TORONTO — Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe and rising Canadian stars Ali Gatie and Tate McRae are joining the slate of musical performers at the upcoming Juno Awards.
The final list of Canadian acts has been announced for the two-hour June 6 broadcast, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Junos.
Other highlights will include a tribute to the country’s rap history, with an all-star performance that features Kardinal Offishall, Maestro Fresh Wes and Jully Black.
And William Prince, a nominee for contemporary album of the year, will perform alongside six-time Juno winner Serena Ryder.
They join previously announced performers Justin Bieber, the Tragically Hip and Feist, and Jann Arden, who will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Juno Awards will air nationally on CBC-TV and various CBC digital platforms.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was forced to postpone this year’s 50th-anniversary show twice as COVID-19 infections spiked in Ontario. They had originally hoped to make it a star-studded event inside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, but instead will settle for performances recorded in various cities.
Many of this year’s performers are nominated in various categories, including Reyez and Gatie, who are both up for artist of the year.
McRae is nominated for breakthrough artist of the year after her name rose to pop awareness in the midst of the pandemic.
Fellow breakthrough artist nominee Saxe will perform with his girlfriend and co-writer Julia Michaels, who helped pen their hit “If the World Was Ending,” nominated for single of the year.
An all-star list of Canadian hip-hop artists will unite to mark the 30th anniversary of the Junos rap recording category. They include veterans Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Maestro Fresh Wes, and Michie Mee, as well as Nav and Haviah Mighty.
Award presenters cover the spectrum of famous Canadian faces, including Shania Twain, Michael Bublé, Alessia Cara, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Gordon Lightfoot.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2021.
The Canadian Press