve also announced that Feist will be performing what is sure to be a very emotional, special tribute to Leonard Cohen.
First Award Winners: The first award winner announced every year is The Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, and this years winner is iconic singer/songwriter/activist Buffy Sainte-Marie. The award recognizes an outstanding Canadian artist “whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and/or whose impact can be felt worldwide”, and through her efforts to protect indigenous communities and indigenous intellectual property she is just that artist. Randy Lennox is the year’s recipient of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for his contributions to helping in the growth and development of Canadian Music. Also announced is that Sarah McLachlan will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Awards: This year there are 41 individual awards, most of which will be handed out the night before the awards broadcast. Typically only the top awards are given out on the actual show itself. This year Drake, The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes led the pack with five nominations each, with Alessia Cara and the late Leonard Cohen not far behind with four nods each.
The 2017 Juno Awards airs this Sunday evening, starting at 6:30 on CTV.
Photo: CTV
