The Juno Awards will once again honour Canadian music with a star-studded ceremony this spring. The trophies will be handed out in Ottawa on April 2, and the list of nominations has just been revealed.
Leading the pack of nominated artists are Drake, the Weeknd and Shawn Mendes with five nods each. Alessia Cara and Leonard Cohen, meanwhile, each earned four nominations.
Also getting toasted this year are A Tribe Called Red, Andy Shauf, Gord Downie, Grimes, Ruth B, Kaytranada, Tegan and Sara, the Strumbellas and Tory Lanez, who each received nominations in three categories.
Arkells, Billy Talent, Monster Truck, Sam Roberts Band and the Tragically Hip will face off in the Rock Album of the Year category, while Alternative Album of the Year pits July Talk, Grimes, Black Mountain, Weaves and Dilly Dally against each other.
Fans of heavier fare should pay attention to the Heavy Metal Album of the Year contest, which has lined up a fight between Devin Townsend Project, Protest the Hero, Despised Icon, Annihilator and Mandroid Echostar. Then for the Electronic Album of the Year category, Kaytranada, Holy Fuck, A Tribe Called Red, Bob Moses and Harrison are all nominated.
Hip-hop heads, on the other hand, will be keen to see who comes out victorious in the Rap Recording of the Year battle; Belly, Drake, Tory Lanez, Jazz Cartier and Tasha the Amazon are all up for that award. The smoother sounds of the Weeknd, dvsn, Daniel Caesar, Tanika Charles and PARTYNEXTDOOR, meanwhile, have each been nominated in the R&B/Soul Recording of the Year race.
In addition to announcing the nominees, organizers also revealed that Alessia Cara, A Tribe Called Red, the Strumbellas and Ruth B will be performing during the April 2 show.
As previously reported, Buffy Sainte-Marie will be given the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for her ongoing contributions to protecting Indigenous communities and intellectual property. She'll be presented the award in a separate ceremony on April 1.
Check out the complete list of 2017 contenders below.
2017 Juno Awards Nominees:
Indigenous Music Album of the Year
Crystal Shawanda Fish Out Of Water
Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie Round Dance & Beats (Powwow)
Quantum Tangle Tiny Hands
Silla + Rise Debut
William Prince Earthly Days
JUNO Fan Choice Award
Hedley
Justin Bieber
Drake
Shawn Mendes
Alessia Cara
Belly
Ruth B
The Weeknd
Tory Lanez
The Strumbellas
Single of the Year
Shawn Mendes "Treat You Better"
Drake "One Dance ft. Wizkid & Kyla"
Alessia Cara "Wild Things"
The Weeknd "Starboy "ft. Daft Punk
The Strumbellas "Spirits"
International Album of the Year
Sia This is Acting
Rihanna ANTI
One Direction Made in the A.M.
Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams
Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman
Album of the Year
The Weeknd Starboy
Shawn Mendes Illuminate
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
Drake Views
Céline Dion Encore un Soir
Artist of the Year
Shawn Mendes
Drake
Alessia Cara
Leonard Cohen
The Weeknd
Group of the Year
Billy Talent
The Tragically Hip
Arkells
Tegan and Sara
The Strumbellas
Breakthrough Artist of the Year
KAYTRANADA
Ruth B
Tory Lanez
Andy Shauf
Jazz Cartier
Breakthrough Group of the Year
Bleeker
Cold Creek County
Bob Moses
The Zolas
The Dirty Nil
Songwriter of the Year
Donovan Woods "Leaving Nashville," "What Kind of Love Is That," "They Don't Make Anything in that Town"
Tegan & Sara "Boyfriend," "100x," "Stop Desire"
Gord Downie "The Stranger," "The Only Place to Be," "Son"
Leonard Cohen "You Want It Darker," "It Seemed the Better Way," "Traveling Light"
Ruth B "Lost Boy," "Superficial Love," "2 Poor Kids"
Country Album of the Year
Aaron Pritchett The Score
Chad Brownlee Hearts on Fire
Dallas Smith Side Effects
Gord Bamford Tin Roof
Jess Moskaluke Kiss Me Quiet
Adult Alternative Album of the Year
Basia Bulat Good Advice
Gord Downie Secret Path
Wintersleep The Great Detachment
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
Andy Shauf The Party
Alternative Album of the Year
July Talk Touch
Grimes Art Angels
Black Mountain IV
Weaves Weaves
Dilly Dally Sore
Pop Album of the Year
Alessia Cara Know-It-All
Coleman Hell Summerland
Marianas Trench Astoria
Shawn Mendes Illuminate
Tegan and Sara Love You to Death
Rock Album of the Year
Arkells Morning Report
Billy Talent Afraid of Heights
Monster Truck Sittin' Heavy
Sam Roberts Band TerraForm
The Tragically Hip Man Machine Poem
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Matt Dusk & Florence K Quiet Nights
Heather Bambrick You'll Never Know
Barbra Lica I'm Still Learning
Bria Skonberg Bria
Amanda Tosoff Words
Jazz Album of the Year: Solo
Brandi Disterheft Blue Canvas
Renee Rosnes Written in the Rocks
Shirantha Beddage Momentum
Seamus Blake Superconductor
Mike Janzen Nudging Forever
Jazz Album of the Year: Group
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society Real Enemies
Dave Young Quintet One Way Up
Metalwood Twenty
Quinsin Nachoff's FLUX Flux
Order of Canada Band Sweet Canadiana
Instrumental Album of the Year
Sarah Neufeld The Ridge
David Braid Flow
Blitz//Berlin Movements 1
The Fretless Bird's Nest
Pugs & Crows and Tony Wilson Everyone Knows Everyone
Francophone Album of the Year
Karim Ouellet Trente
Yann Perreau Le fantastique des astres
Fred Fortin Ultramarr
Koriass Love Suprême
Laurence Nerbonne XO
Children's Album of the Year
Diana PantonI Believe in Little Things
Raffi Owl Singalong
Splash'N Boots Big Yellow Tunes
Kattam De Tombouctou à Bombay
Will Stroet Wordplay
Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble
Janina Fialkowska Schubert: Sonatas and Impromptus
Matt Haimovitz Overtures to Bach
New Orford String Quartet Brahms: String Quartets, Op. 51 NOS. 1 & 2
Stewart Goodyear Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, OP. 71 TH14
Charles Richard-Hamelin Beethoven, Enescu & Chopin: Works for Piano (Live)
Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier, BBC Philharmonic Poulenc: Piano Concertos & Aubade
Steve Wood and the Northern Cree Singers, Tanya Tagaq, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation
Jan Lisiecki, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Schumann
Les Violons du Roy & Mathieu Lussier Vivaldi: Concertos
Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Kent Nagano L'Aiglon
Tapestry Opera, Gryphon Trio, Elmer Iseler Singers Dark Star Requiem
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Sir Andrew Davis Handel Messiah
Arion Baroque Orchestre, Alexandre Weimann Bach: Magnificat BWV 243
Daniel Taylor, The Trinity Choir Four Thousand Winter
Classical Composition of the Year
Christos Hatzis "Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation"
Kati Agócs "The Debrecen Passion"
Jordan Nobles "Immersion"
Ana Sokolović "And I need a room to receive five thousand people with raised glasses…or…what a glorious day, the birds are singing 'halleluia'"
Andrew Staniland "Dark Star Requiem"
Rap Recording of the Year
Belly Another Day in Paradise
Drake Views
Tory Lanez I Told You
Jazz Cartier Hotel Paranoia
Tasha the Amazon Die Every Day
Dance Recording of the Year
Adventure Club "Limitless" ft. Delaney Jane
Zeds Dead "Northern Lights"
Shaun Frank "Let You Get Away" ft. Ashe
Bit Funk "Off the Ground" ft. Shae Jacobs
Jacques Greene "You Can't Deny"
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
The Weeknd Starboy
Dvsn Sept. 5th
Daniel Caesar Pilgrim's Paradise
Tanika Charles Soul Run
PARTYNEXTDOOR PARTYNEXTDOOR 3
Reggae Recording of the Year
Ammoye "Sorry"
Blessed "Cry Every Day"
Dubmatix "Roll 'Dem" ft. Gappy Ranks
Exco Levi "Siren"
Jay Kartier "Who Feels It Knows"
Contemporary Roots Album of the Year
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber The Family Album
Lisa LeBlanc Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?
Corin Raymond Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams
William Prince Earthly Days
Kacy & Clayton Strange Country
Traditional Roots Album of the Year
The High Bar Gang Someday the Heart Will Trouble the Mind
Maria Dunn Gathering
Jenny Whiteley The Original
Ten Strings And A Goat Skin Auprès du poêle
The East Pointers Secret Victory
Blues Album of the Year
Whitehorse The Northern South Vol. 1
Paul Reddick Ride The One
Colin Linden Rich in Love
Colin James Blue Highways
Sean Pinchin Monkey Brain
Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year
Warren Dean Flandez Eternally Grateful
Tim Neufeld & the Glory Boys Hootenanny!
Steve Bell Where the Good Way Lies
MANAFEST Reborn
Jaylene Johnson Potter & Clay
World Music Album of the Year
Lorraine Klaasen Nouvelle Journée
Sultans of String Subcontinental Drift
Okavango African Orchestra Okavango African Orchestra
Turkwaz Nazar
Nomadica Dance of the Infidels
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year
Howie Beck – "Work" (Charlotte Day Wilson), "High Five" (Dragonette)
Eric Ratz – "The Enforcer" (Monster Truck), "Fever" (Royal Tusk)
A Tribe Called Red – "R.E.D." (A Tribe Called Red ft. Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear), "Sila" (A Tribe Called Red ft. Tanya Tagaq)
Nineteen85 – "One Dance" (Drake), "Too Good" (Drake)
Ian D'Sa – "Afraid of Heights" (Billy Talent), "Rabbit Down the Hole" (Billy Talent)
Recording Engineer of the Year
Eric Ratz – "Afraid of Heights" (Billy Talent), "Don't Tell Me How to Live" (Monster Truck)
George Seara - "Treat You Better" (Shawn Mendes), "Don't Be A Fool" (Shawn Mendes)
Andy Shauf - "The Magician" (Andy Shauf), "To You" (Andy Shauf)
Matty Green - "Shine a Light" (Banners), "Armageddon" (Michelle Treacy)
Jason Dufour – "Push + Pull" (July Talk), "Beck + Call" (July Talk)
Recording Package of the Year
Valaire OOBOPOPOP
Harmonium L'Heptade
Gord Downie Secret Path
Alexisonfire Live at Copps
Grimes Art Angels
Video of the Year
Grimes "Kill v Maim"
KAYTRANADA "Lite Spots"
A Tribe Called Red "R.E.D." ft. Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear
Wiwek/Skrillex "Killa"
Gord Downie "The Stranger"
Electronic Album of the Year
KAYTRANADA 99.9%
Holy Fuck Congrats
A Tribe Called Red We Are the Halluci Nation
Bob Moses Days Gone By
Harrison Checkpoint Titanium
Heavy Metal Album of the Year
Devin Townsend Project Transcendence
Protest the Hero Pacific Myth
Despised Icon Beast
Annihilator Suicide Society
Mandroid Echostar Coral Throne
Adult Contemporary Album of the Year
Céline Dion Encore un soir
Chantal Kreviazuk Hard Sail
Mark Masri Beating Heart
Sarah McLachlan Wonderland
Heather Rankin A Fine Line
You can also pick up some of this year's Juno-nominated albums here.