It’s that time of year again—the time when Canadians gather out in the still-freezing temperatures of early spring to pay tribute to the plethora of musical talent we have blossoming in the Great White North (insert muted sound of mitten-clad clapping).
It’s time for the Juno Awards!
The Junos travel to most major cities across Canada. This year it’s in Winnipeg, Manitoba (the forecast for which reaches a whopping zero degrees for this Sunday’s festivities—but then goes back down to -8 the next day). All week in Winnipeg there have been various Juno activities, including a Songwriters’ Circle, Juno Fan Fare (when the pop artists emerge to sign swag and rub elbows with screaming fans) and Juno Fest that brings a ton of Canadian artists and groups to perform at local venues.
But, it all converges in the big awards show on Sunday night, with live performances, celeb presenters and joyful (tearful?) acceptance speeches. Before that comes to the small screen, here is the list of…
THE TOP 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2014 JUNO AWARDS
1. When to watch?
The Junos air on CTV March 30th at 8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET (check your local listings).
2. Who’s hosting?
A trio this year of rapper Classified, country singer Johnny Reid and pop icon Serena Ryder.
3. Did you know?
Only 6 of 41 awards are televised (most of the awards are given away at a gala dinner for industry-only guests on March 29th). This year you can live stream it (but I warn you, it’s very, very long and you will mostly likely not recognize all the artists up for nomination in categories like Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year…if you can, that’s impressive and we should probably meet).
4. Who’s performing?
Live performances will include Robin Thicke (I know, right?), Walk Off The Earth, Tegan and Sarah, OneRepublic (they’re from Colorado…so…that’s weird), Sarah McLachlan and something pre-taped from Arcade Fire.
5. Who’s nominated?
Avril Lavigne, Hedley and Justin Bieber are all up for the Juno Fan Choice award. Check out the full list of 2014 Juno Nominees.
6. Yeah, but who else?
International Album of the Year has some cool nods with Imagine Dragons, One Direction and P!nk. Again, check out the full list of 2014 Juno Nominees.
7. Anyone we should root for?
Well, cheer for them all because they’re Canadian, which makes them great (and close to our hearts). But I’d like to see Tyler Shaw take away Breakthrough Artist of the Year—he performed at our 2013 Be Extraordinary event, so we know he’s got wicked chops.
8. Any mash-ups?
Yes! Joining forces to create a mega-band are The Sheepdogs, Matt Mays, Tim Hicks, and Travis Good of The Sadies, who will pay tribute to Bachman-Turner Overdrive (a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg… “Takin’ Care of Business” anyone?). The band is being ushered into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
9. Any other interesting guests?
Totally. Chris Hadfield? He’s the Canadian treasure that we recently pulled back down to Earth after 166 days in space. Why is he relevant to an awards show like this, you ask? He recorded music while in space! Pretty sure he gets relevance and cool points for that.
10. Did you know?
If it seems random that Robin Thicke is in attendance—let alone performing—you might want to brush up on some Thicke History. Robin’s dad, Alan Thicke from the sitcom Growing Pains (where we first saw star Leonardo DiCaprio strut his stuff), is Canadian. So Robin is half-Canadian. So he’s eligible for a Juno. It’s a small world after all…
Classified photo by Dustin Rabin
Tyler Shaw photo by Ryan Fujiki
Hedley photo by David Hou exclusively for Faze
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