Go to main content

NOMINATIONS AND NEW PERFORMERS REVEALED FOR THE 2023 JUNO AWARDS

The Weeknd leads with six nominations, Avril Lavigne and Tate McRae follow with five 

Alexisonfire, Aysanabee and Jessie Reyez join lineup of celebrated performers, live from Edmonton on CBC

 

Voting is now open for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice. Fans are encouraged to vote at tiktokjunofanchoice.ca  

TORONTO — The nominees for The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards were announced today by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) at a press conference attended by media and industry notables inside the CBC’s Canadian Broadcasting Centre, in downtown Toronto. This year’s winners will be unveiled in Edmonton, Alberta at The JUNO Opening Night Awards Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 11 and The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Monday, March 13, broadcasting live on CBC and produced by Insight Productions (a Boat Rocker company).

CARAS also revealed today that three more of this year’s nominees will join the lineup of performers taking the stage at The JUNO Awards Broadcast – award-winning rock band Alexisonfire (Rock Album of the Year*), multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer songwriter Aysanabee (Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year*) and multi-platinum R&B powerhouse Jessie Reyez (Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year and Music Video of the Year*).

The JUNO Awards will provide an unparalleled platform for our friends in Edmonton to highlight some of our most talented artists and celebrate the richness and diversity of the Canadian music scene,” said Neil Lumsden, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “As a proud supporter and partner of Ontario's music sector, our government congratulates all nominees for the 2023 awards."

For a complete list and biographies of all nominees and more information on The 2023 JUNO Awards, please visit junoawards.ca. Rewatch the full 2023 JUNO Nominee Announcement Presented by Ontario Creates at CBCMusic.ca/junos

Canada’s biggest night in music, hosted for the second year by global superstar Simu Liu, will broadcast and stream live across the country from Rogers Place in Edmonton at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. 

 

2023 JUNO Award Nominations

Canada’s Starboy The Weeknd sweeps this year’s nominations with a total of six including: TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year,* Artist of the Year,* Songwriter of the Year* and Pop Album of The Year. Pop punk legend Avril Lavigne and Albertan singer-songwriter Tate McRae followed with five nominations each, showcasing the enormous talent that reinforces Canada’s global reach. Avril is nominated for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year,* Artist of the Year* and Pop Album of The Year; while Tate is up for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year,* Songwriter of the Year* and Pop Album of The Year.

First-time nominees honoured with three nominations include acclaimed singer/songwriter Preston Pablo for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year and Breakthrough Artist Of The Year*; and dance-pop icon Rêve for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Breakthrough Artist Of The Year* and Dance Recording Of The Year. Canadian rapper NAV also takes home three nominations for Album of the Year,* Rap Album/EP of The Year and Rap Single of the Year; alongside internationally celebrated singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year and Artist of the Year*; and country music duo The Reklaws for TikTok JUNO Fan Choice, Group of the Year* and Country Album of the Year*.

The host province of Alberta is also well represented with first time nominations going to Altameda for Adult Alternative Album of the Year*; Anthony Tan for Classical Composition of the Year; The Bearhead Sisters and Cikwes for Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year; Devon Cole for Breakthrough Artist of the Year;* The Ostara Project for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, Tehillah Worship for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year; Rare Americans for Breakthrough Group of the Year* and WAKE for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.

MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with CARAS and The JUNO Awards, will recognize one Canadian music educator’s impact not only on students, but also their community and the music education field, through the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, presented by CST Foundation. The 2023 nominees are Jewel Casselman (Winnipeg, MB, Lakewood School), Susan Evoy (St. John’s, NL, St. Teresa’s Elementary & Waterford Valley High School), Stephen Richardson (Yellowknife, NWT, École St. Joseph School), Kelly Stronach (Guelph, ON, Mitchell Woods Public School) and Heidi Wood (Calgary, AB, Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School).

New JUNO Award Performers Announced

Lighting up the stage is Alexisonfire, who will stun crowds with their amped up show for the second time since their inaugural JUNO performance in 2007. The band recently released their long-anticipated and first full-length album in over 13 years, Otherness, described as their  most cohesive and self-actualized record to date. Otherness debuted at #2 on the Top 20 Music Canada album chart and the band’s single “Sans Soleil” hit #2 on Rock Radio in Canada. The post-hardcore luminaries have sold over one million records and released five hugely successful studio albums, with four achieving Platinum-certification.

Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class alumni, Aysanabee, will make his JUNO Awards debut with a performance showcasing his striking sound and powerful voice. Since releasing his deeply moving debut album Watin in 2022, Aysanabee has been named a CBC Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year. His acclaimed single “Nomads” hit #1 on CBC Music’s Top 20 and continues to climb, entering the Top 10 on Mediabase Canada’s Alternative radio chart. His soulful track “We Were Here,” charted on the Indigenous Music Countdown and was featured on the hit ABC series Station 19.

The four-time JUNO Award winning superstar, Jessie Reyez will help celebrate this year’s nominees as she returns to share a soulful live performance with audiences in Edmonton. This past September, Reyez released her sophomore album, YESSIE,  which chronicles the journey and range of emotions from love and loss to healing, closure and happiness. The GRAMMY Award-nominated artist’s recent success includes her debut album reaching Top 5 on Billboard’s R&B Album Chart and amassing over 1.2 billion global streams.  Reyez also earned the title of Top Female Debut Album and Top R&B Album of 2020 for Before Love Came To Kill Us, and made a cameo in Beyonce’s Black is King visual album.

These artists join previously announced acts AP Dhillon, Banx & Ranx, Preston Pablo and Rêve together in a collaborative performance, Nickelback, Tate McRae and Tenille Townes. 

*Award Sponsors for The 2023 JUNO Awards include: Adult Alternative Album of the Year Presented by Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, Album of the Year Presented by Music Canada, Artist of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada, Breakthrough Artist of the Year Presented by FACTOR, The Government of Canada and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, Breakthrough Group of the Year Presented by FACTOR, The Government of Canada and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, Comedy Album of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada, Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year Presented by Destination Indigenous, Country Album of the Year Presented by Edmonton's Best Hotels, Group of the Year Presented by SiriusXM Canada, Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Presented by Audio-Technica, Music Video of the Year Presented by YouTube, Rock Album of the Year Presented by Amii - Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, Songwriter of the Year Presented by SOCAN and TikTok JUNO Fan Choice.

The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards and JUNO Week 2023 will take place in Edmonton, AB  from Thursday, March 9 through Monday, March 13, 2023, culminating with The JUNO Awards Broadcast. Media accreditation for the 2023 JUNO Awards is now open at junoawards.ca/media-accreditation. Media have until February 7, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET to apply. 

Tickets for The 2023 JUNO Awards start at $49.00 (including tax plus fees) and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.ca/junos, by phone and in-person at the Rogers Place box office.

Book your stay for 2023 JUNO Week through Edmonton's Best Hotels – Rewards with every booking www.edmontonsbesthotels.com

 

For promotional graphics, publicity photos, suggested social copy, logos and more reference our Digital Toolkit

Web Links:
Official JUNO Awards website: www.junoawards.ca

CBC Music: www.cbcmusic.ca/junos 

Alexisonfire: www.theonlybandever.com

Aysanabee: www.aysanabee.com

Jessie Reyez: www.jessiereyez.com

Social Media:

Alexisonfire: Instagram: @AOF_Official / Twitter: @AOF_Official / Facebook @AOFOfficial 

Aysanabee: Instagram: @_Aysanabee_ / Twitter: @_Aysanabee_ / Facebook: @AysanabeeOfficial / YouTube: @Aysanabee / TikTok: @Aysanabee

Jessie Reyez: Instagram: @JessieReyez / Twitter: @JessieReyez / Facebook: @JessieReyez / YouTube: @JessieReyez / TikTok: @JessieReyez

 

The JUNO Awards

Instagram: @TheJUNOAwards / Twitter: @TheJUNOAwards / Facebook: @TheJUNOAwards / TikTok: @TheJUNOAwards / Hashtag: #JUNOS

 

CBC Music

Twitter: @CBCMusic / Facebook: @CBCMusic / YouTube: @CBCMusic / TikTok: @CBCMusic

Exclusive Broadcast and Content Partner: 

CARAS acknowledges the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.

Premier Sponsor: TD Bank Group

Lead Sponsor: SiriusXM Canada, TikTok & Edmonton’s Best Hotels

Funding Partners: The Province of Alberta, The City of Edmonton, Explore Edmonton and Radio Starmaker Fund

 

About CARAS 

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music industry and promote higher artistic and industry standards. CARAS’ mandate is comprised of four key pillars: Educate through our music education charity, MusiCounts, programs and initiatives; Develop emerging artists through mentorship and development programs; Celebrate Canadian artists with year-round JUNO Awards showcasing; and Honour music industry icons through the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The 52nd annual JUNO Awards Broadcast will take place in Edmonton at Rogers Place on Monday, March 13, 2023. For more information on the JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About CBC Music

CBC Music is the leading curator of emerging and diverse Canadian music talent across platforms, playing the most Canadian artists and genres on radio, CBC Listen and cbcmusic.ca. We prioritize Canadian artists in a wide variety of genres on over 200 playlists available on CBC Listen, and publish daily national music coverage. CBC Music Live features live music recordings from across the country. Our music partnerships and events include The JUNOS, the Polaris Music Prize, Searchlight, the CBC Music Festival, The Canadian Music Class Challenge and Canada Listens.

About Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company)

Insight Productions known for its award-winning ratings juggernauts, is Canada’s most established content producer and an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming. Insight Senior Vice President Lindsay Cox serves as Executive Producer – alongside Insight’s Chairman, CEO, and Executive Producer John Brunton, on The 2023 JUNO Awards. The company has created some of the most dynamic and top-rated programs including Canada’s New Year’s Eve: Countdown, The Amazing Race Canada (the most watched Canadian show on record), ratings hits Big Brother Canada, Stronger Together/Tous Ensemble (the largest multi-platform broadcast and highest viewed non-sporting broadcast in Canadian television history) and The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a live concert special on CBC watched by one in three Canadians.  Insight has also worked in close collaboration with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation as executive producers on Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education and National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Insight Productions was founded in 1979 and has since created thousands of hours of ground-breaking content. For more information on Insight Productions, please visit www.insighttv.com or on Twitter @insightprod or Facebook www.facebook.com/InsightProductions.

 

For interview requests, image requests or additional information, please contact:

Dillon Shaver, rock-it promotions, dillon.shaver@rockitpromo.com

Cherise Williams, rock-it promotions, cherise@rockitpromo.com

For more information about The 2023 JUNO Awards Broadcast on CBC, contact:

Teaghan Hawke, CBC, teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca

Discover

October 27th at 15:49

CBC Announces New Ad-Free CBC Kids Streaming Channel, Now Available on CBC Gem and CBC Kids YouTube

CBC today announced the launch of a new 24/7 commercial-free CBC Kids streaming channel, available now to stream on CBC Gem and the CBC Kids YouTube channel. 
October 27th at 9:00

New to CBC Gem in November 2025

CBC’s fall premieres continue with THE ASSEMBLY (Nov. 6, also on CBC TV), featuring authentic conversations between autistic interviewers and Canadian celebrities, and Season 2 of POV documentary series FOR THE CULTURE WITH AMANDA PARRIS (Nov. 28 on CBC Gem)
October 23rd at 11:59

Nothing Is Off the Table in CBC’s New Unscripted Series The Assembly, Premiering November 6 on CBC and CBC Gem

CBC today announced the six celebrities who will be in the hot seat in the new unscripted series THE ASSEMBLY.
October 20th at 11:41

CBC Expands FAST Portfolio with New Schitt’s Creek Channel, Now Streaming on CBC Gem in Canada

CBC today announced the expansion of its free ad-supported streaming portfolio with the launch of a new Schitt’s Creek channel, featuring all six seasons of the multiple Emmy Award-winning CBC original comedy series plus one-hour finale special Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell. 
September 24th at 12:43

New to CBC Gem in October 2025

CBC’s fall premieres continue with new factual series LOCALS WELCOME (Oct. 5) hosted by food writer Suresh Doss, and new seasons of HEARTLAND (Oct. 5), THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Oct. 5), MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Oct. 6), FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Oct. 6), and THE FIFTH ESTATE (Oct. 10)