It was only a few short months ago when I told the readership about my adding the Juno Awards to my context of related narratives here on “The Chronicles” of Piercing Ken and when last we met I had lined out all of the nominations for these Canadian Music Awards. The winners have recently been revealed and to keep it easier to digest, I have left the nominated in the rundown so you can see who beat who. Let’s take a look.

JUNO Fan Choice Award:
WINNER – Avril Lavigne (BMG*ADA)
Alessia Cara (Universal)
Bulow (Universal)
Elijah Woods, Jamie Fine (Big Machine/Universal)
Killy (Secret Sound Club, Independent)
Loud Luxury (Armada Music B.V. Sony NAV XO Universal)
Shawn Mendes (Universal)
The Weeknd (Universal)
Tory Lanez (Interscope, Universal)

Single of the Year:
WINNER – “In My Blood” Shawn Mendes (Universal)
“Growing Pains” Alessia Cara (Universal)
“Not A Love Song” Bulow (Universal)
“Body” Loud Luxury” (Armada Music B.V. Sony)
“Pray For Me” The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg Ent Universal)

International Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Beerbongs & Bentleys” Post Malone (Universal)
“Camila” Camila Cabello (Sony)
“Invasion of Privacy” Cardi B (Atlantic Warner)
“Red Pill Blues” Maroon 5 (Universal)
“Astroworld” Travis Scott (Sony)

Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Shawn Mendes” Shawn Mendes (Universal)
“My Dear Melancholy”, The Weeknd (Universal)
“Darlene”, Hubert Lenoir (Simone Select)
“These Are the Days” Jann Arden, (Universal)
“Outsider” Three Days Grace (RCA Sony)

Artist of the Year:
WINNER – Shawn Mendes (Universal)
Alessia Cara (Universa)
Michael Bublee (Warner)
The Weeknd (Universal)
Tory Lanez (Interscope Universal)

Group of the Year:
WINNER – Arkells (Universal)
Chromeo (Last Gang Entertainment One)
Metric (Metric Music Universal)
The Sheepdogs (Warner)
Three Days Grace (RCA Sony)

Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
WINNER – Bulow (Universal)
Grandson (Warner)
Johnny Orlando (Universal)
Killy (Secret Sound Club Independent)
Meghan Patrick (Warner)

Breakthrough Group of the Year:
WINNER – The Washboard Union (Warner)
88Glam (XO Universal)
Dizzy (Royal Mountain Universal)
Elijah Woods, Jamie Fine (Big Machine/Universal)
Loud Luxury (Armada Music B.V. Sony)

Songwriter of the Year:
WINNER – Shawn Mendes, “Lost In Japan”
Afie Jurvanen, “No Wrong,” “Way With Words,” “Any Place”
Donovan Woods, “Our Friend Bobby,” “Truck Full of Money,” “Next Year”
Frank Dukes, “Be Careful”
Jessie Reyez, “Promises”

Country Album of the Year:
WINNER – “We Were That Song” Brett Kissel (Warner)
“A Small Town Christmas” Jess Moskaluke (MDM Universal)
“Country Music Made Me Do It” Meghan Patrick (Warner)
“Feels Like That” The Reklaws (Universal)
“New Tattoo” Tim Hicks (Open Road Universal)

Adult Alternative Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Earthtones” Bahamas (Universal)
“More Or Less” Dan Mangan (Arts & Crafts Universal)
“Gabrielle Shonk” Gabrielle Shonk (Universal)
“Blood” Rhye (Last Gang, eOne)
“Queens Of The Breakers” The Barr Brothers (Secret City Cadence)

Alternative Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Baby Teeth” Dizzy Royal (Mountain Universal)
“Ken” Destroyer (Merge F.A.B./Merge)
“Dose Your Dreams” Fucked Up (Arts & Crafts Universal)
“TPC” Tokyo Police Club (Dine Alone Universal)
“In A Poem Unlimited” U.S. Girls (Royal Mountain Universal)

Pop Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Shawn Mendes” Shawn Mendes (Universal)
“Damaged” Bulow (Universal)
“Head Over Heels” Chromeo (Last Gang eOne)
“Darlene” Hubert Lenoir (Simone Select)
“Intuition” Tyler Shaw (Sony)

Rock Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Rally Cry” Arkells (Arkells Universal)
“True Rockers” Monster Truck (Dine Alone Universal)
“Changing Colours” The Sheepdogs (Warner)
“Civilianaires” The Trews (Cadence Universal)
“Outsider” Three Days Grace (RCA Sony)

Vocal Jazz Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Laila Biali” Laila Biali (Chronograph Fontana North/Universal)
“Sun Songs” Jodi Proznick ft. Laila Biali (Cellar Live MVD)
“Love Is Here To Stay” Diana Krall, Tony Bennett (Universal)
“Solstice/equinox” Diana Panton (Independent Independent)
“Holly” Holly Cole (Universal)

Jazz Album of the Year: Solo:
WINNER – “Old Soul” Robi Botos (A440 Universal)
“Sandstorm” Alexis Baro (G-THREE Independent)
“So Here We Are” Alison Young (Triplet Independent/The Orchard)
“In the Moment” Larnell Lewis (Independent)
“Beloved of the Sky” Renee Rosnes (Smoke Sessions Sony)

Jazz Album of the Year: Group:
WINNER – “The Seasons of Being” Andy Milne & Dapp Theory (Sunnyside AMPED/AEC/eOne)
“Wander Wonder” Allison Au Quartet (Independent)
“Atwood Suites” Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble (Origin City Hall/The Orchard)
“Live at U of T” Liebman/Murley Quartet (Independent)
“Path of Totality” Quinsin Nachoff’s Flux (WhirlwindProper Music/Red Eye)

Instrumental Album of the Year:
WINNER – “China Cloud” Gordon Grdina (Madic Independent/Universal)
“Group Manoeuvre” Aerialists (Fiddlehead Independent)
“Johnny Goldtooth and The Chevy Casanovas” Kevin Breit (Stony Plain Warner)
“Live from the Art Farm” The Fretless (Independent)
“The Space Between Us” Toninato/ Thiessen (Ambiances Magnetiques Independent)

Francophone Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Une annee record” Loud (Joy Ride Universal)
“en cas de tempete, ce jardin sera ferme?” Cœur de pirate (Dare To Care Select/Believe)
“Darlene” Hubert Lenoir (Simone Select)
“Le silence des troupeaux” Philippe Brach (Spectra Select)
“Desherbage” Tire le coyote (Les disques de La Tribu Select)

Children’s Album of the Year:
WINNER – “You, Me and the Sea” Splash’N Boots (Independent Fontana North/Universal)
“Let’s Go Bananas” Beppie (Independent)
“It Takes a Village” Ginalina (Independent)
“Dog on the Floor” Raffi (Troubadour Universal)
“It’s Cool To Be Kind” Sonshine and Broccoli (Independent)

Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber:
WINNER – “The End of Flowers: Works by Clarke & Ravel” Gryphon Trio (Analekta Select/The Orchard)
“Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 & 8 Andrew Wan”, Charles Richard-Hamelin (Analekta Select/The Orchard)
“Scarlatti: Sonatas Vol.2” Angela Hewitt (Hyperion Sony)
“Ravel & Debussy: Sonates” Blake Pouliot, with Hsin-I Huang (Analekta Select/The Orchard)
“Schubert: Piano Sonata in B Flat Major D.960; Four Impromptus D.935” Marc-Andre? Hamelin (Hyperion Sony)

Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble:
WINNER – Vaughan Williams Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Chandos Naxos)
New Worlds/Nouveaux Mondes Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (Analekta Select/The Orchard)
Newton Howard & Kernis: Violin Concertos; Tovey: Stream of Limelight James Ehnes, with Seattle Symphony and Detroit Symphony Orchestra (OnyxHM)
Saint-Saens: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 4 Louis Lortie, with BBC Philharmonic (Chandos Naxos)
Into the Wonder Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, with Gryphon Trio (Analekta)

Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance:
WINNER – Vienna: Fin de siècle, Barbara Hannigan (Alpha Naxos)
Bernstein: A Quiet Place, Choeur de l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal (Universal)
David Braid: Corona Divinae Misericordiae, Elmer Iseler Singers (K52 Independent)
Echo Joyce, El-Khoury (Opera Rara Warner)
Ayre: Live, Miriam Khalil (Against the Grain Records Independent)

Classical Composition of the Year:
WINNER – “Golden Slumbers Kiss your Eyes”, Ana Sokolovic (Analekta Select/The Orchard)
“Granitic” Bekah Simms (Centrediscs Naxos)
“About Bach” Cassandra Miller (Another Timbre Independent)
“Katana of Choice” Nicole Lizee, (Redshift Canadian Music Centre)
“Arctic Symphony” Vincent Ho (Centrediscs Naxos)

Rap Recording of the Year:
WINNER – “LoVE me Now” Tory Lanez (Interscope Universal)
“88Glam Reloaded” 88Glam (XO Universal)
“Immigrant” Belly (Roc Nation Universal)
“Surrender Your Soul” Killy (Secret Sound Club Independent)
“Reckless” NAV (XO Universal)

Dance Recording of the Year:
WINNER – “Body” Loud Luxury (Armada Music B.V Sony)
“Gotasoul” Azari (Get Physical Indeependant/Zebralution)
“Jackie Chan” (ft. Preme & Post Malone) Dzeko & Tie?sto (Universal)
“Avatar Beach” Jacques Greene (Arts & Crafts Universal)
“Cura” Keys N Krates (Keys N Krates Dim Mak)

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
WINNER – “Being Human In Public” Jessie Reyez (Universal)
“Twos” Anders (Independent)
“Pain & Pleasure” Black Atlass (XO Universal)
“Stone Woman” Charlotte Day Wilson (Charlotte Day Wilson eOne)
“My Dear Melancholy”, The Weeknd (The Weeknd XO Universal)

Reggae Recording of the Year:
WINNER – “Sly & Robbie meet Dubmatix” – Overdubbed (Dubmatix Echo Beach*Fontana North/Universal/The Orchard)
“Money Don’t Grow Pon Trees” Blessed (Walshy Fire & The Expanders Independent/Zojak)
“Genesis” Chelsea Stewart (Baby Momma Independent)
“Narrative” Exco Levi (Sillywalks and Irie Vibrations Warner)
“Talk Or No Talk” Kafinal ft. Queen Ifrica (Sing N Act Ent Independent)

Indigenous Music Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa” Jeremy Dutcher (Independent Fontana North/Universal)
“The Ballad of the Runaway Girl” Elisapie (Bonsound Sony)
“Standing in the Light” Leonard Sumner (Broken Reel Independent)
“Nitisanak” – Brothers and Sister Northern Cree (Canyon Outside/A-Train)
“The Average Savage” Snotty Nose (Rez Kids RPM Independent)

Contemporary Roots Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Both Ways” Donovan Woods (Meant Well Fontana North/Universal Grenades Kaia Kater Acronym Universal)
“In Our Time” AHI (Thirty Tigers/22nd Sentry Sony)
“Seeker” Megan Nash (Acronym Universal)
“Yarrow” The Deep Dark Woods (Six Shooter Universal)

Traditional Roots Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Sweet Old Religion” Pharis and Jason Romero (Borealis Fontana North/Universal/Free Dirt)
“The Broken Heart of Everything” David Francey (Independent)
“Queen City Jubilee” The Slocan Ramblers (SloMusic Independent)
“Fifteen” The Wailin’ Jennys (True North Records)
“Horizons” Vishten (Independent Select)

Blues Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Miles To Go” Colin James (True North IDLA/Universal)
“Checkmate” Jack de Keyzer (blue star Independent)
“Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues” Myles Goodwyn (Linus IDLA/Universal)
“Run To Me” Samantha Martin, Delta Sugar (Gypsy Soul Fontana North/Universal)
“The Ice Queen” Sue Foley (Stony Plain Warner)

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Tired Of Basic” Lovecollide (ABS Entertainment The Fuel Music)
“Grateful” Brian Doerksen (Doerksen Music Parasource/The Orchard)
“Into the Wild” Manic Drive (Independent)
“The Buffalo Roadshow” Tim Neufeld & The Glory Boys (Independent)
“Speak” Warren Dean Flandez (Studio Cloud 30 Independent)

World Music Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Rapadou” Kreyol Wesli (WUP Select)
“Zoubida” Ayrad (Les Faux-Monnayeurs Select)
“San Cristobal” Baile Inn Boogat (Maisonnette*Outside/ Believe Digital)
“Naath Emmanuel” Jal and Nyaruach (Gatwitch The Orchard)
“Fuerza Arara” Telmary y Habana Sana (Producciones Colibri Altafonte)

Jack Richardson Producer of the Year:
WINNER – Eric Ratz,” People’s Champ,” “Relentless”
David Foster and Michael Buble, “My Funny Valentine,” “Where or When”
Greg Wells, “Waving Through a Window”
Mike Wise, “Not A Love Song,” “Two Punks In Love”
Thomas D’Arcy, “I’ve Got A Hole Where My Heart Should Be”

Recording Engineer of the Year:
WINNER – Shawn Everett, “Slow Burn,” “Space Cowboy”
Ben Kaplan, “Get Up,” “It’s Alright”
Jason Dufour, “Truck Full Of Money”
Robbie Lackritz, “No Wrong,” “Way With Words”
Steve Bays, “Flashes”

Album Artwork of the Year:
WINNER – Mike Milosh (Art Director, Designer, Illustrator, & Photographer) Blood
Gareth Auden-Hole (Art Director), Emil Mateja (Illustrator) Left to Our Own Devices
Geordan Moore (Art Director, Designer, & Illustrator) Crossworlds
Michael DeAngelis (Art Director & Designer), Rally Cry
Simon Dupuis (Art Director, Designer, Illustrator, & Photographer) Viens Avec Moi

Video of the Year:
WINNER – “No Depression” Ali Eisner Bahamas (Universal)
“Places” Andrew De Zen Alaskan Tapes (Independent)
“Powerless” Andrew Hines Classified (Half Life Universal)
“Hang Ups” Ben Knechtel Scott Helman (Warner)
“Have A Nice Day” Peter Huang SonReal (Black Box Universal)

Electronic Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Deception Bay” Milk & Bone (Bonsound Sony)
“Crystal Eyes” Ekali (OWSLA/Atlantic Warner)
“Next Season” Felix Cartal (Physical Presents Fontana North/Universal)
“Give It a Rest” iamhill (Independent)
“Certain Kind of Magic” Rezz (mau5trap Kobalt)

Heavy Metal Album of the Year:
WINNER – “The Wake” Voivod (Century Media Sony)
“Algorythm” Beyond Creation (Season of Mist The Orchard)
“The Spark” That Moves Cancer Bats (New Damage Universal)
“Loved” KEN Mode (New Damage Universal)
“Prevail II” Kobra And The Lotus (Napalm Records Sony)

Adult Contemporary Album of the Year:
WINNER – “Love” Michael Buble (Warner)
“These Are The Days” Jann Arden (Universal)
“Meaning To Tell Ya” Molly Johnson (Universal)
“Distant Danger” Nuela Charles (Independent)
“A Whitehorse Winter Classic” Whitehorse (Six Shooter Universal)

Comedy Album:
WINNER – “Good Friend Bad Grammar” Dave Merheje (Macaw Independent)
“The Chanty Show” Chanty Marostica (Independent)
“Lady Jazz” Debra DiGiovanni (Aspecialthing House Arrest)
“Awkwarder” Mayce Galoni (Comedy Dynamics Independent Chicken! Pat Thornton Independent)

*** end of rundown ***

Piercing Ken Thoughts: As I’ve already pointed out, I didn’t know all that many of the artists being honored with the Juno Award outside of a few of the Rock and Metal artists. I should probably dissect this summary and feature those winners over on PiercingMetal.com after this post goes live. It never hurts to help laud some achievements after all and is a nice bit of content that lots of the other sites of that kind tend to bypass. What did you readers and fans of Canadian artists think about these winners? Are you pleased about this or did you feel that a favorite was cheated of the honor? If you’ve more to add on this topic please feel free to chime in down in the comments section since its always great to have reader input. See you next time with something else we find newsworthy. Thanks for reading.

Official Website: https://junoawards.ca/