Arcade Fire performs at the Juno Awards in Vancouver, Sunday, March, 25, 2018. The Montreal group will perform at this year's Junos ceremony in Toronto.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
For its first in-person ceremony in three years, the annual Juno Awards tapped some serious star power. Marvel actor and Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu will host this year’s ceremony in Toronto, with performers including Arcade Fire, Avril Lavigne, Mustafa and Arkells set to perform. Ahead of the ceremony, here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Junos, including when to tune in, who’s up for the most awards, and a few quick fun, fast facts about the history of Canada’s biggest night in music.
When are the Juno Awards?
This year’s Junos take place on Sunday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET. And while the night’s most sought-after trophies, including album and artist of the year, will be handed out at that televised ceremony, the bulk of the trophies will be awarded the night before, at a private gala dinner.
What are the Juno Awards?
Yes, we know: if you’re reading this, you probably already know what the Junos are (but just in case: they’re an annual celebration of the best in Canadian music — a north-of-the-border Grammys, if you will). But did you know that they were named to honour Pierre Juneau, the first chairperson of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)? Or that the awards, which had their inception in 1970, were first known as the Gold Leaf Awards? The Junos have more than 50 years of fascinating cultural history and, ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, you can brush up on your Junos trivia by reading our list of 25 things you didn’t know (or might have forgotten) about the awards.
Where are this year’s Juno Awards taking place?
This year, the Junos will happen at the outdoor Budweiser Stage in Toronto. After two years of cancellations and reconfigurations, which included shifting last year’s 50th anniversary celebrations to a televised format including pre-taped performances and acceptance speeches delivered via webcam, the open-air venue will allow the show to safely go on IRL.
Simu Liu is hosting this year's Juno awards.Evan Agostini/The Associated Press
Who’s hosting this year’s Juno Awards?
The Junos aren’t short on star power this year, least of all when it comes to hosting duties: Marvel actor (and Scarborough native) Simu Liu is slated to act as this year’s master of ceremonies. It’s been a big month for Liu: in addition to the Junos gig, the former Kim’s Convenience star’s memoir, We Were Dreamers, was released on May 3.
Who are this year’s Juno nominees?
As ever, the 2022 Juno nominees are a whos-who of contemporary Canadian music. Singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin led this year’s pack with six nominees, including one for artist of the year, which she won during the opening night event, and album of the year for her gold-certified Phoenix. Cardin has beat out both Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, both of whom are nominated for five awards at this weekend’s ceremony, to score the most nominations out of any artist this year. Also nominated for album of the year this year are JP Saxe for Dangerous Levels of Introspection, Bieber’s Justice, Shawn Mendes’ Wonder and Tate McRae’s Too Young to Be Sad.
Charlotte Cardin is nominated for six Juno awards.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
There are some notable first-timers among this year’s Junos nominees, including a historic recording engineer of the year nomination for Hill Kourkoutis. On Saturday, she picked up that award, becoming the first woman to win recording engineer of the year. Some of this year’s first-time Juno nominees also include rappers Charmaine and Mustafa, and B.C.-born Jayda G who, in addition to netting her first Juno nod this year, earned a Grammy nomination in 2021 for best dance recording for her song Both Of Us.
Who won awards at the Juno Opening Night?
The bulk of the trophies are actually given out the night before the main ceremony at the Juno Opening Night Awards. The big winner of the night was Charlotte Cardin, who picked up three awards, including single of the year, pop album of the year for Phoenix and artist of the year. The Weeknd won contemporary R&B recording of the year for “Take my Breath” and songwriter of the year. Toronto singer-songwriter Mustafa won alternative album of the year for his debut When Smoke Rises, while Charmaine won rap single of the year for “Bold”. For the full list of winners from the first night, head to the Junos website.
While the Junos ceremony itself reserved most of its air-time for performances, special segments and awards, and to Liu’s hosting, a number of significant awards were handed out on Sunday night, including group of the year, which went to Arkells, and rap album of the year, which went to Haviah Mighty. Her win for Stock Exchange made her the first woman in Junos history to receive the prize. In addition, heartthrob Shawn Mendes was awarded the International Achievement Award.
Who’s performing at this year’s ceremony?
Hot off the release of their seventh album, WE (which the Globe’s Brad Wheeler called the group’s best yet), iconic Montreal indie rockers Arcade Fire will take the stage at this year’s Junos. The night will also feature performances from Avril Lavigne, Mustafa, Haviah Mighty, Tesher, DJ Shub & Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and Charlotte Cardin.
Who is this year’s Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee?
In addition to awarding the best in the year’s new music releases, each year, the Junos award a Canadian performer for their career-long contributions to the country’s music scene. This year’s inductee is three-time Juno winner and Grammy nominee Deborah Cox, who will also be performing at the ceremony.
How can I watch this year’s Junos?
If you’re in Toronto, or nearby, there’s still time to snag yourself tickets to watch the Junos in-person; tickets range in price from $183 for standing-room-only floor seats to $82.93 for general-admission lawn tickets. If at-home viewing is more your speed, the Junos air on CBC, starting t 8 p.m.
