(Originally published on angelamclean.ca)
Once a year, The JUNO Awards bring a star-studded spectacle to one lucky Canadian city. This past weekend (March 15), it was Hamilton, Ontario that saw artists such as Shawn Mendes, MAGIC!, The Weeknd and Kiesza take the stage at FirstOntario Centre to crown a new batch of Canadian talent and entertain the crowd with amazing performances. Although many of the awards were handed out in advance at The JUNO Gala Dinner and Awards, the main show was not one to be missed!
This year’s JUNO host Jacob Hoggard opened the show with his Hedley bandmates performing their hit single, “Anything”. The performance, complete with pyrotechnics, was so hot it actually set off the venue’s fire alarm!
Hometown heroes the Arkells picked up the first award of the night for Rock Album of the Year (‘High Noon’). In their acceptance speech, the guys gave shoutouts to some local venues, including McMaster University and Casbah, for housing their first ever performances. Later in the show, the Arkells, who also won Group of the Year, returned to the stage for an awesome performance of their song “Come To Light” with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.
MAGIC!, who quickly became an international success in 2014 thanks to their catchy single “Rude”, also graced the JUNOs stage to perform “Rude” and their new single “No Way No”. The guys were winners in every way possible, putting on a great performance and taking home awards for Single of the Year (“Rude”) and Breakthrough Group of the Year.
The night’s biggest winner was Calgary-native Kiesza, who picked up awards for Dance Recording of the Year (‘Sound of a Woman’), Video of the Year (“Hideaway”) and Breakthrough Artist of the Year – an incredible trifecta! During the show, Kiesza performed the title track from her debut album, “Sound of a Woman”, on a grand piano before breaking out into her infectious hit “Hideaway”.
My favourite performance of the night was from The Weeknd who wowed the crowd with a performance of his mega-hit “Earned It” off the 50 SHADES OF GRAY soundtrack. He has an incredible voice and the dimly-lit stage illuminated by a chandelier really intensified the captivating aura of the performance. The Weeknd was honoured by the JUNOs with R&B/Soul Recording of the Year (“Often”) and Artist of the Year wins.
New Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Alanis Morissette closed the show celebrating the 20th anniversary of her album ‘Jagged Little Pill’ with a medley of songs including “Uninvited” and, appropriately, “Thank You”. Accepting the special award, she thanked her country, saying, “I love you, and I thank you, and I thank all people who have supported me in Canada for many decades.”
In addition to the big award show, there were several JUNO Week events that allowed fans to get up close and personal with their favourite artists. One of these events was JUNO Fan Fare, which was held March 14 at Hamilton’s Limeridge Mall. There was something for everyone – heartthrob Shawn Mendes had teenagers crying, bands Arkells and Sam Roberts Band drew plenty of screams and country songstress Kira Isabella had people shaking it when she did a special performance of her new single “Shake It If Ya Got It” before her meet and greet. The event was hosted by MUCH’s Liz Trinnear and E!’s Tyrone T-rex Edwards.
For me, the whole weekend was a blast! I attended JUNO Fan Fare, the JUNOs red carpet and the main event! Check out some snaps I got with the performers, presenters and nominees.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! The 2016 JUNO Awards will be held in Calgary, Alberta and I am so excited to see what’s in store!
Complete list of winners, including those from Saturday’s Gala:
JUNO Fan Choice Award: Michael Buble.
Single of the Year: Rude, MAGIC!
Album of the Year: Popular Problems, Leonard Cohen.
Artist of the Year: The Weeknd.
Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Kiesza.
Rock Album of the Year: High Noon, Arkells.
International Album of the Year: In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith.
Group of the Year: Arkells.
Breakthrough Group of the Year: MAGIC!
Songwriter of the Year: Bahamas.
Country Album of the Year: Lifted, Dallas Smith.
Adult Alternative Album of the Year: Bahamas is Afie, Bahamas.
Alternative Album of the Year: July Talk, July Talk.
Pop Album of the Year: Little Machines, Lights.
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year: Red, Diana Panton.
Jazz Album of the Year (Solo): Vista Obscura, Kirk MacDonald.
Jazz Album of the Year (Group): Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque.
Instrumental Album of the Year: Encuentro, Quartango.
Francophone Album of the Year: Maladie d’amour, Jimmy Hunt.
Children’s Album of the Year: Where in the World, Fred Penner.
Classical Album of the Year (Solo or Chamber Ensemble): Bartok: Chamber Works for Violin Vol. 3, James Ehnes.
Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble or Soloist with Large Ensemble Accompaniment): Schubert: Winterreise, Gerald Finley and Julius Drake.
Classical Composition of the Year: Airline Icarus, Brian Current.
Rap Recording of the Year: The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers, Naturally Born Strangers.
Dance Recording of the Year: Sound of a Woman, Kiesza.
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year: Often, The Weeknd.
Reggae Recording of the Year: Welcome the King, Exco Levi.
Aboriginal Album of the Year: Animism, Tanya Tagaq.
Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Solo): The Raven’s Sun, Catherine MacLellan.
Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group): Let it Lie, The Bros. Landreth.
Blues Album of the Year: Solo Recordings, Vol. 2, Steve Hill.
Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year: VIP, Manic Drive.
World Music Album of the Year: 500 Years of Night, Quique Escamilla.
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year: Adam Messinger.
Recording Engineer of the Year: Eric Ratz.
Recording Package of the Year: Roberta Hansen (art director/designer/illustrator), Mike Latschislaw (photographer), Pilgrimage, Steve Bell.
Video of the Year: Hideaway, Kiesza.
Electronic Album of the Year: Our Love, Caribou.
Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year: Z(squared), Devin Townsend Project.
Adult Contemporary Album of the Year: Shine On, Sarah McLachlan.
