The Weeknd leads Juno nominees with six; five apiece for Justin Bieber, Drake
By David Friend
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO _ After dominating the Billboard charts for many months and landing an Oscar nomination and seven Grammy nods, the Weeknd is now being recognized on home turf with a leading six Juno Award nominations.
The internationally acclaimed Toronto native, born Abel Tesfaye, is up for Junos including best album for the moody “Beauty Behind the Madness” as well as artist of the year, songwriter of the year and the fan choice award.
Even fellow nominees were captivated by the Weeknd’s hold on the global music scene at Tuesday’s Junos press conference.
“The sky is the limit for him,” said Mike (Beard Guy) Taylor of Walk Off the Earth, which is up for awards including group of the year and the fan choice award.
“What the Weeknd is doing right now is particularly special.”
Next with five nominations apiece are Justin Bieber of Stratford, Ont., and Toronto rapper Drake. Both are also up for album of the year _ Bieber for “Purpose” and Drake with “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”
Breakout vocalist Alessia Cara of Brampton, Ont., and pop star Shawn Mendes of Pickering, Ont., each have four nominations.
Last year was a record-breaker for Canadian performers as a handful of homegrown musicians traded spots in the upper echelons of the Billboard Hot 100. Before Adele came calling with “Hello,” the Weeknd, Bieber and Drake monopolized the top few spots on the Billboard singles chart, where Canadians rarely hit No. 1. Cara and Mendes also cracked the Top 10.
The reverberations from Canadians rising up the Billboard Hot 100 have been felt back at home.
Toronto-based rock band Young Empires, which grabbed a nomination for breakthrough group, said they’ve experienced the positive effects that come with hailing from the same city as Drake.
“It does change the vibe when you’re touring,” said Matthew Vlahovich, bassist for the band.
“Toronto _ and Canada _ is now on the map. It’s on people’s radar and I think people are nicer to you because of it.”
Breakthrough artist nominee Scott Helman said the newfound level of respect for Canadian artists has opened doors for him.
“As an up-and-coming artist I’ve only experienced it as a positive thing, I’ve never experienced it as a hindrance,” Helman said.
“The fact they’re Canadian doesn’t put pressure _ it just helps.”
The key categories were noticeably weighted towards pop and hip-hop artists, although the Sheepdogs’ Ryan Gullen said he wasn’t bothered by that.
“We don’t make music to get nominations for awards shows,” said Gullen, who is up for best rock album with the rest of the band.
“We make music because we like making music. Getting the recognition for that along with other people is cool…. But that’s not why we do (this).”
The Weeknd, Cara, Mendes, Bryan Adams and Dean Brody will be among the performers at the Juno Awards, which will air live from Calgary on CTV on April 3.
Other album of the year nominees include Mendes for “Handwritten” and francophone Jean Leloup for “A Paradis City.”
Bieber, Drake, Mendes and the Weeknd are also nominated for artist of the year along with City and Colour.
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Full list of Juno nominees: http://bit.ly/1SWqcJ0
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