Things are going to get heavy in Saskatoon as Canadian rockers Billy Talent and Three Days Grace have been named to the 2007 Juno performance lineup.
Organizers of Canada's biggest music awards show revealed the details on Tuesday.
"Billy Talent and Three Days Grace aren't just Canadian artists -- they are international stars from Canada," said Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and chair of the CTV Media Group.
"With their international success, landing these two groups is a great kick-off to what promises to be an exciting and eclectic Juno Awards line-up."
Three-time Juno winners Billy Talent, who are embarking on a headlining stadium tour across Canada, will interrupt their American tour stops to appear on the broadcast, which will air live on CTV from Saskatoon on Sunday, April 1.
Band members Aaron Solowoniuk, Benjamin Kowalewicz, Ian D'Sa and Jonathan Gallant recently released their sophomore album Billy Talent II, which debuted at No. 1 in Canada has since reached double-platinum status.
The Toronto-based band's self-titled major label debut first catapulted them into the spotlight in 2003.
That album eventually went triple platinum and scored the band four Top 10 singles, a Juno in 2004 for New Group of the Year and two more in 2005.
Three Days Grace is no stranger to the Juno stage, after having previously rocked the audience in 2004.
Their new album, One-X, is on its way to double-platinum status with hit release singles "Animal I Have Become," "Pain," and "Never Too Late."
Frontman Adam Gontier overcame a dark battle with addiction and his story of recovery is littered amongst the album's radio-ready rock and roll.
The band's self-titled debut, Three Days Grace, dominated Canadian and U.S. charts as soon as it hit record store shelves. The album's lead hit single, "I Hate Everything about You" reached No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 on the Canadian Mainstream, Alternative and Active Rock Charts.
Not to rest on their laurels, Three Days Grace was nominated for new group of the year at the 2004 Juno awards and landed the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Chart.
The band, which once went by the name of Groundswell, now comprises Gontier, Neil Sanderson, Barry Stock and Brad Walst.
"We are very excited to welcome back to the JUNO Awards stage, Billy Talent and Three Days Grace, two amazing bands that rocked the 2004 Juno Awards. We look forward to seeing what they have in store for us in Saskatoon!" said Melanie Berry, president of CARAS and an executive producer of the broadcast.
Meanwhile, Canadian chart-topper Nelly Furtado has signed on to host the 2007 Juno Awards.
Furtado takes over the job from last year's host Pamela Anderson. Other high-profile hosts have included Brent Butt in 2005; Alanis Morissette in 2004; Shania Twain in 2003 and the Barenaked Ladies in 2002.
Last year, 1.7 million viewers watched the 2006 Junos, surpassing the 48th Grammy Awards broadcast in Canada by 26 per cent and making it the most-watched music awards program of the year.
The 2006 Juno Awards climaxed with 2.1 million viewers and attracted almost 30 per cent more viewers than the previous year, making it the second-most watched awards telecast since they were broadcast from Ottawa in 2003.
