Musicians Jessie Reyez, Ali Gatie, JP Saxe, Tate McRae and William Prince are among the raft of performers who will appear at next month’s Juno Awards, organizers said Thursday, joining previously announced acts Justin Bieber, Jann Arden, The Tragically Hip and Feist.
Both Reyez and Gatie are up for artist of the year at the annual Canadian music awards, while Saxe and McRae are competing for breakthrough artist of the year. Gatie will perform alongside McRae, while Saxe will share the stage with songwriter Julia Michaels. The two collaborated on 2020’s breakout hit If The World Was Ending, which is nominated for single of the year.
And Manitoba-born William Prince — who’s Reliever is up for contemporary album of the year, a category he won back in 2017 — will play alongside six-time Juno winner Serena Ryder.
This year’s Junos, which have been postponed twice already, will be the first since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ceremony, which will mark the awards’ 50th anniversary, will also celebrate another landmark. Canadian hip-hop royalty Kardinal Offishall and Maestro Fresh Wes will join other stars in marking the 30th anniversary of the Junos’ “rap recording of the year” category.
R&B/soul artist Jully Black, NAV, Haviah Mighty and Michie Mee will also perform.
Of those performers, only NAV is competing for a trophy; both fan choice and the rap recording of the year category for his album Good Intentions (Brown Boy 2 Deluxe Version).
Meanwhile, presenters include musician Alessia Cara — who was intended to host the cancelled 2020 awards — Kim’s Convenience star Andrew Phung, country music icon Shania Twain, Toronto-based TikTok sensations the Basement Gang, actor Will Arnett and Michael Bublé.
Other presenters include:
- Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.
- Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson.
- Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.
- Singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark.
- Producer and DJ KAYTRANADA.
- R&B/soul singer Liberty Silver.
- Arkells singer Max Kerman.
- Country music singer Paul Brandt.
- Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan.
- Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault.
The Junos, presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, will take place June 6 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, after having been postponed twice already. Organizers said the show will be largely pre-taped, though will include some live elements.
The show will be broadcast on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music and on CBCMusic.ca/junos.
LISTEN | How Kardinal Offishall champions Canadian hip-hop talent:
q23:23Canadian music wasn’t ready for Kardinal Offishall in 2001. Now, he’s championing our homegrown hip-hop talent
Canadian rapper and producer Kardinal Offishall joined Tom Power to reflect on his breakout album, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1, which turns 20 this year. At the time of the album’s release, Kardi wasn’t embraced by the Canadian music industry like he was by the hip-hop community. Fast forward 20 years, and he’s now a senior executive at Universal Music Canada with a mission to keep our homegrown talent north of the border. 23:23
