The 50th Annual Juno Awards were recently announced and you readers already know by now just how much we like to share these types of rundowns with our audience. We’ve done this one a few times in the past but since the new readers might be in the unaware, these are honors for the Canadian side of the musical fence. With that being said let’s take a look at the nominees for the 50th Annual Juno Awards. See you at the close.

Artist of the Year:
The Weeknd
Ali Gatie
Céline Dion
Jessie Reyez
Justin Bieber

Group of the Year:
Arkells
Half Moon Run
Loud Luxury
The Glorious Sons
The Reklaws

Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
JP Saxe
Ryland James
Tate McRae
Powfu
Curtis Waters

Breakthrough Group of the Year:
Crown Lands
2Frères
Manila Grey
Peach Pit
Young Bombs

Fan Choice Award:
Justin Bieber
Les Cowboys Fringants
Ali Gatie
Tate McRae
Shawn Mendes
NAV
JP Saxe
Lennon Stella
Curtis Waters
The Weeknd

Songwriter of the Year:
Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville: “After Hours”, “Blinding Lights”, “Save Your Tears”
Alanis Morissette: “Ablaze”, “Reasons I Drink”, “Smiling”
Alessia Cara: “Hell and High Water”, “I Choose”, “Welcome Back”
Jessie Reyez: “Coffin”, “Far Away”, “No One’s in the Room”
JP Saxe: “A Little Bit Yours”, “Golf on TV”, “If the World was Ending”

Producer of the Year:
WondaGurl: “Aim for the Moon” (Pop Smoke feat. Quavo); “Gang Gang” (JackBoys and Sheck Wes)
Akeel Henry: “Rain” (Trey Songz feat. Swae Lee); “Spell My Name” (Toni Braxton)
Jordon Manswell: “Fallin'” (Toni Braxton); “Home” (Dylan Sinclair)
Kaytranada: “10%” (Kaytranada feat. Kali Uchis); “Frontstreet (Freestyle)” (Mick Jenkins)
Murda Beatz: “Motive” (Ariana Grande with Doja Cat); “Say You Love Me” (Chris Brown & Young Thug)

Recording Engineer of the Year:
Serban Ghenea: “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd); “Positions” (Ariana Grande)
George Seara: “Good Love” and “Take Me Home” (Shawn Hook)
Jason Dufour: “All of the Feelings” (Kiesza) and “Whiskey Tonight” (Jade Eagleson)
Johann Deterville: “Home” (Dylan Sinclair) and “La Memoria” (Jessie Reyez)
John “Beetle” Bailey: “The End of a Love Affair” (Micah Barnes) and “The Grand Bazaar” (Sultans of String feat. Béla Fleck and Robi Botos)

Album of the Year:
Justin Bieber, Changes
Leonard Cohen, Thanks for the Dance
Céline Dion, Courage
Ali Gatie, You
The Weeknd, After Hours

Adult Alternative Album of the Year:
Bahamas, Sad Hunk
Begonia, Fear
Basia Bulat, Are You in Love?
Sarah Harmer, Are You Gone
Rufus Wainwright, Unfollow the Rules

Adult Contemporary Album of the Year:
Alanis Morissette, Such Pretty Forks in the Road
Céline Dion, Courage
Pierre Lapointe, Pour déjouer l’ennui
Craig Stickland, Starlit Afternoon
Storry, CH III: The Come Up

Alternative Album of the Year:
July Talk, Pray for It
Dizzy, The Sun and Her Scorch
PUP, This Place Sucks Ass
U.S. Girls, Heavy Light
Curtis Waters, Pity Party

Blues Album of the Year:
Crystal Shawanda, Church House Blues
Rick Fines, Solar Powered Too
Angel Forrest, Hell Bent With Grace
Dione Taylor, Spirits in the Water
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, The Reckless One

Children’s Album of the Year:
Splash’N Boots, Heart Parade
ABC Singsong, Letters and Numbers
Njacko Backo and Kalimbas at Work, J’aime mon école
Ginalina, Small But Mighty
Charlie Hope, Goodnight to you All: Traditional Lullabies from Ireland & the UK

Classical Album of the Year – Solo or Chamber Ensemble:
Ensemble Made in Canada, Mosaïque
James Ehnes, Jon Kimura Parker and Jens Lindemann, Bach & Brahms Reimagined
James Ehnes with Andrew Armstrong, Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 4, 5 & 8
Les Barocudas, La Peste
Quatuor Bozzini, Ana Sokolovi?: Short Stories

Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment:
Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano feat. Andrew Wan, Ginastera – Bernstein – Moussa: Œuvres pour violon et orchestre/Works for Violin and Orchestra
Les Violons du Roy conducted by Jonathan Cohen feat. Charles Richard-Hamelin, Mozart: Concertos pour piano/Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 24
Louis Lortie with BBC Philharmonic conducted by Edward Gardner, Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 5, & Other Works
Laval Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alain Trudel feat. Jean-Philippe Sylvestre, Jacques Hétu: Concertos
Montreal Symphony Orchestra with Kraków Philharmonic Choir and Warsaw Boys’ Choir conducted by Kent Nagano, Penderecki: St. Luke Passion

Classical Album of the Year – Vocal or Choral Performance:
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir with Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, Massenet: Thaïs, Erin Wall, Joshua Hopkins, Andrew Staples
Barbara Hannigan with Ludwig Orchestra, La passione
Karina Gauvin with Pacific Baroque Orchestra conducted by Alexander Weimann, Nuits blanches: Airs d’opéra à la cour de Russie au XVIIe siècle/Opera Arias at the Russian Court of the 18th Century
Luminous Voices conducted by Timothy Shantz, Sea Dreams
Sarah Slean with Symphony Nova Scotia conducted by Bernhard Gueller, Sarah Slean and Symphony Nova Scotia

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year:
Shawna Cain, The Way
Steve Bell, Wouldn’t You Love to Know?
Allen Froese, All Things New
K-Anthony, The Cure
Matt Maher, Alive & Breathing

Country Album of the Year:
Tenille Townes, The Lemonade Stand
Jade Eagleson, Jade Eagleson
Lindsay Ell, Heart Theory
Mackenzie Porter, Drinkin’ Songs: The Collection
Dallas Smith, Timeless

Electronic Album of the Year:
Caribou, Suddenly
Attlas, Lavender God
Bob Moses, Desire
CRi, Juvenile
Jessy Lanza, All the Time

Francophone Album of the Year:
Louis-Jean Cormier, Quand la nuit tombe
2Frères, À tous les vents
Les Cowboys Fringants, Les antipodes
Pierre Lapointe, Pour déjouer l’ennui
Klô Pelgag, Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Indigenous Music Album of the Year:
Leela Gilday, North Star Calling
Burnstick, Kîyânaw
Crystal Shawanda, Church House Blues
Julian Taylor, The Ridge
Terry Uyarak, Nunarjua Isulinginniani

Instrumental Album of the Year:
Blitz//Berlin, Movements III
Bruce Cockburn, Crowing Ignites
David Foster, Eleven Words
Flore Laurentienne, Volume 1
Gordon Grdina, Prior Street

International Album of the Year:
Harry Styles, Fine Line
Luke Combs, What You See Is What You Get
Eminem, Music to Be Murdered By
Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Taylor Swift, Folklore

Jazz Album of the Year – Solo:
Jocelyn Gould, Elegant Traveler
Elmer Ferrer, Básico, No Básico y Dirigido
Junior Santos, Conpambiche
Rachel Therrien, Vena
Andrés Vial, Gang of Three

Jazz Album of the Year – Group:
Andy Milne and Unison, The reMission
Brandi Disterheft Trio with George Coleman, Surfboard
Emie R Roussel Trio, Rythme de passage
Florian Hoefner Trio, First Spring
Pat LaBarbera and Kirk MacDonald, Trane of Thought, Live at the Rex

Vocal Jazz Album of the Year:
Sammy Jackson, With You
Laila Biali, Out of Dust
Sophie Day, Clémence
Matt Dusk, Sinatra
Diana Krall, This Dream of You

Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year:
Unleash the Archers, Abyss
Annihilator, Ballistic, Sadistic
Kataklysm, Unconquered
Protest the Hero, Palimpsest
Vile Creature, Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!

Pop Album of the Year:
Justin Bieber, Changes
Ryland James, Ryland James
Johnny Orlando, It’s Never Really Over
JP Saxe, Hold It Together
Lennon Stella, Three. Two. One.

Rock Album of the Year:
JJ Wilde, Ruthless
Crown Lands, Crown Lands
Sam Roberts Band, All of Us
Silverstein, A Beautiful Place to Drown
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Colorado

Contemporary Roots Album of the Year:
Rose Cousins, Bravado
Leela Gilday, North Star Calling
Tami Neilson, Chickaboom!
William Prince, Reliever
Julian Taylor, The Ridge

Traditional Roots Album of the Year:
Pharis and Jason Romero, Bet on Love
Beòlach, All Hands
Le Diable à Cinq, Debout!
Nick Hornbuckle, 13 or So
Rum Ragged, The Thing About Fish

World Music Album of the Year:
Okan, Espiral
Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra, VelkomBak
Lengaïa Salsa Brava, The Gold Diggers
Mazacote, Patria
Zal Sissokho, Kora Flamenca

Comedy Album of the Year:
Jacob Samuel, Horse Power
Shirley Gnome, Decoxification
Nick Nemeroff, The Pursuit of Comedy Has Ruined My Life
Derek Seguin, PanDerek (1st Wave!)
Matt Wright, Existing Is Exhausting

Single of the Year:
The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Brett Kissel, “Drink About Me”
JP Saxe feat. Julia Michaels, “If the World Was Ending”
Justin Bieber feat. Quavo, “Intentions”
Lennon Stella, “Kissing Other People”

Classical Composition of the Year:
Samy Moussa, “Violin Concerto ‘Adrano'”
Alexina Louie, “Take the Dog Sled”
Ana Sokolovic, “Commedia dell’arte”
Anna Höstman, “Harbour”
Zosha DiCarti, “Tachitipo”

Dance Recording of the Year:
Kaytranada, Bubba
Felix Cartal and Sophie Simmons, MINE
Rezz X Grabbitz, Someone Else
So Sus, Voices
Frank Walker, Dancing in the Dark

Rap Recording of the Year:
Tobi, ELEMENTS Vol. 1
88Glam, New Mania
bbno$ and Yung Gravy, Baby Gravy 2
Eric Reprid, Cold World
NAV, Good Intentions (Brown Boy 2 Deluxe Version)

Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
The Weeknd, After Hours
Jessie Reyez, Before Love Came to Kill Us
Savannah Ré, “Where You Are”
Shay Lia, Solaris
Tobi, Holiday

Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
Savannah Ré, “Solid”
Emanuel, Alt Therapy Session 1: Disillusion
Iamtheliving, “In This Thing Called Life”
Dylan Sinclair, Proverb
Charlotte Day Wilson, “Take Care of You”

Reggae Recording of the Year:
Töme X Sean Kingston, I Pray
Ammoye, Give It All
Blessed, Black Man
Dubmatix, Roots Rock
Kirk Diamond, Let It Be Done

Album Artwork of the Year:
Julien Hébert (art director), David Beauchemin (designer), Florence Obrecht (illustrator) and Marc-Étienne Mongrain (photographer) — Klô Pelgag, Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
Lido Pimienta and Orly Anan (art directors), Mat Dunlap (designer), Daniela Murillo (photographer) — Lido Pimienta, Miss Colombia
Jared Barter (art director and designer), Michael Zavacky (art director and Illustrator), Maryn Devine and Rémi Thériault (photographers) — Lynne Hanson, Just Words
Luke Hoskin (art director), John Meloche (designer), Martin Wittfooth (illustrator) — Protest the Hero, Palimpsest
Peter Dreimanis (art director, designer and photographer), Scott Waring (art director and designer), Leah Fay (designer), Lyle Bell and Ty Snaden (photographers) — July Talk, Pray for It

Video of the Year:
Emma Higgins — Jessie Reyez, “No One’s in the Room”
Ben Knechtel — Scott Helman, “Wait No More”
Brittney Canda and Vincent René-Lortie — Sheenah Ko, “Wrap Me Up”
Les Solis and Peter Huang — Jessie Reyez, “Intruders”
Nick DenBoer — deadmau5 and the Neptunes, “Pomegranate”

*** end of rundown ***

Piercing Ken Thoughts: So as you might expect, I’m mostly only focused on the Rock and Metal categories and I give kudos to the folks behind the Junos as they at least give Metal its own category and nominated some quality artists. I don’t listen to much else these days and especially during the pandemic where I found myself focusing on only that which I enjoy to take my mind away from the disillusion of the day and feeling like each day is a Monday. What did you readers who might be more open think? Are other artists you liked left off the nomination rundown? If so please consider chiming in down below because we’d love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading, I will see you again. Keep safe out there.

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