Juno Awards
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In Billboard’s new monthly emerging dance artist spotlight we get to know Rêve, the Montreal-repping artist bringing dreaminess and raw songwriting to the dancefloor.
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The Occasion: Canada’s Juno Awards, taking place next Monday (Mar. 13), where Rêve is nominated in three categories: breakthrough artist of the year, best dance recording of the year (for “CTRL + ALT + DEL”) and the fan choice award.
The Origin: The Montreal-raised artist, born Briannah Donolo, began songwriting as a child, using her pen and piano as a form of therapy. In 2014, a video of her singing of the U.S. and Canadian national anthems at a Canadiens hockey game went viral, leading to instant media and music industry attention. Despite seemingly reaching the spotlight, she says she still needed time to figure out who she was as an artist.
Rêve did some of that soul-searching in local nightclub, Velvet, which she describes as dungeon-like with candles lining the walls. It was there that she first experienced club music in its purest form, on a proper sound system. “There were no bells and whistles, just the music and the way that it connected the people in the room,” she tells Billboard. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is one of the most powerful things that I’ve ever felt.’” It ultimately shaped her direction going forward.
To get closer to the music industry, Rêve moved to Toronto at the beginning of 2020 and worked studio sessions to refine her writing and sound. During the first month of COVID lockdown, she met and instantly clicked with production-songwriting duo Banx & Ranx (Dua Lipa, Blackpink, J Balvin) over Zoom. “When we got together [in person], there was this unspoken energy in the room that really flowed,” she recalls.
Many joint sessions later, Banx & Ranx co-signed Rêve to Universal Music Canada via their label 31 East. In July 2021, she made her major-label debut with “Still Dancing.”
The Sound: Taking a cue from one of her biggest influences, Robyn, Rêve aims to make music that, she says, “moves your heart as much as it moves your feet.” “Still Dancing” perfectly captures this balance: the quarantine anthem pairs lyrical longing for the communal clubbing experience (“I don’t know who needs to hear this; we came here to get some healing… f–k, we’re sad, but we’re still dancing”) with a dark, sultry groove and euphoric piano build.
That raw songwriting is key to Rêve’s overall catalog — whether it’s vulnerable, sexual or fun and carefree, it’s unapologetically her. On a wider scale, Rêve pulls from early-2000s pop and R&B and classic ‘90s dance music — clock the nod to The Bucketheads’ 1995 hit “The Bomb (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)” on “Skin 2 Skin” — yet her sound is still fresh and modern. Her name is French for “dream,” which also reflects how she views her music: “dreamy, ethereal, transformative — and dance/electronic and all of its sub-genres are the glue that keeps it together.”
Key Tracks: “CTRL + ALT + DEL,” released in Sept. 2021, was Rêve’s first major hit. Written during the first wave of the pandemic, she says it brought a fun, lighter mood to previous sessions marked by heaviness and uncertainty: “[Banx & Ranx and I] spent the next couple hours talking about how much we missed going out — not for the drinks, not for the boys or the girls, just to be there with a really good sound system and vibes and listen to music.”
The song hit multiple Canadian singles charts (AC, Hot AC, CHR/Top 40, Top 100), including a 29-week stint and No. 38 peak on the latter, and was certified platinum in June. To date, it has over 44 million streams between Spotify and YouTube. Rêve pins the success of “CRTL + ALT + DEL” to its earworm melody. “It drove us nuts,” she says with a laugh. “I was like, ‘This is a good thing.’”
A more recent song, “Whitney,” released in Oct. 2022, is coming for its throne. The lyrics were inspired by a dish towel in her mom’s kitchen. “[It] had something very Hallmark on it, like, ‘Dance like nobody’s watching, sing like nobody’s listening’” she says. “I was like, ‘What if I tweak it?’” She name-checks icons such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Marilyn Monroe to express her desire to live life fully present and not, as the song goes, “grow too old before my time.”
Like “CTRL + ALT + DEL,” “Whitney” is making a splash on the charts. It’s Rêve’s first top 10 hit on any U.S.-based Billboard chart (Dance/Mix Show Airplay) and has netted two more top 10 placements on Canada’s CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC, as well as a top five first (No. 4) on Canada AC. Rêve herself is holding steady at No. 3 on the Canada Emerging Artists chart.
Signed To: 31 East / Universal Music Canada
Managed By: Andrew Kennedy & Pat Murphy, CARE OF Management
Management Strategy: “Our strategy with Rêve has been to stay consistent with her releases; drip feeding singles, collaborations, and remixes to keep her footprint growing across all DSPs and social channels,” write Kennedy and Murphy. “Rêve is an incredible artist and songwriter, and it’s imperative to us that her unique POV is distilled into all of the creative… from the artwork to the live show and so on.
“For audience growth, we’re looking holistically at all of the potential drivers to ensure that there is strategy employed across all platforms and DSPs. This strategy looks different on platforms like TikTok than it does on radio, but it all comes down to finding the core fans and converting them consistently day by day.”
First Record That Made Her Love Dance Music: Rêve credits her mom for her early love of dance music, having grown up on the synth-based sounds of Eurythmics, Depeche Mode and Madonna. The latter’s 1998 album Ray of Light, especially, was a record she wore out from playing it on her Discman at school.
“I’ll never forget the way that it made me feel,” she says. “It made me feel like I could be anybody. It was like, this escapism… It’s very rare you have these artists that become even more interesting to you as you grow up. I loved Madonna’s music from the time that I was a child, but growing up trying to break into the music industry — what she did was just truly so incredible on so many levels.”
Advice Every New Dance Artist Needs to Hear: “Don’t worry about trying to copy who’s hot right now. Make things that make you feel something, that get you giddy inside, even though they might not be what’s trending right now. Just do things that feel good to you, and chances are it’s gonna feel good to somebody else.”
Why She Makes Music: “I make music because it’s at the core of everything that I do. I feel like we’re put on this earth to connect to it on the deepest level. I think I was put on this earth to connect to people and to myself through it. It just feels like the most authentic thing to me.”
Up Next: In addition to multiple Juno nominations, Rêve will be performing on the award show’s live broadcast alongside Banx & Ranx and label mate Preston Pablo. Consider it a warm-up to her first-ever headline shows at Toronto’s Access Club (Mar. 23) and Montreal’s Le Studio TD (Mar. 25). A debut album is scheduled to arrive later this year.
“You’ll hear so many different sub-genre influences within it,” Rêve says. “There’s drum and bass, traditional dance-pop, breakbeat, a little bit of acid… It’s basically my love letter to dance music, and really, to Montreal.”
The Weeknd is the top nominee for the 2023 Juno Awards, with six nods, including artist of the year, single of the year (“Sacrifice”), album of the year (Dawn FM) and songwriter of the year.
Avril Lavigne and Tate McRae follow with five nods each. NAV, Preston Pablo, Rêve and The Reklaws each received three nods.
McRae and Rêve are both set to perform on the Junos, which will be held March 13. Also set to perform on the show: Nickelback (the 2023 inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and a nominee for rock album of the year for Get Rollin’), Tenille Townes (a two-time nominee this year) and AP Dhillon.
Lavigne, The Weeknd, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Michael Bublé and Shawn Mendes are nominated for artist of the year. The Weeknd is a three-time winner in that category; Mendes has won twice; Bublé has won once.
All of those artists except Bublé are also nominated for Juno Fan Choice, a fan-voted award.
Mendes, who won three consecutive awards for single of the year from 2018-20, is nominated again in that category for “When You’re Gone.” The other nominees in that category are The Weeknd’s “Sacrifice,” Lavigne’s “Bite Me,” McRae’s “she’s all I wanna be” and Preston Pablo and Banx & Ranx’s “Flowers Need Rain.” The Weeknd is a two-time winner in the category; Lavigne has won once.
The nominees for album of the year are The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, Lavigne’s Love Sux, McRae’s i used to think I could fly, Ali Gatie’s Who Hurt You? and NAV’s Demons Protected by Angels. As with single of the year, The Weeknd is a two-time winner in this category; Lavigne has won once.
Taylor Swift has two of the five nominees for international album of the year. She is nominated for both Midnights and Red (Taylor’s Version). The other nominees in that category – the only one reserved for non-Canadian artists – are Ed Sheeran’s =, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House and Lil Nas X’s Montero.
The 2023 Juno Awards will be held March 13 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The ceremony had originally been scheduled for March 12, but was pushed back a day to avoid competing with the Oscars. Actor Simu Liu, star of the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is hosting for the second year in a row. Music manager Ron Sakamoto is slated to receive the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.
Here’s the complete list of 2023 Juno Award nominations.
Juno Fan Choice
Avril Lavigne, Warner
Lauren Spencer-Smith, Island/Republic*Universal
MacKenzie Porter, Big Loud*Independent
Preston Pablo, 31 East*Universal
Rêve, 31 East*Universal
Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Reklaws, Starseed*Independent
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Tyler Shaw, Sony
Artist of the year
Avril Lavigne, Warner
Lauren Spencer-Smith, Island/Republic*Universal
Michael Bublé, Warner
Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Group of the year
Arcade Fire, Columbia*Sony
Arkells, Arkells Music*Universal
Billy Talent, Warner
Metric, Thirty Tigers
The Reklaws, Starseed*Independent
Single of the year
“Bite Me,” Avril Lavigne, Warner
“Flowers Need Rain,” Preston Pablo and Banx & Ranx, 31 East*Universal
“When You’re Gone,” Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
“she’s all i wanna be,” Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
“Sacrifice,” The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Album of the year
Who Hurt You?, Ali Gatie, Warner
Love Sux, Avril Lavigne, Warner
Demons Protected by Angels, NAV, XO*Universal
i used to think i could fly, Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
Dawn FM, The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Music video of the year
“Fraud,” Emma Higgins, director; Jessie Reyez, Island*Universal
“Unholy,” Floria Sigismondi director; Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Capitol*Universal
“Have Mercy,” Karena Evans, director; Chlöe, Parkwood*Sony
“Different Than Before,” Mayumi Yoshida, director; Amanda Sum, Independent
“Remember Me for Me,” Sterling Larose, director; SonReal and Lily Moore, Black Box*Fontana North/Warner
International album of the year
=, Ed Sheeran, Warner
Harry’s House, Harry Styles, Columbia*Sony
Montero, Lil Nas X, Columbia*Sony
Midnights, Taylor Swift, Republic*Universal
Red (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift*Universal
Breakthrough artist of the year
Dax, Columbia*Sony
Devon Cole, Arista*Sony
Preston Pablo, 31 East*Universal
RealestK, Columbia*Sony
Rêve, 31 East*Universal
Breakthrough group of the year
Banx & Ranx, Universal
Harm & Ease, Cosmo Cat*Independent
Rare Americans, EMPIRE/Crooked City*AMPED
Tommy Lefroy, Independent*AWAL
Wild Rivers, Nettwerk*Amped
Songwriter of the year
Abel Tesfaye, publisher: XO Music Publishing/Kobalt Music Publishing
Faouzia, publisher: Faouzia Music/Kobalt Music Publishing
Tate McRae, publisher: T8 Entertainment Inc/Sony Music Publishing
Tenille Townes, publisher: Year of the Dog
TOBi, publisher: Oluwatobi Ajibolade Publishing
Jack Richardson producer of the year
Akeel Henry
Banx & Ranx
Kaytranada
Mike Wise
Murda Beatz
Recording engineer of the year
Derek Hoffman
George Seara
Gus van Go
Jason Dufour
Serban Ghenea
Pop album of the year
In the Meantime, Alessia Cara, Def Jam*Universal
Love Sux, Avril Lavigne, Warner
The Loneliest Time, Carly Rae Jepsen, 604*Warner
i used to think i could fly, Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
Dawn FM, The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Adult contemporary album of the year
Adventure Book, Francois, Klark Independent
Descendant, Jann Arden, Universal
He Sang She Sang, Marc Jordan & Amy, Sky Linus*Universal/IDLA
Higher, Michael Bublé, Warner
A Tyler Shaw Christmas, Tyler Shaw, Sony
Rock album of the year
Otherness, Alexisonfire, Dine Alone*The Orchard
Crisis Of Faith, Billy Talent, Warner
Get Rollin’, Nickelback, BMG*Warner/ADA
Outta Sight, The Sheepdogs, Warner
Explosions, Three Days Grace, RCA*Sony
Metal/hard music album of the year
Psychic Jailbreak, Cancer Bats, New Damage*The Orchard
Merciless Destruction, Get the Shot, New Damage*The Orchard
Paid In Full, Skull Fist, Atomic Fire*Fontana North/Warner
Synchro Anarchy, Voivod, Century*Sony
Thought Form Descent, Wake, Metal Blade*Sony
Adult Alternative album of the year
Born Losers, Altameda, Pheromone*Fontana North
The Garden, Basia Bulat, Secret City*F.A.B.
Being Somewhere, Dan Mangan, Arts & Crafts*Universal
Colder Streams, The Sadies, Dine Alone*The Orchard
How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars, The Weather Station, Next Door*Outside
Alternative album of the year
Blue Rev, Alvvays, Celsius Girls*Universal
Duality, Luna Li, AWAL
Sewn Back Together, OMBIIGIZI, Arts & Crafts*Universal
The Unraveling of Puptheband, PUP, Little Dipper*Universal
Tongues, Tanya Tagaq, Six Shooter*Universal
Dance recording of the year
“Afterglow,” Bob Moses and Kasablanca, Astralwerks*Universal
“Shinigami Eyes,” Grimes, Columbia*Sony
“These Nights,” Loud Luxury feat. Kiddo, Armada*Sony
“CTRL + ALT + DEL,” Rêve 31, East*Universal
“Spiral,” Rezz, RCA*Sony
Underground dance single of the year
“Debonair,” Bensley, mau5trap*Independent/AWAL
“Aye Aye,” Blond:Ish and Cameron Jack, Abracadabra*Above Board
“The Time Is (Now),” Fred Everything, Lazy Days*Prime Direct/Paradise
“I Knew Techno,” Greg Gow, Restructured*The Orchard
“Easy,” Tiga, Turbo*!K7
Electronic album of the year
Not OK, Mecha Maiko, NewRetroWave*HHV/Believe
Spectrums, Odonis, Odonis Felte*Secretly
Nightmare on Rezz Street 2 Mix, Rezz, HypnoVizion*Universal
Synthetic Season One, Rich Aucoin, We Are Busy Bodies*Redeye
Interior, Teen Daze, Independent*Believe
Contemporary R&B recording of the year
“When Flowers Bloom,” Adria Kain, ArtHaus*Warner
“If I Get Caught,” dvsn, OVO
“No Longer in the Suburbs,” Dylan Sinclair, Five Stone*The Orchard
“Yessie,” Jessie Reyez, Island*Universal
“WTF,” Savannah Ré, Universal
Traditional R&B/soul recording of the year
“Please Do Not Lean,” Daniel Caesar feat. BadBadNotGood, Republic*Universal
“Palisade,” Jon Vinyl, Vinyl Recordings*Foundation
“All I Need,” Safe, RCA*Sony
“Last One,” Savannah Ré feat. Dylan Sinclair, Universal
“How to Make Love,” Thehonestguy, Independent*Believe
Rap single of the year
“Alejandro Sosa,” 6ixbuzz and Pengz, Warner
“Been Himma,” Dom Vallie, Natalus*The Orchard
“Wrath,” Freddie Dredd, RCA*Sony
“Twin Flame,” Kaytranada and Anderson .Paak, RCA*Sony
“Wrong Decisions,” XO*Universal
Rap album/EP of the year
GONZO, Boslen, Capitol*Universal
Retrospected (Acoustic), Classified, Halflife*Universal
The Fleur Print Vol. 2, Jazz Cartier, Petal Garden*Believe
Demons Protected by Angels, NAV, XO*Universal
Shall I Continue?, TOBi, RCA
Country album of the year
Way Back, High Valley, Cage Free*The Orchard
Honkytonk Revival, Jade Eagleson, Starseed*Independent
Bronco, Orville Peck, Columbia*Sony
Masquerades, Tenille Townes, RCA*Sony
Good Ol’ Days, The Reklaws, Starseed*Independent
Reggae recording of the year
“Water,” Ammoye, Lulaword*Symphonic
“Like a Star,” Celena, Independent
“Jah Love,” Exco Levi, Independent
“In the Streets,” Kairo McLean, Soul Survival*Independent
“Reggae Party,” Kirk Diamond, Kairo McLean and Finn, Independent
Contemporary roots album of the year
O Glory, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Divine*Warner
That Was You and Me, Fortunate Ones, Sonic *Warner
Hold on to Love, Shakura S’Aida, Independent
Come Morning, The Bros. Landreth, Birthday Cake*The Orchard
House of Dreams, The East Pointers, Nettwerk*Amped
Traditional roots album of the year
Hurricane Clarice, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Free Dirt*AMPED/MNRK
20 printemps, Le Vent du Nord, La Compagnie du Nord*IDLA
Narrow Line, Mama’s Broke, Free Dirt*AMPED/MNRK
Tell ‘Em You Were Gold, Pharis & Jason Romero, Smithsonian Folkways*AMPED/The Orchard
The Empress, The McDades, Independent
Blues album of the year
Long River, Angelique Francis, Independent
Midnight Blues, Crystal Shawanda, True North*Universal/IDLA
Thanks for Tomorrow, Harrison Kennedy, Electro-Fi*Isotope Music/The Orchard
Preach to My Soul, Spencer Mackenzie, Gypsy Soul*Warner
Live at the King Eddy, The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, Fontana North*The Orchard
Contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year
Into The Wild, Dan Bremnes, CURB | Word*New Day
Trust, Daniel Ojo, Psalmist*Independent
Jordan St. Cyr, Jordan St. Cyr, BEC*The Orchard
Only Ever Always, Love & The Outcome, CURB | Word*New Day
The Church Will Rise, Tehillah Worship, Independent*Wings
Global music album of the year
In the Footsteps of Rumi, Ghalia Benali, Constantinople, Kiya Tabassian, Glossa*Naxos
Thieves of Dreams, Lenka Lichtenberg, Sunflower*Independent
José Louis and the Paradox of Love, Pierre Kwenders, Arts & Crafts*Universal
Vox.Infold, Ruby Singh, Independent
Tradisyon, Wesli,WUP/Disques Les Nuits d’Afrique/Cumbancha*Believe
Vocal jazz album of the year
Featuring, Caity Gyorgy, La Reserve*The Orchard
Blue, Diana Panton, Independent*The SRG/ILS Group
Venez donc chez moi, Laura Anglade and Sam Kirmayer, Justin Time*F.A.B./Nettwerk
Nikki By Starlight, Nikki Yanofsky, MNRK
The Ostara Project, The Ostara Project, Cellar*The Orchard
Jazz album of the year (solo)
Joy, Ernesto Cervini, TPR*A-Train
A Little Louder Now, Lauren Falls, Independent
El Tinajon, Luis Deniz, Modica*Believe
Rumba, Rafael Zaldivar, Effendi*Propagande/Naxos
Kinds of Love, Renee Rosnes, Smoke Sessions*The Orchard
Jazz album of the year (group)
Semantics, Andrew Rathbun Quintet, SteepleChase*Stateside/The Orchard
Talk Memory, BadBadNotGood, People’s Champ*Stem
The History of Us, Carn Davidson 9, TPR*Independent
Desert Bloom, Florian Hoefner Trio, Alma*Universal
The Dragon’s Tail, Mark Kelso & the Jazz Exiles, Independent
Instrumental album of the year
Canadiana, Canadian Brass, Linus*Universal/IDLA
Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More, Esmerine, Constellation*Secretly
Iguana, Hard Rubber Orchestra, Redshift*Independent
Aubades, Jean-Michel Blais, Arts & Crafts*Universal
Lionheart, Stephan Moccio, Decca*Universal
Francophone album of the year
medium Plaisir, Ariane Roy, La maison fauve*Universal
Mercure en mai, Daniel Bélanger, Secret City*F.A.B.
Pictura De Ipse : Musique directe, Hubert Lenoir, Simone*The Orchard
Crash, Les Louanges, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Chiac Disco, Lisa LeBlanc, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Children’s album of the year
Nice to Meet You, Beppie, Platoon
Say Hello, Jeremy and Jazzy, Hidden Pony*Universal
I Am Love, Splash’N Boots, Independent*The Orchard
Walk off the Earth & Romeo Eats, Vol. 2, Walk off the Earth and Romeo Eats, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Julia the Great, Young Maestro and Keysha Freshh, Independent
Classical album of the year (solo artist)
Winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Warsaw 2021, Bruce Liu, Deutsche Grammophon*Universal
Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1, David Jalbert, ATMA*Universal
La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland, Isabel Bayrakdarian, AVIE*Naxos
Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, James Ehnes, Onyx*PIAS America/The Orchard
Fables, Philip Chiu, ATMA*Universal
Classical album of the year (large ensemble)
Clara – Robert – Johannes: Lyrical Echoes Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Shelley, Analekta*F.A.B./The Orchard
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Ensemble Caprice, Ensemble Vocal Arts-Quebec, conducted by Matthias Maute, featuring Karina Gauvin, Leaf Music*Naxos
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen – Arvo Pärt: Symphonie No. 4, “Los Angeles,” I Musici de Montréal, conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni, ATMA*Universal
Viola Borealis, Orchestre de l’Agora, conducted by Nicolas Ellis, featuring Marina Thibeault, ATMA*Universal
Radiant Dawn: Music for Advent and Christmas, The Elora Singers, conducted by Mark Vuorinen, Independent
Classical album of the year (small ensemble)
Nagamo, Andrew Balfour and musica intima Redshift*Independent
Hemsi: Chamber Works, ARC Ensemble Chandos*Naxos/PIAS
Vagues et ombres, collectif9 Alpha*Independent
Early Italian Cello Concertos, Elinor Frey and Rosa Barocca, conducted by Claude Lapalme, Analekta*F.A.B./The Orchard
De la cour de Louis XIV à Shippagan! Chants traditionnels acadiens et airs de cour du XVIIe Siècle, Suzie LeBlanc, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Vincent Lauzer, and Sylvain Bergeron, ATMA*Universal
Classical composition of the year
“An Overall Augmented Sense of Well-being,” Anthony Tan, Independent
“Bestiary I & II,” Bekah Simms, Centrediscs*Naxos
“The Black Fish,” Keyan Emami, Centrediscs*Naxos
“Prayers for Ruins,” Nicole Lizée, Analekta*F.A.B./The Orchard
“Supervillain Études,” Vincent Ho, Navona*Naxos
Contemporary indigenous artist or group of the year
“Watin,” Aysanabee, Ishkōdé*Universal
“Zhawenim,” Digging Roots, Ishkōdé*Universal r&b
“Code Red,” Indian City, Rising Sun*Warner
“Beyond the Reservoir,” Julian Taylor, Howling Turtle*Warner
“The Crossing,” Susan Aglukark, Aglukark*Universal/IDLA
Traditional indigenous artist or group of the year
kâkîsimo ᑳᑮᓯᒧᐤ, Cikwes, Nehiyaw Soul*Bigstone Cree Nation
Katajjausiit, Iva & Angu, Independent
Mikwanak Kamôsakinat, Joel Wood, Independent
Ôskimacîtahowin: A New Beginning, Northern Cree, Independent
Unbreakable, The Bearhead Sisters, Independent
Comedy album of the year
Let Me Hold Your Baby, Courtney Gilmour, Comedy Records*Independent
Splash Pad, Jackie Pirico, Independent
A Person Who Is Gingerbread, Jon Dore, Howl & Roar*Independent
Here Live, Not A Cat, Matt Wright, Chillybrain
Things Black Girls Say – The Album, Zabrina Douglas, Howl & Roar*Independent
Album artwork of the year
Emy Storey (Art Director, Designer, & Photographer), Becca McFarlane and Pamela Littky (Photographer); CRYBABY – Tegan and Sara, Mom+Pop*Redeye
Ian Ilavsky (Art Director & Designer), Maciek Szczerbowski (Illustrator); Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More – Esmerine, Constellation*Secretly
Jud Haynes (Art Director & Designer); Kubasongs – Kubasonics, Independent
Kee Avil (Art Director), Lawrence Fafard (Photographer); Crease – Kee Avil, Constellation*Secretly
Lights (Art Director & Illustrator), Virgilio Tzaj (Designer), Matt Barnes (Photographer); PEP – Lights, Fueled By Ramen*Warner
Nickelback will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 Juno Awards. The show, which is Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys, will be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, on March 13. The band was formed in the town of Hanna, Alberta.
“Returning home to Alberta, where everything started for us, is truly a full circle, milestone moment for the band,” Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger said in a statement. “We take so much pride in our Canadian roots and are extremely humbled by this honour.”
Nickelback will perform on the show as part of the tribute. It will be their sixth performance on the Junos.
Since winning their first Juno in 2001 for best new group, Nickelback has amassed a total of 12 awards at the show. They won group of the year four times between 2002 and 2009; single of the year for “How You Remind Me” in 2002; album of the year for Dark Horse in 2009; and the Fan Choice award in both 2004 and 2009, among other awards.
Nickelback has a mixed track record at awards shows outside of their native Canada. They have yet to win a Grammy (despite six nods over the years, including record of the year for “How You Remind Me”). They have, however, won seven Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and one People’s Choice Award, among others.
Nickelback will debut their tenth studio album, Get Rollin’ on Nov. 18. The group’s last seven studio albums made the top 10 on the Billboard 200. They topped that chart with All the Right Reasons in 2005.
The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was established by CARAS in 1978 to acknowledge artists who have made an outstanding contribution to Canadian music.
Previous Hall of Fame inductees include both solo artists (such as 2022 recipient Deborah Cox) and groups. Other pop and rock bands that have receive the honor include The Guess Who, The Band, Rush, Triumph, Loverboy, April Wine, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Barenaked Ladies and Cowboy Junkies.
Calgary, Alberta native and four-time Juno nominee Tate McRae will also perform at the show. McRae, 19, made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “You Broke Me First
Manager and promoter Ron Sakamoto will be the recipient of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award. A longtime collaborator of Canadian superstar Shania Twain, Sakamoto has represented some of the biggest names in music, including The Guess Who, Bryan Adams, Bee Gees, KISS, and Keith Urban. Sakamoto will receive the honor at the 2023 Juno Opening Night Awards on March 11.
This will be the Juno Awards’ first time in Edmonton in 19 years. The show, produced by Insight Productions, will broadcast and stream live across Canada at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and on CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.