The Juno Award for Artist of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to the best individual musician in Canada. The five nominees in the category are decided through a combination of sales and CARAS member voting, and the recipient is chosen from among these nominees by member voting. [1]
Prior to 2003, male and female artists were nominated and awarded in separate categories. The award was also known as Best Male Artist and Best Female Artist (2000–2002), Best Male Vocalist and Best Female Vocalist (1970–1974, 1999), and Male Vocalist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year (1975–1998).
With nine wins and 20 nominations, Nova Scotian singer Anne Murray is both the most awarded and most nominated artist in this category, and was also nominated for a record twelve years in a row, from 1979 to 1991 (excluding 1988, when no ceremony was held). Rock musician Bryan Adams is the winningest male in the category, with seven wins, including a record five wins in a row from 1983 to 1987. Neil Young is the most nominated male with 14 total nominations, and is also remarkable for the 32 years between his first nomination in 1979 and his most recent win in 2011.
Maestro Fresh-Wes was the first hip-hop/rap artist to be nominated for the award in 1992, and deadmau5 was the first electronica artist to be nominated in 2012.
In 1972 and 1973 only, awards were given for Outstanding Performance of the Year – Female and Outstanding Performance of the Year – Male in addition to those for Best Male Vocalist and Best Female Vocalist.
Year | Outstanding Performance of the Year – Male | Outstanding Performance of the Year – Female | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Joey Gregorash | Ginette Reno | [2] [3] |
1973 | Bob McBride | Ginette Reno | [4] [5] |
Year | Best Male Vocalist | Best Female Vocalist | Refs. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | Nominees | Winner | Nominees | ||
1999 | Jim Cuddy | Celine Dion | [62] [63] |
Year | Best Male Artist | Best Female Artist | Refs. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | Nominees | Winner | Nominees | ||
2000 | Bryan Adams | Chantal Kreviazuk | [64] [65] | ||
2001 | Neil Young | Jann Arden | [66] [67] |
Year | Best Artist | Nominees | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Diana Krall | [68] |
Year | Artist of the Year | Nominees | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Shania Twain | [69] | |
2004 | Sam Roberts | [70] | |
2005 | Avril Lavigne | [71] | |
2006 | Michael Bublé | [69] | |
2007 | Nelly Furtado | [72] | |
2008 | Feist | [73] | |
2009 | Sam Roberts | [74] | |
2010 | K'naan | [75] | |
2011 | Neil Young | [76] | |
2012 | Feist | [77] | |
2013 | Leonard Cohen | [78] | |
2014 | Serena Ryder | [79] | |
2015 | The Weeknd | [80] | |
2016 | The Weeknd | [81] | |
2017 | Leonard Cohen | [82] | |
2018 | Gord Downie | [83] | |
2019 | Shawn Mendes | [84] | |
2020 | Shawn Mendes | [85] | |
2021 | The Weeknd | [86] | |
2022 | Charlotte Cardin | [87] | |
2023 | The Weeknd | [88] | |
2024 | TBA | [89] |
The Juno Awards, or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. They were originally called the Gold Leaf Awards, and the trophy resembled a metronome. Alongside the Canadian Screen Awards, they are considered one of the main annual Canadian entertainment award shows. The first Juno Awards ceremony was held on February 23, 1970 to honor the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1969. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame are also inducted as part of the awards ceremonies.
The Juno Award for Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album released in Canada. It has been awarded since 1975, though it was the award for Best Selling Album from 1975 to 1979. From 1999 to 2002, it was awarded under the name of Best Album. The award goes to the artist.
The Juno Award for Group of the Year has been awarded annually since 1970 in recognition of the best musical group or band in Canada. It is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The five nominees in the category are decided through a combination of sales and CARAS member voting, and the recipient is chosen from among these nominees by member voting.
The Juno Fan Choice Award is an annual Juno Award presented since 2003 by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to the favourite artist or group of the year as voted by Canadian music fans. This is the only award that the winner is chosen by the fans. The nominees in the category are determined by sales, and the winner is chosen from among these nominees by an online vote open to the general public. From 2003 to 2011, the list of nominees was limited to five artists or groups, but it was expanded to ten in 2012.
The Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year is an annual award given by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to the best new musician in Canada. The award has been given since 1974, when it was originally divided into separate awards for men and women under the names Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year and Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year. These two awards were merged in 1994 into Best New Solo Artist, which was then changed to New Artist of the Year in 2003, and finally changed to its current title beginning in 2013. The award was customarily presented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to the best new musical group in Canada. The award has been given annually since 1974, and was previously called Most Promising Group of the Year (1974–1993), Best New Group (1994–2002), and New Group of the Year (2003–2012). The award was customarily presented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Jesse Arnaud Cook is a Canadian guitarist. He is a Juno Award winner, Acoustic Guitar Player's Choice Award silver winner in the Flamenco Category, and a three-time winner of the Canadian Smooth Jazz award for Guitarist of the Year. He has recorded on the EMI, E1 Music and Narada labels and has sold over 1.5 million records worldwide.
Ginette Reno is a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician.
The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording (1994–2002), Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2003–2009), and Aboriginal Album of the Year (2010–2016). Indigenous artists are not excluded from consideration in other genre or general interest categories; in fact, some indigenous musicians, most notably The Halluci Nation, have actively chosen not to submit their music in the indigenous category at all, instead pursuing nomination only in the more general categories.
The Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for the best French-language album in Canada. Wanting to add a more inclusive Canadian content to the Award show, Isba Music's Larry Mancini lobbied CARAS to add this award to its roster. It was awarded as the Best Selling Francophone Album, based entirely on album sales, but is now chosen by a jury vote.
The Juno Award for "Country Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best country music artist in Canada. A number of previous award categories have been combined under this name, including "Best Country Male Artist", "Best Country Female Artist" and "Country Group or Duo of the Year".
The Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the alternative rock and/or indie rock genres. The award was first presented in 1995 under the name Best Alternative Album, and adopted its current name in 2003.
"A Criminal Mind" is a song by Scottish-born Canadian artist Lawrence Gowan. Released in January 1985 as the lead single from second studio album, Strange Animal, it reached number five in Canada. Gowan refers to it as one of his signature songs.
Francis Martin Lavergne is a Canadian musician and author. He has recorded and performed under the stage names Francis Martin and, as of 2011, Kaya; under the latter name and as James K. Field, he has also published several works of spiritual literature.
The Juno Award for Heavy Metal Album of the Year is an annual award, presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to honour the year's best album by a Canadian artist in the genres of heavy metal. The album is open to all subgenres of heavy metal. Rock, punk, crossover and hardcore artists are not eligible for this category.
Robert Michaels is a Juno Award winner and nominee, multi-gold and platinum-selling recording artist, guitarist and vocalist.
The Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best electronic album released in Canada. It has been awarded since 2011. The five nominees and eventual winner in the category are chosen by a panel of judges from the music industry across Canada.
The Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for the best adult contemporary album released in Canada. It was first awarded at the 42nd Juno Awards ceremonies in 2013. The five nominees in the category are chosen by a panel of judges selected from the Canadian music industry and the winner is chosen by CARAS members.
John James is a Canadian musician, who was prominent in the early 1990s for his funk-influenced brand of dance music. He released two albums, Big Fat Soul in 1989 and Mothers of Hope in 1993.