Juno Awards to unveil nominees for 50th anniversary show

TORONTO — Nominees for the 50th annual Juno Awards will be revealed this morning.

The annual celebration of Canadian music is set to be held in Toronto this year, marking its golden anniversary in the city where it started.

Some of the music industry’s biggest names could be among the contenders, including the Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Grimes and Jessie Reyez, who all released albums last year.

Other potential nominees could include a flurry of breakout newcomers, among them teen singer Tate McRae, Grammy-nominee JP Saxe and Polaris Music Prize winner Backxwash.

The nominations for the Junos will be announced in a pre-recorded showcase that streams on CBC Gem and cbcmusic.ca/junos.

The 50th Juno Awards will be broadcast on the CBC from Toronto on May 16.

It will take place about a month and a half after Juno organizers originally planned to toast the anniversary. Allan Reid, head of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, has said they hoped pushing the event into late spring would offer more possibilities for outdoor gatherings that still abide by COVID-19 precautions.

However, since the Junos postponement, the City of Toronto has cancelled all city-permitted outdoor events until at least July, raising new questions about how the music event will take shape in the pandemic.

Other changes are being introduced as part of the Junos anniversary, including three new looks for the award statuette inspired by designer Shirley Elford’s human-shaped molten-glass award, first handed out in 2000.

A gold Juno will be given to Juno Award winners, while a silver version is for recipients of a special Juno prize, and a gold and silver variation goes to Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2021.

David Friend, The Canadian Press