Simu Liu appears on stage at the JUNO Awards at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, on May 15, 2022. (Arthur Mola / THE CANADIAN PRESS / Invision / AP)
The Weeknd is back atop the nominees at this year's Juno Awards while newcomer Tate McRae and pop-punk favourite Avril Lavigne trail close behind.
The Toronto-raised "Blinding Lights" and "Starboy" hitmaker earned six nods across some of the main categories heading into the annual celebration of Canadian music.
They include album of the year for "Dawn FM," single of the year for "Sacrifice," and artist of the year.
"Dawn FM" also earned a nomination for pop album of the year while the Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, will vie for songwriter of the year and the TikTok Juno Fan Choice prize, which is voted on by viewers.
It's a repeat performance for Tesfaye, who was the leading Juno nominee most recently in 2021. He emerged that year as the top winner, scoring five Junos, but didn't show up for what was a hybrid COVID-19 pandemic ceremony of taped and live appearances.
Whether the superstar plans to attend the Junos at Edmonton's Rogers Place still hasn't been announced. The event will be broadcast March 13 on CBC and CBC Gem.
Junos president Allan Reid said the show in Edmonton has been a long time coming.
"We've been working with the host committee for six years to bring the Junos back," he said after the nominations were announced.
"It's been 19 years since we were last there, so we're really, really excited."
Other big contenders include Lavigne, the Napanee, Ont. pop-punk princess who competes for the throne with Calgary pop royalty McRae, who rose to fame in the pandemic with "You Broke Me First." The two singers go up against each other in four categories -- single, album, pop album and fan choice.
Lavigne's fifth nomination is for artist of the year, while McRae's is for songwriter.
Heading to the Junos with three nominations each are pop newcomers Preston Pablo and Reve. Country siblings the Reklaws and rapper Nav also have three nominations apiece.
This marks the first time the Junos have toured since the start of the pandemic -- the show has been held in Toronto for the past two years -- but the planning process encountered one big hitch last year.
Shortly after Juno Awards organizers made public their usual Sunday night broadcast, they were blindsided by the Oscars picking the same night. The Junos then bumped their show to Monday. The majority of the music awards will still be handed out at the Saturday industry dinner.
Junos organizers added some extra splash by announcing that Jessie Reyez, Alexisonfire and Aysanabee will perform on the broadcast, joining previously announced acts that include Tenille Townes, Nickelback and AP Dhillon.
Asked whether the Junos plan to mark the 50th anniversary of hip hop this year, Reid offered some assurance.
"We've been talking about that," he said. "It will likely be something on the broadcast."
The Junos have been criticized in the past for falling short of adequately celebrating Canada's hip hop and rap communities. Reid pointed out effort has been made to change that in recent years.
"We've been working really hard to mend fences," he added.
Stuart Walker of the Reklaws said seeing Canada's music industry progress towards normalcy is encouraging for a musician like himself who is focused on his upcoming tour dates.
"We can't wait for this year ahead," he said.
"And the fact that this (nominations ceremony) hasn't happened since 2020 -- it's such a good sign that things are actually happening again and we're back at full force."
Nominees for single of the year include Lavigne's "Bite Me," Pablo's "Flowers Need Rain" with production duo Banx & Ranx, McRae's "She's All I Wanna Be," Shawn Mendes' "When You're Gone," and the Weeknd's "Sacrifice."
Joining the Weeknd in the album of the year category are Ali Gatie's "Who Hurt You?," Lavigne's "Love Sux," Nav's "Demons Protected By Angels," and McRae's "I Used to Think I Could Fly."
Other notable names include Arcade Fire, who landed among the group of the year contenders.
Their nomination appears to be a vote of support from the Canadian music industry at a troubled time for the Montreal act. Lead singer Win Butler last year faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied, saying all encounters took place between consenting adults.
Nickelback picked up their 38th career nomination as "Get Rollin"' appeared among the rock album of the year contenders.
And scarcely a year after 13-year-old Kairo McLean became the youngest winner for the reggae recording Juno, he was named as a nominee again. Now 14 years old, McLean returns with two more nominations in the category, one for his album "In The Streets" and another as a featured artist on Kirk Diamond and Finn's "Reggae Party."
And Taylor Swift reasserted her star power by appearing twice in the international album of the year category, which determines its nominees based on top sales and streaming numbers.
Her records "Midnights" and "Red (Taylor's Version)" are up against Ed Sheeran's "," Harry Styles' "Harry's House" and Lil Nas X's "Montero." The winner is determined by a vote of the Junos organization's board of directors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2023.
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