Tate McRae took home four awards, including artist and album of the year, at the Juno Awards industry ceremony on Saturday — although the global popstar was absent because she was booked to appear at a music festival in Brazil.
“I just want to thank everyone at the Junos, and all my fans in Canada who’ve been with me since the start of this wild ride,” the singer wrote in a text message read out loud on stage.
The Junos hardware was handed out during the gala in Vancouver where prizes in more than 40 categories were awarded ahead of Sunday’s televised ceremony, like the new Juno recognizing South Asian music.
Elizabeth Lowell Boland won the first songwriter of the year award created for non-performers. She picked up the prize for her work behind the scenes on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album and the Beaches’ Takes One To Know One.
The Calgary-raised Boland pushed for splitting the songwriting Juno category into two awards — performer and non-performer — after seeing the only Juno songwriting trophy consistently won by well-known stage performers.
“I’ve been fighting for this award,” Boland said.
“I chased down people at parties. I was really annoying. I joked that people would run away from me when they saw me at parties, because I wasn’t really interested in mingling. I just wanted to change this one little thing.”
Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie and Haisla hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids were early winners at the industry ceremony.
The Saturday evening soirée saw Elisapie’s pop covers collection Inuktitut pick up adult alternative album, while Rez Kids’ Red Future landed rap album of the year.
“I had a good cry walking here,” said Darren Metz from Rez Kids in the press room.
“When you work so hard towards something for so long, and then finally get it, all the emotions that you endured throughout that journey just come out.”
Other winners included No Time by Interplanetary Criminal and SadBoi, which earned dance recording of the year.
Folk singer Sarah Harmer received this year’s humanitarian award for her advocacy of environmental and human rights issues from longtime environmentalist David Suzuki.
Other big winners included Mustafa, who wasn’t present to accept his two Junos. His self-directed Name of God was named music video of the year, and he also won songwriter of the year.
Punjabi music star AP Dhillon was also missing, so was not able to accept the first-ever South Asian music recording Juno award. His album The Brownprint won the category.
Nemahsis won for breakthrough artist of the year, referencing again how her label dropped her for her pro-Palestinian stance. But the Palestinian Canadian artist vowed in her speech to one day play her album in the war-torn region.
Aqyila scored contemporary R&B recording of the year for Bloom, while Priori’s This But More by won electronic album.
TikTok star Jake Vaadeland’s bluegrass release Retro Man … More and More took home traditional roots album.
The dapper, 1950s-style bluegrass musician accepted his Juno dressed in a retro suit accented by music notes on the collar.
“I am well aware that I’m living in the year 2025 — or whatever it is, ” he said with a prominent twang in his voice.
“And I may dress a certain way, or play a certain style of music, but I still grew up in the generation that I grew up in.… This type of performance, this type of entertainment is really missing in the music industry today. We need to bring it back. And I’m trying so hard to do that.”
Nobro also took to the stage to perform before grabbing rock album of the year.
The ceremony is a precursor to Sunday’s televised CBC broadcast hosted by Michael Bublé.
McRae was one of the most-nominated artists this year, along with country singer Josh Ross, with five nominations each.
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences chief executive Allan Reid, whose organization presents the Junos, says Bublé jumped at the opportunity to host for a third time after taking the role in 2013 and 2018.
Reid says this year’s show takes on new importance in the context of the Canada-U.S. trade dispute, with Canadian artists “at the forefront of culture” and helping “define who we are as a nation.”
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Bublé said on Friday he’s letting his actions speak for his national pride by hosting the Juno Awards in Vancouver this weekend, as Canada-U.S. tensions surge in the background.
Bublé says he doesn’t want to “add to the energy of a troll” by being too vocal amid the dispute but is instead focusing his energy as a proud Canadian on “why we’re so special” and “unique.”
He says he doesn’t take the duty of celebrating the best of Canadian music lightly.
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