The 51st annual JUNO Awards will make history on Sunday, May 15, 2022 as it broadcasts and streams for the first time from an outdoor venue at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, live across Canada 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. 

Hosted by Simu Liu, performers include Arcade Fire, Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Charlotte Cardin, and Mustafa.

Photo-Credit-Rosalind-Guder

Deborah Cox will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the first Black woman to receive the national honour. With a career spanning almost three decades, Cox has released six critically-acclaimed albums and has scaled the R&B and pop charts with six Top 20 Billboard Magazine R&B singles and thirteen number one hits on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart. Cox will be performing live at the ceremonies.

 

Acclaimed Inuk singer-songwriter, and three-time JUNO Award winner, Susan Aglukark, will be recognized with the 2022 Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada. Renowned for her unique blend of Inuit folk, country and pop music, Aglukark is being honoured for her long-standing dedication to improving the lives of children and youth in Northern Indigenous communities. In 2012, she started the Arctic Rose Project, which received charitable status in 2016 and became the Arctic Rose Foundation, to support Northern Inuit, First Nations and Metis youth through the creation of Indigenous-led, arts-based after school programs, as well as other engaging cultural and creative projects. Today, the Arctic Rose Foundation operates in three communities across Nunavut.

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 Wilson for 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 categories this 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).

Tickets for The 2022 JUNO Awards start at $39.95 and are on-sale now at  ticketmaster.ca/junos

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.