The nominees for the 51st Annual JUNO Awards were announced today by TheCanadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) during a virtual presentation streamed on CBCMusic.ca/junos. This year’s winners will be revealed during the closing weekend of JUNO Week, at The JUNO Opening Night Awards Presented by Ontario Creates on Saturday May 14th and The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Sunday, May 15th.
Canada’s biggest night in music, hosted by international sensation Simu Liu, will broadcast and stream live across the country from Budweiser Stage in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.
Montreal-born singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin is this year’s top contender, leading with a total of six nominations including: TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year*, Artist of the Year*, Pop Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year. Justin Bieber and The Weeknd follow with five nominations each, a testament to the continuous global appeal of Canadian talent. Bieber has been nominated for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year*, Artist of the Year* and Pop Album of the Year; while The Weeknd is up for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Artist of the Year*, Songwriter of the Year* and Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year.
First-time nominees recognized with four nominations shine a light on the generation of talent emerging from TikTok, including Vancouver pop songstress JESSIA for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year* and Pop Album of the Year; and rising rapper Pressa for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Breakthrough Artist of the Year*, Rap Album/EP of the Year and Rap Single* of the Year. Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes also takes home four nominations for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year*, Artist of the Year* and Pop Album of the Year. Artists with three nominations include world renowned vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Day Wilsonfor Songwriter of the Year*, Jack Richardson Producer of the Year* and Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year; and conductor and pianist Yannick Nézet-Séguin for Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist), along with two nominations in the Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble) category.
A collection of first-time nominees with two nominations include 347aidan for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice and Breakthrough Artist of the Year*; Allison Russell for Songwriter of the Year* and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year; Black Pistol Fire for Breakthrough Group of the Year* and Rock Album of the Year; Mustafa for Songwriter of the Year* and Alternative Album of the Year*; NorthSideBenji for Rap Album/EP of the Year and Rap Single* of the Year; and husband-wife duo Spiritbox for Breakthrough Group of the Year* and Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.
In response to Canada’s evolving music landscape, CARAS announced the creation of new categoriesthis year. Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year has been split into two awards: Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year* (2022 nominees include Adrian Sutherland, DJ Shub, Jayli Wolf, Shawnee Kish and Snotty Nose Rez Kids) and Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year (Fawn Wood, Joel Wood, Manitou Mkwa Singers II, NIMKII & THE NINIIS and Young Spirit).
Rap Recording of the Year has been broken into two categories: Rap Single* of the Year (anders and FRVRFRIDAY, bbno$, Charmaine, NorthSideBenji & Dj Charlie B and Pressa) and Rap Album/EP of the Year (Belly, Haviah Mighty, NAV, NorthSideBenji and Pressa).
Underground Dance Single of the Year has also been added to the list of categories, with BLOND:ISH, Carlo Lio ft. MC Flipside, HNTR, Jayda G and KOREA TOWN ACID each receiving a nomination.
TikTok returns as a Lead Sponsor of the JUNO Awards, as well as the title sponsor of TikTok JUNO Fan Choice and as the Official Voting Platform, where fans can discover and vote for their favourite nominees directly in-app, as often as they like. TikTok JUNO Fan Choice is the only fan voted award at the JUNOS, chosen by Canadian music fans who can vote as many times as they want. This year’s nominees include 347aidan, bbno$, Charlotte Cardin, Forest Blakk, JESSIA, Pressa, Justin Bieber, Loud Luxury, plus Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd who are nominated in the category for the seventh year in a row.
MusiCounts will recognize one Canadian music educator’s impact not only on students, but also their community and the music education field, through the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, presented by the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation. The 2022 nominees are Jewel Casselman (Lakewood School, Winnipeg, MB), Darren Hamilton (David Suzuki Secondary School, Brampton, ON), Sophie Jalbert (École Roy-Joly, Rivière-du-Loup, QC), Kelly Stronach (Mitchell Woods Public School, Guelph, ON) and Janell Toews (Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy, Canmore, AB).
For a complete list and biographies of all nominees and more information on The 2022 JUNO Awards, please visit junoawards.ca. Rewatch the full 2022 JUNO nominee press conference at CBCMusic.ca/junos.
The 51st Annual JUNO Awards, produced by Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company), will make history on Sunday, May 15 as it broadcasts and streams for the first time from an outdoor venue.
Tickets for The 2022 JUNO Awards start at $39.95 and go on sale Friday, March 4 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available online at www.ticketmaster.ca/junos.
