By: Staff –
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Sarah McLachlan appears at the 2017 JUNO Awards at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on April 2, 2017. (Photo: CARAS)
The 2017 JUNO Awards pulled out all the stops at the sold-out live broadcast celebrating Canada’s diverse musical talent. Live from the Canadian Tire Centre in the nation’s capital on April 2nd, the two-and-a-half hour broadcast opened with a greeting from this year’s recipient of the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, Buffy Sainte-Marie. Ottawa’s own A Tribe Called Red, delivered an electrifying performance celebrating Canada’s indigenous culture featuring the Black Bear Drum Circle, Sainte-Marie, and internationally-renowned throat singer, Tanya Tagaq.
As a signature event for Ottawa 2017, in honour of Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation, the 2017 JUNO Awards broadcast showcased some of the country’s best talent, honoured music legends, and recognized artists who continue to shape the Canadian music scene.
Following a big win at Saturday’s JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards, Canadian music icon Leonard Cohen received further recognition during the broadcast as the Album of the Year winner*. Later in the evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau delivered a touching speech on Cohen’s legacy, as they introduced the tribute performance of classic Cohen song “Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” by Feist. The recognition of Canadian music legends continued with Gord Downie receiving Songwriter of the Year*, and The Tragically Hip taking home Group of the Year.
Shawn Mendes, who got the crowd on their feet with a performance of his song Mercy, won JUNO Fan Choice Award.
Four of the evening’s eight awards were handed to some of Canada’s top women in music. Another milestone in a wildly successful year for the young star, Ruth B. took home the first award of the night, receiving a statuette for Breakthrough Artist of the Year*. She later took to the stage to perform her whimsical hit “Lost Boy” with Orkidstra, a recipient organization for MusiCounts’ TD Community Music Program. Platinum-selling Jess Moskaluke took home Country Album of the Year for her sophomore album Kiss Me Quiet, while Alessia Cara snagged the Pop Album of the Year award for her 2016 smash record Know-It-All, and delivered empowered performances of her latest single “Stay”, and chart-topper “Scars to Your Beautiful” with DJ/Producer Zedd.
As well, 10-time JUNO Award winner Sarah McLachlan was inducted to the Canadian Hall of Fame by co-host Bryan Adams, celebrating a stellar career spanning more than three decades. McLachlan later performed a stirring rendition of her song “World on Fire”.
Co-hosted by Russell Peters and Bryan Adams, CTV’s super-sized THE 2017 JUNO AWARDS show broadcast boasted 12 unique performances including Shawn Mendes, who made this third consecutive appearance on the JUNO stage, performing “Mercy” to the screaming crowd; an energetic version of single “Side Effects” by Dallas Smith; an explosive performance of “Picturing Love” by indie rock band July Talk; a performance of breakout hit “Spirits” by The Strumbellas, in their JUNO broadcast debut; Arkells, who returned to the JUNO stage with a high energy version of fan-favourite track “Drake’s Dad”; and an impactful performance by Billy Talent, who delivered the title track to their hit album, “Afraid of Heights”.
The broadcast also featured hilarious taped segments by co-hosts Russell Peters and Bryan Adams, and the stars of CraveTV’s smash hit LETTERKENNY. Adams, who earlier in the night performed single “You Belong to Me”, closed the broadcast with an all-star jam of the co-host’s classic hit “Summer of ’69.”
For a complete list of 2017 JUNO winners, go to junoawards.ca
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