Shania Twain, the late Gord Downie and Shawn Mendes are among other multiple nominees for Canada’s version of the Grammys.
Indie rockers Arcade Fire and newcomer Jessie Reyez on Tuesday snagged a field-leading four nominations each for the Juno music awards, Canada’s version of the Grammys.
Rising singer-songwriter Reyez pulled in nods in the Juno Fan Choice, breakthrough artist, R&B/soul recording and best video of the year categories. And Montreal’s Arcade Fire grabbed nominations for best single, group, album and alternative album of the year.
The Arkells; Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who died in October 2017; Hedley; and Edmonton singer-songwriter Ruth B nabbed three nods each, while Alessia Cara, Michael Buble, Shania Twain and Shawn Mendes nabbed two noms apiece.
Nominations for the Junos were unveiled during a press conference Tuesday in Toronto. Elsewhere, the best international album of the year competition, driven by domestic retail-sales performance, will be fought out by Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone and Taylor Swift.
The best pop album category has nods for Lights, with Skin & Earth, Hedley’s Cageless, Ria Mae’s My Love, Ruth B’s Safe Haven and Scott Helman and his Hotel De Ville album.
And the best artist of the year competition pits Downie, Daniel Caesar, who made it onto Barack Obama’s list for best music of 2017, and Shania Twain against Ruth B and Lights.
The Juno organizers also announced the best single of the year nominations for Cara with “How Far I’ll Go,” the Arkells with “Knocking at the Door,” The Weeknd with “I Feel It Coming,” Mendes with “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” and Arcade Fire with “Everything Now.”
The best rap recording of the year competition includes nominations for Belly, Clairmont the Second, Maestro Fresh Wes, Troy Lanez and Lou Phelps. Also competing in the breakthrough artist of the year competition are Allan Rayman, Charlotte Cardin, Jesse Reyez, NAV and Virginia to Vegas.
The best group of the year category includes Arcade Fire, Hedley, Alvvays, Broken Social Scene and A Tribe Called Red. And the Fan Choice award, voted on by ordinary Canadians, sees Cara, Arkells, Reyez, Walk Off the Earth, Theory, The Weeknd, Mendes, Shawn Hook and Justin Bieber get nominated.
The Junos, organized by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, will take place in Vancouver on March 25, and will air on the CBC network. Homegrown crooner Michael Buble, who pulled out of the Canadian music awards show last year amid his son’s cancer battle, will return this year to host.