The 2024 Juno Awards regarded to the way forward for Canadian music, whereas additionally honoring its historical past.
A quartet of acts who’ve had main breakthroughs this yr received the most important awards given out on the CBC-televised broadcast on Sunday night time (March 24) dwell from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Punjabi-Canadian world star Karan Aujla received the TikTok Fan Selection award, the one fan-chosen award of the ceremony. “Generally I can’t consider I’m that very same child who misplaced my mother and father once I was in India, made my solution to Canada, and now I’m right here!” mentioned the B.C.-based artist, one in every of Billboard Canada’s inaugural cowl stars. “If you’re dreaming, be sure to dream large.”
Charlotte Cardin received album of the year for her album 99 Nights. The 2023 album has propelled the Montreal-based artist to new crossover heights, hitting No. 3 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, whereas its widespread single “Confetti” reached the highest 10 of the Canadian Scorching 100 and spent 35 weeks on the chart. It additionally earned her first American chart hit, and it’s at present on the Grownup Pop Airplay chart. Cardin later carried out the infectious earworm whereas precise confetti rained from the ceiling.
The Seashores, in the meantime, received group of the yr. Accepting the award from Nova Scotia’s personal Anne Murray, who holds the report for many Junos ever with 25, the Toronto band devoted their speech to the subsequent technology of rockers. “To all of the younger women watching, go begin bands along with your finest pals!” They later closed the festivities with a rendition of their main breakthrough single “Blame Brett.”
Each Cardin and The Seashores received awards on the 2024 Juno Opening Evening Awards the night time earlier than (March 23) for pop album of the yr and rock album of the yr, respectively.
In a white fur cape, TALK had a rock star second performing his epic single “Run Away to Mars,” which went to No. 1 on the Grownup Various Airplay chart final yr. The Ottawa-born artist, who’s had over 400 million world streams, later took dwelling the award for breakthrough artist of the yr. In his speech, he talked concerning the significance of arts funding, simply after Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St.-Onge introduced the federal government would improve the Canadian Music Fund.
A variety of the night time’s performances motioned towards the more and more numerous and world way forward for Canadian music. Wearing a spiffy white outfit with a 4 backup dancers in pink, Aujla carried out early on, taking part in pop hits “Admiring You” and “Softly.” Each got here from his album Making Reminiscences, which made historical past because the highest-charting Punjabi debut ever on the Canadian Albums chart. Ikky, who made the album with Aujla, acted as hype man on an elevated platform.
Within the BillboardPunjabi Wave cowl story, AP Dhillon talked about his efficiency on the 2023 Junos ceremony and the way he lobbied to make sure majorly widespread Punjabi music would have a protracted platform on the awards. Evidently, they’ve saved their phrase.
This yr’s Junos additionally had probably the most Indigenous nominees in award historical past. Anita Landback, Tanas Sylliboy, Sarah Prosper set the stage with a land acknowledgment that intersected with a efficiency by Juno winner Jeremy Dutcher in Wolastoqey, who then joined in a duet with Elisapie on an Inuktitut model of Blondie’s “Coronary heart of Glass.” Together with Aujla and others, it meant performances featured no less than six completely different languages, together with English and French.
The Junos has struggled with star energy lately — Drake has boycotted the final half decade, whereas chart-topper Tate McRae was not in attendance to simply accept her two awards this yr — they’ve made up for it with improved illustration of what makes Canadian music distinctive.
This yr, additionally they paid tribute to the nation’s music historical past.
The ceremony was hosted by pop star Nelly Furtado, who opened the ceremony with a rapid-fire medley of her a number of many years of hits: “Say It Proper,” “Maneater,” “Promiscuous,” “Give It To Me,” “I’m Like A Hen” — all from the 2000s and her new one with Dom Dolla, “Eat Your Man.”
Kardinal Offishall inducted “our rap Prime Minister” Maestro Recent Wes into the Canadian Music Corridor of Fame. The hip-hop hero had the primary Canadian rap report to ever chart on the Billboard Scorching 100 with “Let Your Spine Slide,” was the primary winner of the rap album of the yr on the 1991 Junos for Symphony in Impact, and is at present amidst a wave of recognition for his place within the nation’s music historical past. A pre-taped video featured contributions from this yr’s winner, TOBi, legacy Canadian artists like Snow and American legends like Chuck D of Public Enemy. “Now, this music we love received’t ever be underestimated,” he mentioned. He later carried out a medley of his hits, together with “Spine.”
A particular efficiency honoured a handful of Canadian legends who died this yr. Neo-classical Quebecois artist Alexandra Streliski paid tribute to Karl Tremblay of Les Cowboys Fringants with an instrumental piano efficiency. Then Allison Russell, Aysanabee, William Prince, Shawnee Kish, Logan Staats, Julian Taylor all joined collectively for lovely renditions of Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You May Learn My Thoughts” and The Band’s “The Weight” for the late Robbie Robertson.
And actor Elliot Web page offered the humanitarian award to Tegan and Sara, stressing the significance of the Canadian Quin sisters’ Tegan and Sara Basis’s necessary work for younger queer folks at a time when the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ persons are below risk, together with from the Alberta authorities. “If the world weren’t so hostile to 2SLGBTQ+ we might see ourselves purely as musicians,” they mentioned, including “we love being homosexual. So homosexual.”
Right here’s our report on all of the winners from Saturday’s Opening Evening Juno Awards.
Listed here are the nominees within the classes that had been offered on the dwell telecast, with winners checked.
TikTok Juno Fan Selection
Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
Daniel Caesar, Republic*Common
DVBBS, Extremely*Sony
Josh Ross, Common
WINNER: Karan Aujla, Warner
Shubh, Mass Attraction*The Orchard
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Weeknd, XO*Common
ThxSoMch, Elektra*Warner
Stroll off the Earth, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Album of the Yr
Néo-Romance, Alexandra Stréliski, Secret Metropolis*F.A.B.
WINNER: 99 Nights, Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
NEVER ENOUGH, Daniel Caesar, Republic*Common
Mirror, Lauren Spencer Smith, Common
Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, TALK, Capitol*Common
Group of the Yr
Arkells, Arkells Music*Common
Loud Luxurious, Armada*Sony
Nickelback, BMG*Warner/ADA
WINNER: The Seashores, AWAL*Unbiased
Stroll off the Earth, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Breakthrough Artist of the Yr
Connor Value, Unbiased
Karan Aujla, Warner
LU KALA, LVK/Amigo*AWAL
Shubh, Inrependent
WINNER: TALK, Capitol*Common
This text initially appeared in Billboard Canada.
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