ONTARIO ARTISTS LEAD JUNO NOMINATIONS
—Drake, Shawn Mendes, & The Weeknd Lead Nominations at Canada’s Most Prestigious Music Award Show
Written by: Dre Pao
Presented by: Greater Hamilton Musician
February 7 th , 2017
TORONTO, ON — Live from REBEL in Toronto, Ontario. The 2017 JUNO Press Conference announced the nominees for the 2017 JUNO Awards, happening on April 2nd in Ottawa. Rapper Drake, pop singer Shawn Mendes, and R&B artist the Weeknd led the way with 5 nominations each. In close second was songwriter Alessia Cara, collecting 4 nominations, alongside the late Leonard Cohen.
Many Hamilton-connected artists received nominations. Diana Panton in Children’s Album of the Year category (I Believe in Little Things), David Braid’s Sextet in Instrumental Album of the Year for Flow, and a fitting Breakthrough Group of the Year nomination nod went to The Dirty Nil.
The Tragically Hip earned numerous nominations, including Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year for Man Machine Poem, while Hamilton’s Arkells earned a nomination for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year, along with Monster Truck.
The JUNO Conference also announced that The Strumbellas, Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendez, Ruth B, and A Tribe Called Red will be performing live at the award show. Canadian artist Michael Bublé is scheduled to host the night. However, some are questioning if Bublé will in fact be participating after it was recently announced that his 3-year- old son was diagnosed with cancer.
Listed below are nominees in select categories:
Album of the year: Encore Un Soir, Céline Dion; Views, Drake; You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen; Illuminate, Shawn Mendes; Starboy, The Weeknd.
Single of the year: Wild Things, Alessia Cara; One Dance, Drake; Treat You Better, Shawn Mendes; Spirits, the Strumbellas; Starboy, The Weeknd.
Group of the year: Arkells; Billy Talent; Tegan and Sara; the Strumbellas; the Tragically Hip.
Artist: Alessia Cara; Drake; Leonard Cohen; Shawn Mendes; The Weeknd.
Breakthrough artist: Andy Shauf; Jazz Cartier; Kaytranada; Ruth B; Tory Lanez.
Fan’s Choice: Alessa Cara; Belly; Drake; Hedley; Justin Bieber; Ruth B.; Shawn Mendes; the Strumbellas; The Weeknd; Tory Lanez.
Video of the year: Kill V. Maim, Grimes; Killa, Wiwek/Skrillex; The Stranger, Gord Downie; Lite Spots, Kaytranada; R.E.D., Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Blackbear, A Tribe Called Red.
International album: Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande; A Head Full of Dreams, Coldplay; Made in the A.M., One Direction; Anti, Rihanna; This Is Acting, Sia.
For the full list of Juno Nominees and more information on the 2017 JUNO Awards, visit www.JunoAwards.ca/nominees
About the Author
Dre Pao is a Canadian artist, born in Hamilton, Ontario, that specializes in songwriting. Dre’s career was launched in 2012 by Spanish artist Xuso Jones, who was previously signed with Universal Music. Dre is best known for his work behind the scenes in the music industry and has worked with some of the top artists and publishers in music. Dre recently signed on to write for the Greater Hamilton Musician! Dre Pao will be attending a number of events that are exclusive to Canadian songwriters and music publishers in 2017 and sharing his experiences with us! Dre will also be conducting interviews and features on independent and signed artists that will be featured on HamiltonMusician.com! More tips and tricks to help assist Hamilton artists coming soon! http://www.drepaomusic.com/
