Today, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced the nominees and the next wave of performers for The 53rd Annual JUNO Awards at a press conference attended by industry notables and media inside the CBC’s Canadian Broadcasting Centre, in downtown Toronto. This year’s host, Canadian pop icon Nelly Furtado also made a special surprise appearance to speak with guests and celebrate the 2024 nominees. This year’s winners will be revealed in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the JUNO Opening Night Awards Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 23 and The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Sunday, March 24, live on CBC.
For a complete list and biographies of all nominees and more information on The 2024 JUNO Awards, please visit junoawards.ca. Rewatch the full 2024 JUNO Nominee Announcement at CBCMusic.ca/junos.
2024 JUNO Award Nominations
Montreal-born singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin returns to dominate this year’s JUNO nominations for a second time with a total of six including: TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Pop Album of The Year. Cardin also led the pack back in 2022 with six nominations for her album Phoenix. R&B all-star Daniel Caesar and rising rocker TALK followed with five nominations each. Daniel is nominated for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year* and Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year; while TALK is up for Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year.
Artists with three nominations each include famed folk star Allison Russell (Songwriter of the Year, Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year); 2023 JUNO Awards performer Aysanabee (Songwriter of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year and Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year); actor and rapper Connor Price (Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Rap Album/EP of the Year and Rap Single of the Year); production duo DVBBS (TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Group of the Year* and Dance Recording of the Year); Canada power-pop singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith (Album of the Year, Artist of the Year* and Pop Album of the Year); and pop track sensation Tate McRae (TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year* and Artist of the Year*).
Artists from this year’s host province of Nova Scotia that also received nominations include Barbara Hannigan (Classical Album of the Year, Solo Artist), Jah’Mila (Reggae Recording of the Year), Marc Djokic (Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble), Matt Andersen (Blues Album of the Year), Mike Murley (Jazz Album of the Year, Group), Morgan Toney (Traditional Roots Album of the Year) and Rich Aucoin (Electronic Album of the Year*).
MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with CARAS and The JUNO Awards, will recognize one Canadian music educator’s impact not only on students but also on their community and the music education field, through the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, presented by Anthem Entertainment. The 2024 nominees are Élisabeth Bouchard-Bournie (École Des Explorateurs, Malartic, QC), Sarah Comerford (Macdonald Drive Junior High, St. John’s, NL), Stephen Richardson (École St. Joseph, Yellowknife, NT), Robert Bailey (École Charlie Killam School, Camrose, AB) and Zeda Ali (Sunnyview Middle School, Brampton, ON). The winner will be announced live on The JUNO Awards Broadcast.
2024 JUNO Awards Performers
Josh Ross
TikTok JUNO Fan Choice nominee and rising country star Josh Ross will make his JUNO Awards debut with a harmonic performance showcasing his renowned pop-rock-infused style. The Nashville-based artist’s take on love, work, and play is one often documented through his own whirlwind experiences. His recent single, “Ain’t Doin’ Jack” is up to 26 million streams since its release and the certified Platinum radio single “Trouble” hit #1 at Canadian Country Radio with over 122 million global streams. This past year Ross made his inaugural performance at the Grand Ole Opry, won Artist of the Year at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards where he also performed his hit “Trouble,” and will finish his sold-out tour next month with its final stop in Toronto.
Karan Aujla
Karan Aujla, the British Columbia-based singer, rapper and songwriter nominated for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice and Breakthrough Artist of the Year* will join the revered lineup of Canadian musical excellence in Halifax. Hitting the highest spot for a Punjabi artist ever on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, he’s also making a name for himself globally combining traditional Punjabi with pop, hip-hop and R&B influences to captivate audiences around the world. Aujla’s debut album, BacTHAfuKUP (B.T.F.U.), solidified his place as an ambassador of Punjabi music worldwide, with a hundred million streams across streaming platforms, and #6 placement on Spotify’s Global Chart and in 2021 was dubbed India’s most prominent artist. Karan is approaching 3 billion views on YouTube, has garnered over one billion audio streams, and 7.5 million Spotify monthly listeners.
TALK
Breakaway rockstar TALK will take audiences to another planet with an electrifying and eccentric performance this March. He launched himself into the stratosphere with his debut single “Run Away to Mars” which has earned over 200+ million streams, rising to #1 on the Spotify Global Viral 50, and reaching multi-platinum certification around the world, including in Canada, the United States, Sweden, Norway and more. TALK released his debut album this past October, Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, which has already gone Gold in Canada. He also begins touring across North America this month with several Canadian stops.
These artists join previously announced performances from The Beaches, Charlotte Cardin, Nelly Furtado and this year’s Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Maestro Fresh Wes, who will be honoured during a special moment presented by TD Bank Group.
2024 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award
It was also announced that Halifax’s own esteemed industry veteran, entertainment lawyer and artist manager Chip Sutherland will receive this year’s Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award. The distinguished honour recognizes individuals whose work has significantly impacted the growth and development of the Canadian music industry. The award is named after the legendary Canadian publisher and co-founder of The JUNO Awards. Sutherland was born in Montreal and grew up in Belleville, Ontario before moving to the East Coast.
After graduating from Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law in 1988, Sutherland continued to pursue his love of music as the drummer for pop-rock group BlackPool, while simultaneously starting his law practice. Soon after he altered his path to incorporate his passion for music, beginning by helping his friends in the band Sloan negotiate their first record deal and becoming their manager. Sutherland’s support and influence have been integral to the success and development of countless Canadian musicians including Feist, Sloan, The Rankin Family, Alvvays, and Mustafa as a manager and many more artists as a lawyer.
Sutherland has shown enormous leadership and been a pivotal member of the Canadian music industry throughout his career. He joined the board of CARAS as its first-ever director from Atlantic Canada, playing a role in creating the MusiCounts education charity, as well as designing and spearheading the Radio Starmaker Fund as its Executive Director, a role he has held since 2005. Under his stewardship, the Starmaker Fund has distributed $170 million over the past 23 years and continues to be a key component of the music industry funding ecosystem in Canada. In 2012 Sutherland was asked by legendary music industry lawyer Donald Passman to co-author a Canadian edition of his book “All You Need to Know about the Music Business” to provide artists with the knowledge and insight to help navigate the intricacies of the Canadian market.
The award will be presented to Sutherland at the JUNO Opening Night Awards Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 23 at the Halifax Convention Centre in Halifax, NS.
Previously announced special award recipients include Tegan and Sara who will be honoured with the prestigious 2024 Humanitarian Award for their enormous charitable achievements. Academy Award®-nominated actor, writer, producer, director, and Halifax native, Elliot Page, will present the honour live on The JUNO Awards Broadcast.
The celebrations commence on Thursday, March 21, culminating with The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Sunday, March 24. The 53rd Annual JUNO Awards, hosted by Canadian pop icon, Nelly Furtado and produced by Insight Productions (a Boat Rocker company), will broadcast and stream live across Canada from Scotiabank Centre in Halifax at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. AST on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s YouTube page.
Tickets for The 2024 JUNO Awards are on sale and start at $49.00 (plus tax and fees) and are available for purchase at CBCMusic.ca/junos.
*Award Sponsors for The 2024 JUNO Awards include: TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year Presented by YouTube, Album of the Year Presented by Music Canada, Artist of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada, Group of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada, Breakthrough Artist of the Year Presented by FACTOR, The Government of Canada and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters, Breakthrough Group of the Year Presented by FACTOR, The Government of Canada and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters, Songwriter of the Year Presented by SOCAN, Adult Alternative Album of the Year Presented by Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Presented by Audio-Technica, Electronic Album of the Year Presented by Nissan and Comedy Album of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada and Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year Presented by Destination Indigenous.
(Photo credit: Canadian Press)
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com