2016 Juno Awards Nominations: Weeknd, Drake & Justin Bieber Leading The Pack!

The 2016 Juno Awards nominees are in, and we have all the details! The Juno Awards is a MAJOR Canadian music awards show. Canada has such an amazing music scene. If you are not familiar, there are so many good Canadian musicians both well known and indie that you should catch. Are you a fan of Justin Bieber? What about Drake and Carly Rea Jepsen? Check out all the nominations for these prestigious awards, and I’m sure you will recognize a few amazing artists who are up for an award this year.

2016 Juno Awards Details

Here are some details on the 2016 Juno Awards show! The 2016 Juno Awards will be held April 2 and April 3 of 2016. The ceremony is held at the Saddledome in Calgary and includes some megastars this year. Some of the artists who will be performing at the awards including new sensation Alessia Cara, Bryan Adams, Dean Brody, Shawn Mendes, and The Weeknd. The nominees for the Juno Awards were announced on February 2, 2016, and below we have the full list of all of the 2016 Juno Awards Nominees.

Looking at the list a bit this year, I was a bit confused. We seem to be having trouble here, where are all the GIRLS?!?! Canada’s Juno Awards 2016 nominations def seem to be a bit heavier on the guys this year and I’m not the only one noticing. The lead of the music group Grimes took to Twitter to express her frustration with the lack of women. Others are criticizing Grimes of throwing a public fit online. Thoughts?

Leading the pack this year for the most nominations include Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber & Shawn Mendes. Weeknd picked up six nominations while Drake and Bieber each scored themselves five nominations. Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara both are next in line with four nominations, including a breakout artist nod for Alessia Cara.

2016 Juno Awards Nominees

JUNO FAN CHOICE AWARD

• Alessia Cara
• Carly Rae Jepsen
• Cœur de pirate
• Dean Brody
• Drake
• Justin Bieber
• Shawn Hook
• Shawn Mendes
• The Weeknd
• Walk Off the Earth

It was so cool that astronaut Chris Hadfield announced the 2016 Juno Awards fan choice award! Though the astronaut is not a professional musician, I think singing David Bowie from The International Space Station broadcasted around the world through social media makes him more than qualified! If I were making a prediction, I would say it is probably down to Bieber, Shawn Mendes and Drake, but I may be surprised. I love The Weeknd, Alessia Cara is rocking her own sound pretty hard, and Walk Off The Earth also kills it pretty hard.

I also LOVE Cœur de pirate (translated: Heart of A Pirate.) Their sound is so chic and cool, though with some other bigger names I think they may be knocked out of this race. The music is amazing and totally transcends language which is what good music should do!  You can’t miss the meaning of this video, even if you don’t speak French! Tres cool!

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

• Here, Alessia Cara
• Hotline Bling, Drake
• What Do You Mean? Justin Bieber
• Clothes Off, Ria Mae
• Can’t Feel My Face, The Weeknd

Just in case you haven’t heard Bieber’s song, I’m throwing it in here for our listening enjoyment. This category is a tight race, but I think it’s probably between Bieber, The Weeknd and Drake. Shout out to Alessia Cara, I like her sound too.

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• 25, Adele
• Hozier, Hozier
• Title, Meghan Trainor
• Four, One Direction
• Dream Your Life Away, Vance Joy

TBH, Adele has to have this. Her album gives me chills every time. I live many of the other artists listed her also; I think Megan Trainor or One Direction is probably sliding into second place, but I don’t have a crystal ball. I will be sad if Adele misses this one! For your ears, I couldn’t resist:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake
• À Paradis City, Jean Leloup
• Purpose, Justin Bieber
• Handwritten, Shawn Mendes
• Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

I want to root for The Weeknd because their music is more my style, but Drake is killing it. Someone called me on my cellphone; he may be taking some 2016 Juno awards home this year.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• City and Colour
• Drake
• Justin Bieber
• Shawn Mendes
• The Weeknd

I’m not sure I can even comment here. So.Many.Good.Artists!

GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Hedley
• Marianas Trench
• Metric
• Three Days Grace
• Walk Off the Earth

Anyone else rooting for Hedley? I am for their quirky pop style Three Days Grace is a rock force that’s hard to argue with. Metric has a fun style too that really picks you up.

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Alessia Cara
• Coleman Hell
• Francesco Yates
• Scott Helman
• Tobias Jesso Jr.

BREAKTHROUGH GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Dear Rouge
• Half Moon Run
• Milk & Bone
• The Elwins
• Young Empires

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

• Abel Tesfaye
• Béatrice Martin
• Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Dallas Green
• Tobias Jesso Jr.

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Anchor, Autumn Hill
• Pick Me Up, Brett Kissel
• Gypsy Road, Dean Brody
• County Line, High Valley
• Frontier, Paul Brandt

Team Dean Brody all the way, I love Bring Down The House. “Y’all hashtag this” Buwahahaha, this artist is awesome. I’m not sure if he is going to win the 2016 Juno awards, but I had to shout out to my fav.

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• If I’ve Only One Time Askin’, Daniel Romano
• The Park Avenue Sobriety Test, Joel Plaskett
• In My Dreams, Mo Kenney
• Goon, Tobias Jesso Jr.
• Leave No Bridge Unburned, Whitehorse

Anyone else out there hoping Whitehouse will take this one? I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I like Mo Kenney’s indie sound also.

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Deep in the Iris, BRAIDS
• Poison Season, Destroyer
• Are You Alone? Majical Cloudz
• Half Free, U.S. Girls
• Viet Cong, Viet Cong

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Hello, Hedley
• Purpose, Justin Bieber
• Augusta, Scott Helman
• Handwritten, Shawn Mendes
• Sing It All Away, Walk Off the Earth

It is going to be a tough fight in this category with lots of competition from Bieber and Shawn Mendes. I srsly hear Shawn Mendes song “Stitches” everywhere, and it never feels overplayed which is the mark of a good song.

I think Walk Off The Earth has a fighting chance. If you haven’t seen their YouTube channel, they do hilarious covers of other bands and comedy videos.

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Get Up, Bryan Adams
• The Physical World, Death from Above 1979
• Chaotic Neutral, Matthew Good
• No Fixed Address, Nickelback
• Future Nostalgia, The Sheepdogs

Nickelback is up again? Who knew! I’m rooting for The Sheepdogs though I like Matthew Good’s music quite a bit too. Matthew Good’s sound reminds me a bit of the smooth sounds Coldplay has, but with his own twist.

VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• New, Alex Pangman
• Live from the Cellar, Dan Brubeck Quartet
• Clear Day, Emilie-Claire Barlow
• This Bitter Earth, Jaclyn Guillou
• Some Version of the Truth, Tara Kannangara

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO

• It’s About Time, Al Muirhead
• Dialectics, Curtis Nowosad
• Abeng, Rich Brown
• Movin’ Forward, Robi Botos
• Duets, Tara Davidson

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP

• Forest Grove, Allison Au Quartet
• Over My Head, Brad Turner Quartet
• What I Hear Now, Jerry Granelli Trio
• Stealing from My Youth, Mark Kelso & The Jazz Exiles
• Sheer Tyranny of Will, Peripheral Vision

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Spin Cycle, Afiara Quartet and Skratch Bastid
• Never Were the Way She Was, Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld
• Orchestral Powwow, Cris Derksen
• Lost Voices, Esmerine
• Legacy Live, Jens Lindemann and Tommy Banks

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• 22h22, Ariane Moffatt
• Zulu, Galaxie
• À Paradis City, Jean Leloup
• Les grandes artères, Louis-Jean Cormier
• Si l’aurore, Marie-Pierre Arthur

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Greatest Hits, Big Block Singsong
• Dirty Feet, Bobs & LoLo
• Forest Friends’ Nature Club Album, Ginalina
• Songs from the Boot, Splash’N Boots
• More Sheep, Less Sleep, The Swinging Belles

CLASSICAL ALBUM: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

• Liszt: Piano Sonata & Sonnets, Angela Hewitt
• Chamber Works by Jerzy Fitelberg, ARC Ensemble
• Mendelssohn: Op. 44 nos. 1, 2, Cecilia String Quartet
• Berlin Sonatas, Elinor Frey
• Franck & Strauss: Violin Sonatas, James Ehnes

CLASSICAL ALBUM: LARGE ENSEMBLE OR SOLOIST(S) WITH LARGE ENSEMBLE ACCOMPANIMENT

• Vivaldi: Four Seasons, James Ehnes with the Sydney Symphony
• Mahler 10, Orchestre Métropolitain
• Symphony and New Works for Organ and Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with Olivier Latry and Jean-Willy Kunz
• Tomasi, Desenclos, Jolivet: French Trumpet Concertos, Paul Merkelo, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3, Stewart Goodyear with the Czech National Symphony

CLASSICAL ALBUM: VOCAL OR CHORAL PERFORMANCE

• Vivaldi: Sacred Music, Vol. 4, Claire de Sévigné, Maria Soulis, and Aradia Ensemble
• Sacred Reflections of Canada – A Canadian Mass, Canadian Chamber Choir
• Peter-Anthony Togni: Responsio, Jeff Reilly with Andrea Ludwig, Charles Daniels, John Potter, and Suzie Leblanc
• Las Ciudades de Oro, L’Harmonie des Saisons
• Chansons Perpétuelles, Marie-Nicole Lemieux

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

• Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems, Dinuk Wijeratne
• Piano Quartet, John Burge
• The Afar, Jordan Pal
• Centennials, Michael Oesterle
• Bookburners, Nicole Lizée

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• Sour Soul, BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah
• If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake
• Kardi Gras Vol. 1: The Clash, Kardinal Offishall
• Can’t Fly Without Gravity, k-os
• For The Town, SonReal

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• We All Fall Down ft. Jamie Lidell, A-Trak
• Badman (Torro Torro Remix), Autoerotique & Max Styler
• At All, Kaytranada
• Save Me ft. Katy B, Keys N Krates
• Be Right There, Sleepy Tom & Diplo

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• Four Pink Walls, Alessia Cara
• The Fall Out, August Rigo
• Déjà Vu, Dru
• Butchy’s Son, Patrick Lehman
• Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• The French Sessions, Dubmatix
• Hello Mama, Exco Levi
• Nah Complain ft. Daddy U Roy, Kafinal
• Sexy Gal ft. T.O.K., Kreesha Turner
• Escape from the Mongoose Gang, Lyndon John X

ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• The One, Armond Duck Chief
• Come and Get Your Love: The Tribe Session, Black Bear
• Power in The Blood, Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Rumble, Derek Miller
• Refined, Don Amero

CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• So Let’s Go, Alan Doyle
• Power in The Blood, Buffy Sainte-Marie
• The Bliss, Fortunate Ones
• Indian Ocean, Frazey Ford
• Beautiful Scars, LeE HaRVeY OsMOND

TRADITIONAL ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• The Chance, J.P. Cormier
• Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project, Jayme Stone
• Domestic Eccentric, Old Man Luedecke
• A Wanderer I’ll Stay, Pharis and Jason Romero
• Songs in The Dark, The Wainwright Sisters

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Faded but Not Gone, Big Dave McLean
• Brothers in This World, Blackburn
• Vicksburg Call, David Gogo
• This Is from Here, Harrison Kennedy
• Sliding Delta, Michael Jerome Browne

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Brave New World, Amanda Cook
• Where The Light Is, Dan Bremnes
• Saints & Sinners, Matt Maher
• We Are, The City Harmonic
• TREES – Chapter 2, Tim Neufeld

WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Healer, Alex Cuba
• Neo-Reconquista, Boogat
• Revuelta Danza Party, Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra
• Moorka, Lemon Bucket Orkestra
• Resistance, The Souljazz Orchestra

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

• Bob Ezrin
• Dallas Green
• Henry “Cirkut” Walter
• Steve Webster & Emilie-Claire Barlow
• Thomas “Tawgs” Salter

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

• Gus Van Go,
• Liam O’Neil
• Noah “40” Shebib
• Serban Ghenea
• Shawn Everett

RECORDING PACKAGE OF THE YEAR

• CLUB MEDS, Dan Mangan + Blacksmith – Cam Dales and Ben Clarkson
• LOST VOICES, Esmerine – Clyde Henry Productions: Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, Constellation: Ian Ilavsky
• ELEMENTS, Long Distance Runners – Duncan Major, Joel Upshall
• WEST TRAINZ, West Trainz – Erik West Milette
• LES GRANDES ARTÈRES, Louis-Jean Cormier – Sarah Marcotte-Boislard

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

• Virgins, Eva Michon (Death from Above 1979)
• Dark Days, Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and Chandler Levack (Pup)
• For the Town, Peter Huang (Sonreal)
• Avalanche, Philip Sportel (Kalle Mattson)
• Hello, Xavier Dolan (Adele)

ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• A Life Well Lived, AM Static
• Concubine, Concubine
• The Midas Touch, Discrete
• Noontide, Humans
• The Other Day, Pomo

HEAVY METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Searching for Zero, Cancer Bats
• Never Wanna Die, Diemonds
• Desire Will Rot, Fuck the Facts
• Of Ghosts and Gods, Kataklysm
• Success, KEN mode

ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Wallflower, Diana Krall
• Refined, Don Amero
• A Jann Arden Christmas, Jann Arden
• What Love Is All About, Johnny Re
• Under One Sky, The Tenors

So lovelies, which are your fav bands? Did you discover any new music to add to your playlist? What are your predictions for the 2016 Juno Awards winners? Tell me in the comments!