The nominations for the Canadian Juno Awards were recently revealed and this marks the second straight year that I have included this particular rundown in our context of such reports here on “The Chronicles of Piercing Ken”. While we might be a US based entertainment medium, we’ve long appreciated a number of Canadian artists and gladly help their awards celebrate the best of the best as viewed by their committee. Let’s take a look shall we? Don’t worry, I’ll be returning down at the close with some final opinion.
Artist of the Year:
Shawn Mendes
Bryan Adams
Alessia Cara
Tory Lanez
Jessie Reyez
Group of the Year:
Loud Luxury
88Glam
Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine
The Reklaws
Walk Off the Earth
Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
Lennon Stella
bbno$
Ali Gatie
Alexandra Stréliski
Tenille Townes
Breakthrough Group of the Year:
Neon Dreams
The Blue Stones
Hunter Brothers
Palaye Royale
Valley
Fan Choice Award:
Avril Lavigne
bbno$
Justin Bieber
Alessia Cara
Ali Gatie
Tory Lanez
Loud Luxury
Shawn Mendes
Nav
The Weeknd
Songwriter of the Year:
Alessia Cara – “Growing Pains”, “Out of Love”, “Rooting for You”
Tim Baker – “All Hands”, “Dance”, “The Eighteenth Hole”
Bülow – “Boys Will Be Boys”, “Sweet Little Lies”, “Two Punks in Love”
Tenille Townes – “I Kept the Roses”, “Jersey on the Wall (I’m Just Asking)”, “White Horse”
Patrick Watson – “Broken”, “Dream for Dreaming”, “Here Comes the River”
Producer of the Year:
Ben Kaplan – “Brittle Bones Nicky” (Rare Americans), “It’s Alright” (Mother Mother)
Steve Bays – “Record Shop” (Said the Whale), “Song in My Head” (We Are the City)
Derek Hoffman – “Fear of the Flame” (Logan Staats), “Hide Your Love” (Caveboy)
Jon Levine – “October”, “Rooting for You” (Alessia Cara)
Michael Wise – “Just Friends” (Virginia to Vegas), “Sweet Little Lies” (Bülow)
Recording Engineer of the Year:
John “Beetle” Bailey – “Dividido” (Alex Cuba feat. Silvana Estrada), “Shotgun” (Monkey House)
Jason Dufour – “Push for Yellow”, “There’s Still a Light in the House” (Valley)
Vic Florencia – “Midnight”, “Over Me” (Brooke Palsson)
George Seara – “If I Can’t Have You” (Shawn Mendes), “Incredible” (James TW)
Ryan Worsley – “2 Myself” (Ludic), “Known Better” (Nuela Charles)
Album of the Year:
Alessia Cara, The Pains of Growing
Bryan Adams, Shine a Light
Michael Bublé, Love
Nav, Bad Habits
Alexandra Stréliski, Inscape
Adult Alternative Album of the Year:
Half Moon Run, A Blemish in the Great Light
City and Colour, A Pill for Loneliness
Leonard Cohen, Thanks for the Dance
iskw?, ac?kos?k
Patrick Watson, Wave
Adult Contemporary Album of the Year:
Bryan Adams, Shine a Light
Nuela Charles, Melt
Marc Jordan, Both Sides
Renée Lamoureux, Empower
Lauren Spencer-Smith, Unplugged Vol. 1
Alternative Album of the Year:
PUP, Morbid Stuff
Black Mountain, Destroyer
Foxwarren, Foxwarren
Mac DeMarco, Here Comes the Cowboy
Orville Peck, Pony
Blues Album of the Year:
Dawn Tyler Watson, Mad Love
Michael Jerome Browne, That’s Where It’s At
Durham County Poets, Hand Me Down Blues
Big Dave McLean, Pocket Full of Nothin’
Whitehorse, The Northern South, Vol. 2
Children’s Album of the Year:
Big Block SingSong, Greatest Hits, Vol. 4
GFORCE, It’s GFORCE
Girl Pow-R, This Is Us
Diana Panton, A Cheerful Little Earful
Sharon & Bram, Sharon, Bram & Friends
Classical Album of the Year – Solo or Chamber Ensemble:
Angela Schwarzkopf, Detach
James Ehnes, Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Op. 12
Ensemble Paramirabo, Alone & Unalone
Quatuor Molinari, John Zorn: Cat o’ Nine Tails, The Dead Man, Memento Mori & Kol Nidre
Marina Thibault and Marie-Ève Scarfone, Elles
Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment:
Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano, The John Adams Album
National Arts Centre Orchestra conducted by Alexander Shelley, The Bound of our Dreams
Jan Lisiecki with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Sibelius 1
Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano feat. Charles Richard-Hamelin, Chopin: Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Classical Album of the Year – Vocal or Choral Performance:
Ottawa Bach Choir conducted by Lisette Canton, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schutz: Motets
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir, When There is Peace: An Armistice Oratorio
Gerald Finley, Schubert: Schwanengesang; Brahms: Vier ernste Gesange
Peter Barrett, Martha Guth, Allyson McHardy and Helen Becque, Summer Night
Philippe Sly with Le Chimera Project, Schubert: Winterreise
Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year:
Matt Maher, The Advent of Christmas
Dan Bremnes, Wherever I Go
Brian Doerksen, The Heart of Christmas
Fresh I.E., Ill Street Blues
Brooke Nicholls, Pursue
Country Album of the Year:
Meghan Patrick, Wild As Me
Dean Brody, Black Sheep
Aaron Goodvin, V
Hunter Brothers, State of Mind
Dallas Smith, The Fall
Electronic Album of the Year:
Rezz, Beyond the Senses
Bob Moses, Battle Lines
Electric Youth, Memory Emotion
Jacques Greene, Dawn Chorus
Keys N Krates, A Beat Tape for Your Friends
Country Album of the Year:
Meghan Patrick, Wild As Me
Dean Brody, Black Sheep
Aaron Goodvin, V
Hunter Brothers, State of Mind
Dallas Smith, The Fall
Electronic Album of the Year:
Rezz, Beyond the Senses
Bob Moses, Battle Lines
Electric Youth, Memory Emotion
Jacques Greene, Dawn Chorus
Keys N Krates, A Beat Tape for Your Friends
Francophone Album of the Year:
Les Louanges, La nuit est une panthère
Koriass, La nuit des longs couteaux
Jean Leloup, L’Étrange pays
Loud, Tout ça pour ça
Fred Pellerin, Après
Indigenous Music Album of the Year:
Celeigh Cardinal, Stories from a Downtown Apartment
Digawolf, Yellowstone
nêhiyawak, Nipiy
Northern Haze, Siqinnaarut
Riit, ataataga
Instrumental Album of the Year:
Alexandra Stréliski, Inscape
Kevin Hearn, Calm and Cents
Bill McBirnie and Bernie Senesky, The Silent Wish
Ron Davis’ Symphronica, Symphronica Upfront
Tanya Tagaq, Toothsayer
International Album of the Year:
Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next
Khalid, Free Spirit
Post Malone, Hollywood’s Bleeding
Ed Sheeran, No.6 Collaborations Project
Jazz Album of the Year – Solo:
Jacques Kuba Seguin, Migrations
The Mark Kelso Jazz Project, The Chronicles of Fezziwig
Joel Miller, Unstoppable
Ted Quinlan, Absolutely Dreaming
John Stetch, Black Sea Suite
Jazz Album of the Year – Group:
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop, Abundance
Al Muirhead’s Canadian Quintet, Undertones
Brad Turner Quartet, Jump Up
Dave Young Trio, Trouble in Mind
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, On Firm Ground / Tierra firme
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year:
Dominique Fils-Aimé, Stay Tuned!
Jazz Affair, Wishes
Monkey House, Friday
Elizabeth Shepherd, Montreal
Bria Skonberg, Nothing Never Happens
Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year:
Striker, Play to Win
The Agonist, Orphans
Kobra and the Lotus, Evolution
Lindsay Schoolcraft, Martyr
Single Mothers, Through a Wall
Pop Album of the Year:
Alessia Cara, The Pains of Growing
Bülow, Crystalline
Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, 8:47
Avril Lavigne, Head Above Water
Walk Off the Earth, Here We Go!
Rock Album of the Year:
The Glorious Sons, A War on Everything
Big Wreck, ..but for the sun
The Dirty Nil, Master Volume
Headstones, Peopleskills
Sum 41, Order in Decline
Contemporary Roots Album of the Year:
Lee Harvey Osmond, Mohawk
Del Barber, Easy Keeper
Irish Mythen, Little Bones
Catherine MacLellan, Coyote
Justin Rutledge, Passages
Traditional Roots Album of the Year:
The Dead South, Sugar & Joy
Natalie MacMaster, Sketches
Miranda Mulholland, By Appointment or Chance
The Small Glories, Assiniboine and the Red
April Verch, Once a Day
World Music Album of the Year:
Djely Tapa, Barokan
Romina Di Gasbarro, Risorgimento
Okan, Sombras
Okavango African Orchestra, Africa Without Borders
Silla + Rise, Galactic Gala
Comedy Album of the Year:
Blue ribbon Sophie Buddle, Lil Bit of Buddle
Jarrett Campbell, Straight White Fail
Adam Christie, General Anxiety Disorder
Monty Scott, The Abyss Stares Back
Steph Tolev, I’m Not Well
Single of the Year:
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, “Señorita”
Bülow, “Sweet Little Lies”
Alessia Cara, “Out of Love”
Scott Helman, “Hang Ups”
Lennon Stella, “La Di Da”
Classical Composition of the Year:
Ana Sokolovic, “Evta”
Rose Bolton, “The Coming of Sobs”
Vincent Ho, “Kickin’ It 2.0”
Jared Miller, “Under Sea, Above Sky”
Bekah Simms, “Everything Is…Distorted”
Dance Recording of the Year:
Felix Cartal and Lights, “Love Me”
Loud Luxury and Bryce Vine, “I’m Not Alright”
Ralph, “Gravity”
Sultan & Shepard feat. Showtek, “We Found Love”
Frank Walker feat. Astrid S, “Only When It Rains”
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
Jessie Reyez, Tory Lanez and Tainy, “Feel It Too”
Amaal, “Black Dove”
Daniel Caesar, “Case Study 01”
Tanika Charles, “The Gumption”
Tory Lanez, Chixtape 5
Rap Recording of the Year:
Tory Lanez, Freaky
88Glam, 88GLAM2
Classified, Tomorrow Could Be the Day Things Change
Killy, Light Path 8
Nav, Bad Habits
Reggae Recording of the Year:
Lyndon John X, The Warning Track
Jay Douglas, “Jah Children”
Exco Levi, “Wah Gwaan”
Petraa, “Never Broken”
Storry, “Another Man”
Album Artwork of the Year:
Chad Moldenhauer (art director), Ian Clarke (designer), Warren Clark and Lance Inkwell (illustrators) – Kristofer Maddigan, Selections from Cuphead
Kevin Hearn (art director), Antoine Moonen (designer), Lauchie Reed and Harland Williams (illustrators) – Kevin Hearn and Friends, The Superhero Suite
Kris Knight (art director & designer), Jason Sniderman (art director), James Mejia (designer), Chris Peters (illustrator), Stefanie Schneider (photographer) – Ensign Broderick, Bloodcrush/Bloodmyth
Sean Brown and Keavan Yazdani (art directors) – Daniel Caesar, Case Study 01
Terri Fidelak (art director, designer, & illustrator), Carey Shaw (photographer) – Belle Plaine, Malice, Mercy, Grief & Wrath
Video of the Year:
Sarah Legault – “Little Star” (iskw?)
Caraz – “Bun Dem” (Sarahmée)
Johnny Jansen – “Record Shop” (Said the Whale)
Le GED – “Back Off” (Laurence Nerbonne)
Jonathan Robert – “Topographe” (Corridor)
Piercing Ken Thoughts: So there you have it. Are any of your favorite artists listed in the rundown of nominations? If you feel something that you were enjoying was left out, I’d love for you to chime in down below in the comments section and line it out. It lets me know you are out there and seeing these kinds of reports. As you all most likely know, I focus on the harder side of music and will be editing this list considerably for a post over on the PiercingMetal.com website. I’ll be back to this particular topic when the winners are announced so stay tuned for that while the other efforts to entertain you keep on coming. See you again soon and thanks for being a reader to this website. I think we have an exciting year to enjoy together.
Official Website: https://junoawards.ca/